What is Functional Strength Training

The term “functional strength training” is widely used in the fitness and health industry. But what is functional strength training? Functional strength training is a type of exercise that focuses on training the body to perform daily life, sports, or specific tasks. The main goal of functional strength training is to improve functional movements and increase overall functional fitness.

What does this mean exactly? Think about the small movements you do every day – walking up and down the stairs, picking up a shopping bag, squatting on the floor to play hide and seek with your kids. These are all functional movements, and depending on your functional fitness, you may have limited physical strength to perform them.

Basically, any type of exercise is beneficial if it serves a specific function.

9 Best Functional Strength Exercises

You may find that many strength training workouts include both traditional strength exercises and functional strength exercises. Not only can you isolate muscles to improve strength, but you can also improve endurance with functional strength exercises.

If you haven’t tried functional strength training yet, here are some exercises to get you started:

1. Burpees

From a squat, lower your hands to the ground outside your feet.

Jump or step back to a pushup/high plank position.

Complete one pushup. Frog jump with your feet to the outside of your hands.

Perform one squat jump and return to the starting squat position. Aim for 5-10 repetitions without stopping.

2. Squats

Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your knees slightly bent.

Engage your core muscles and slowly lower yourself into a squat as if you were sitting in an invisible chair. Make sure your knees stay in a straight line and don’t collapse.

Hold for 3 to 5 seconds, then slowly return to the starting position.

Make it harder: From a squat position, engage your core muscles and jump through your feet, extending your legs. Land softly on the balls of your feet and immediately perform another squat. Aim for 10 reps, or 5 standard squats followed by 5 squat jumps.

3. Kettlebell Swing

A full-body exe

rcise that targets your arms, core, glutes, and legs. It helps you build muscle mass and improve overall strength.

4. Reverse lunge

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your hands on your hips.

Tighten your core muscles and take a big step back with your left foot, bending your knees and getting as close to the ground as possible. Your right foot should be at a 90-degree angle to the ground.

Press your right foot into the floor and return to the starting position.

Alternate between left and right reverse lunges, 5-10 times on each side, and repeat 10-20 times.

5. Step Up

Using a box, small chair, or stool, step onto a step with your right foot, following with your left leg.
Bend your right knee and lower your foot down, then your left. Complete 5-10 reps, then switch legs.
To make it harder: Hold a 10- to 15-pound dumbbell in each hand as you step onto the step.

6. Push-ups

Put your hands under your shoulders and your feet shoulder-width apart in a high plank position.

Keep your elbows close to your body and slowly lower your chest to scrape the mat, or as low as you can.

Keep your elbows rotated inward (not pointed at the mat) and slowly lift back up to the starting high plank position. Repeat 5-10 times with good form.

For beginners, you can start on your knees and gradually improve this move.

7. Bent-over Row

A compound exercise that targets your back muscles and helps you improve strength and size.

8. Plank

Plank strengthens your core muscles as well as your hips, lower back, and abdominal muscles.

Start in a tabletop position with your shoulders stacked over your wrists and your neck aligned with your spine.
Tuck your toes, then extend your feet behind you to find a full plank position.
Practice engaging your pelvic floor muscles while keeping your body stable.

9. Single-leg deadlift

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and place a heavy dumbbell (about 15 to 20 pounds) horizontally between your feet. If you are doing this exercise for the first time, start with bodyweight.

Lean forward and shift your weight onto your right foot, extending your left leg behind you.

Keeping your right leg slightly bent, lift your left leg and lower your arm to rest in the middle of your calf.

Slowly lift your body back to the starting position while tightening your glutes and core muscles.

Repeat 5-10 times, then switch legs.

What’s the Perfect strength training for beginners? For more web content, follow us on youtube @China Manta Fitness.

In essence, any kind of exercise can be practical, if it serves a specific function. The lunge is a single leg exercise where your feet are surprised; one foot in front of your body and one behind. Yes, we desire our whole spinal column stiff for a squat however in various other situations we do desire our spinal column to be able to move.