Functional Training: Helping You Improve Your Health Day By Day

Surely you’ve noticed how many gyms have incorporated functional training into their gyms. Next, to the Zumba, the body pump and the cycle has shown up strongly in this discipline which helps you improve your health every day. Regular practice will bring multiple advantages to your body and your health. Functional training is perfect to tone the body, gain muscle, burn fat, and recover from an injury.

Functional and very complete; an excellent alternative for those who find the gym machines boring and seek to perform more dynamic exercises. If you do not know, this post will help you understand the basics of functional training and what benefits it can bring.

The functional training is complete because all the muscles are exercised and you can work with your own body, both when performing squats or push-ups and with material like the fit ball or medicine ball. The routines are always different, which makes it a dynamic exercise and not boring at all.

What is functional training?

The functional training should be focused on the search of a particular objective, and the whole exercise is done around the achievement of it. This type of training is created to integrate the natural aspects of human movements. The objective is to know how to maintain a correct posture so that we do not hurt ourselves and strengthen those specific muscle groups so as not to fall victim to injuries.

Benefits of functional training

We have already commented that these are very dynamic exercises where the whole body is engaged. The benefits of functional training are many: On the one hand, functional training is a great calorie-burning workout which is ideal for losing weight. Also functional training tones the body holistically which is aesthetically pleasing. Functional training also gains speed and efficiency in the movements, strengthens the abdomen and balance. Also this training helps you improve body posture, gain coordination and flexibility.

10 functional routines to train

Not every workout is going to be lifting bars; we present 10 functional routines to train in the gym :

Assault bike: it is one of the hardest exercises. Here you can work at high-intensity intervals or work more cardio.

Skiing: improves aerobic movements and strengthen arms. Strength and resistance are worked. There are not many boxes that incorporate skiing among their training material.

Hit with the hammer: it helps to work different muscular zones. We work the explosiveness, but above all, we exercise the shoulder and it is also a very fun practice.

Rowing: the paddle is found in most gyms. It is important to note that rowing speed is not synonymous with quality. As in most exercises, it is fundamental to execute the technique well so as not to damage the back, and it is a great exercise to develop the dorsal.

Rope: one of the most beautiful exercises to watch. Climbing the rope is pure technique and coordination, but the most important thing is that it is a very complete exercise. You have to have strength in the upper body since your arms are going to carry the weight of the body. If you already have the strength and advanced technique you can try to climb the rope without legs.

Wall Ball: is one of the best exercises to burn calories. Triceps, shoulders, and chest are worked more intensively but also the lower part thanks to the squat.

Comba: is an ideal exercise to start in Crossfit or functional training because we all know how to jump rope. First of all, one of the benefits is that it helps you burn calories and work both the upper and lower body. It is a complete exercise practiced by many athletes in different sports. 

Bossu: it is not such an explosive exercise, but it is a great ally of functional training. Working with the Bossu ball improves flexibility, stability, and endurance, which helps prevent muscle injuries. You can also strengthen your muscles.

Box Jump: you can work at different heights, depending on the intensity and your physical condition. It is a good exercise to work the lower body. It helps you tone and burns calories.

Fitball: work is done more relaxed; not explosive but allows you to work all parts of the body. It helps to improve posture, improve coordination and elasticity.

10 functional exercises you can do at home or in your classroom.

Burpee: Burpees work the whole body without the need for a lot of room for a single person. Great for group workouts.

Lounges : you can do them with your own weight or you can take two bottles of water or jugs that you have to add a little more complexity to the exercise.

Pushups: if you are starting, try to do them on your knees. You can stand on a carpet or towel. Remember, you have to go all the way down, do not fool yourself and better do two on your feet than 5 on your knees.

Push-ups with chair feet: place the feet on a chair or sofa. It is a way to add more intensity to the exercise.

Triceps Dips: You can dip between chairs with your arms. The more you stretch your legs, the harder the exercise will be.

Climber: it is a very hard but very complete exercise that will help you to tone up your whole body.

Plank: the exercise of the plank is the best to strengthen the abdomen. Record your times and increase them. You can make variations to add more intensity, such as opening and closing the legs, raise your feet simultaneously, raise your hands or rotate to the sides.

Sit-ups: Another way to work the abdomen is to perform situps..