Functional fitness is a term that has not only grown in popularity over the past several years. It has also has changed how we exercise. Rather than heading to the gym and doing a series of exercises on traditional pieces of fitness equipment, workouts have evolved. More common are exercises and movements performed with minimal equipment or just your bodyweight.
Improving your fitness, and more specifically your functional fitness enhances your everyday life. Gone are the days of showing up and going through the motions at the gym. Functional fitness training will get you past a fitness plateau and lead to improvements that spill over into your daily life. According to the Mayo Clinic:
“Functional fitness exercises train your muscles to work together and prepare them for daily tasks by simulating common movements you might do at home, at work, or in sports.”
Think about some of the things you do throughout the day.
- Can you go for a long walk or easy run with your dog?
- How about chasing your kids around the park with no soreness the next day?
- What’s it like to carry a week’s worth of groceries up to your 3rd-floor apartment with no elevator?
- Can you lift your suitcase off the baggage claim carousel with no weird twinge in your back?
Functional fitness training mimics these and other activities that you perform throughout the day.
The goal of functional fitness is to use multiple muscle groups all at the same time. Rather than building a training program or workout around pieces of gym equipment, functional training focuses on movements – pushing, pulling, rotating, squatting, and pressing. Functional fitness increases your strength while performing these movements while also addressing your range of motion, balance, coordination, agility, and power.
Class A Fitness offers a variety of programs where you can increase your functional fitness AND have fun. If you’re interested in getting started with either our group classes or personal training options, contact us today.
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