Functional Training

Especially in the current difficult situation, it is important to stay fit and lead a healthy lifestyle. But what to do now? Gym or home training, fitness boxing, gin yoga, Zumba...the variety of offers is large and confusing. Therefore, in today's blog we present Functional Training. This is a universal sport, which is suitable for everyone, regardless of age and physical condition.

What is Functional Training?

Functional training is a form of training that aims to make the human body stronger and more agile, but also more enduring and flexible. Through various movement patterns, functional training has a specific purpose. The purpose of your workout will largely depend on your age, fitness level, current health, and personal goals. For example, athletic performance can be improved by training exercises that are need-based and appropriate for your sport. Even if you're not a competitive athlete, functional training can still benefit you. Your functional training program could focus on improving the movements you need for everyday life, such as lifting a heavy object on the job or reaching for objects placed high. Essentially, functional training is there to optimize your everyday movements and thereby improve the quality of your life.

How does Functional Training work?

While many of us turn to strength training to lose weight, build muscle or maintain fitness levels, functional training aims to make physical tasks and natural movements we perform during the day more effective and easier.

The main goal of functional training is to give your body more strength and balance. The exercises that are performed during functional fitness training work off the entire body. An excellent example of this is squats. They represent a movement that we perform several times during the day, for example, when sitting and lifting from a chair or lifting various objects from the floor.

The exercises done during functional training strengthen the muscle system and reduce the risks of injury. Different exercises can be used for this purpose. The most important thing is that they are done systematically. In principle, functional training can include all exercises that promote the strengthening of all muscle groups.

Operating principle: In functional training, high intensity is the top priority. Functional training does not actually provide for a breather.  No more than 20 minutes are allowed for performing the exercises.

For whom is Functional Training suitable?

Functional training is universal and therefore suitable for everyone. The exercises performed during functional training are part of the training routine of many professional athletes. There are different levels of complexity of functional training, because the needs and requirements of professional athletes and ordinary people differ.

Generally, functional training is right for you if you:

• want to improve the quality of your everyday movements;
• want to increase your sports performance;
• want to reduce the possibility of a sports injury;
• look for the exercises that can benefit your whole body;
• want to live healthier and more efficiently.

Nutrition in Functional Training

Functional workouts are usually very intense. That's why it makes sense to have something to eat before the workout. Small nutritious snacks are perfect for this.

Advantages of functional training:

1)    Functional training promotes concentration and coordination

During functional training all muscles including stabilizers are trained, which are responsible for flexibility, balance and grace of our movements. To increase the effect of the exercises, equipment such as Bosu Balance Trainer or TRX Fitness System can be used (both available in the GYMONE).

2) Functional training promotes muscle strength

Beim regelmässigen Funktionstraining werden Muskeln trainiert, die durch Einsatz zweckmässiger Übungen immer stärker werden. Dies kommt dank der Kraftübungen und der immer steigenden Intensität der Belastung beim Training mit freien Gewichten zustande. Auf diese Weise wachsen deine Muskeln und deine Körperstärke nimmt immer zu.

3) Functional training increases speed

Exercises used during functional training are performed at a high pace. This gives your training more intensity and dynamism and helps improve your sports performance.

4) Functional training is good for your health

Due to the high pace and load during the workout, the heart rate increases regularly. This has a positive effect on the function of your heart and cardiovascular system and makes you stronger and more efficient.

5) Functional training prevents injuries

Initially, functional training was used for rehabilitation, to restore joint stability or enable everyday movements with the help of functional exercises. More and more, however, functional training is used for prevention. thus, targeted exercises are used to strengthen injury-prone areas such as knees or ankles in order to meet the challenges of everyday life and sports. 

6) Functional training makes your body more efficient

Functional training focuses on complex movements by activating all parts of your body. It's not isolated exercises like biceps curls, where "only" your arm muscles are activated. For example, if you do a Plank exercise correctly, you will strengthen your abs, arms, glutes and legs. You can also improve your posture and sustainably increase your endurance through such targeted exercises.

How to increase the effectiveness of functional training?

To achieve better results in functional training, you should follow these rules:

1. Try not to take breaks between exercises if possible. At first it will probably be difficult for you, because the sweat will pour down your body and you will have an accelerated heartbeat. There will be a great temptation to interrupt the training. In this situation it is necessary to overcome yourself several times. Performing such exercises you will become stronger and with time you will be able to bear more load with higher intensity.

 2. Any workout must be very intense and tiring. If it's not, it means you've been tackling functional training at the wrong end. The key here is to roll up your sleeves and tackle it more vigorously! Don't stop exercising until you're 150% exhausted.

3. Focus completely. Don't get distracted during your workout. Even if it's hard, Instagram and co can wait a few minutes.

4. Try to make your training as varied as possible. You should use different exercises so that each workout is maximally different from the other.

5. Choose exercises where all muscle groups are active.

If functional training has piqued your interest and you'd like to give it a try, we'd be happy to assist you with any questions and create a personalized functional training program for you.