Week 6: Move Like You Mean It
This week, we dive into Functional Fitness, where workouts translate directly to everyday activities, making life easier and more enjoyable. We'll explore the principles of functional fitness and share some practical tips for incorporating it into your routine. Whether you're new to fitness or a seasoned athlete, functional fitness has something to offer everyone.
Benefits of Functional Fitness
Functional fitness is about training your body to handle real-life situations. It involves exercises that mimic movements you do in your daily life, such as squatting, bending, lifting, and reaching. By engaging multiple muscle groups simultaneously, functional exercises build strength, improve flexibility, balance, coordination and mobility, leading to better overall physical performance. Building up your functional fitness, makes everyday tasks easier and reduces the risk of injury.
Designing Functional Workouts
When designing functional workouts, focus on compound movements that work multiple muscle groups simultaneously. Incorporate exercises that mimic everyday activities, such as squats, lunges, deadlifts, and overhead presses. Include balance and stability exercises to improve coordination and prevent falls.
Some examples of functional exercises to help you build a workout routine are included below:
SQUAT
Mimics the motion of sitting and standing, strengthening the legs and core.
Stand with feet hip-width apart, and lower your body as if sitting back into a chair. Keep your chest up and core engaged. Push through your heels to return to the starting position.
LUNGE
Improves balance and strengthens the legs, useful for walking and climbing stairs.
Take a step forward with one leg and lower your body until both knees are bent at a 90-degree angle. Push back to the starting position and repeat on the other side.Maintain a straight line from head to heel, emphasizing core strength and balance.
DEADLIFT
Builds strength in the lower back, glutes, and hamstrings, essential for lifting objects from the ground.
Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding a weight in each hand in front of your thighs. Keeping your back straight, hinge at the hips and lower the weights towards the ground. Push through your heels to return to the starting position.
OVERHEAD PRESS
Strengthens the shoulders and arms, useful for reaching overhead.
Begin with feet shoulder-width apart, holding a weight at shoulder height, with palms facing forward. Press the weight upward, straightening your arms. Lower the weight back to shoulder height with control.
PLANK
Strengthens the core, which is essential for stability and balance in various activities.
Start in a push-up position, but with your weight on your forearms instead of your hands. Keep your body in a straight line from head to heels, engaging your core muscles. Hold this position for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Consider the framework below as you design your workouts:
Warm-up: 5-10 minutes of dynamic stretches and light cardio to prepare your body for exercise.
Main Workout: Perform 8-12 reps of each exercise, 3-4 times. Focus on proper form and controlled movements.
Cool Down: 5-10 minutes of static stretches to improve flexibility and reduce muscle soreness.