Watch a professional golfer and follow their coordinated, strong and controlled swing. It’s amazing how the ball goes exactly where they want it to. At least most of the time. Maybe it’s muscle memory, but many professional athletes will have special trainers and training sessions to strengthen their body and perfect their craft. That training is often called functional training.
This type of training isn’t just for elite athletes. If you’ve ever watched someone struggle to get up off the floor, you realize even daily activities often require a coordinated effort between muscles and joints. Functional training is a form of exercise that helps both elite athletes perform at their best and the everyday person stay strong enough to accomplish everyday tasks.
What Is Functional Strength Training?
Movements we do every day require both coordination and strength. Functional strength training develops muscles and the neuromuscular system, and teaches them how to work together to perform many daily activities.
This type of training can focus on improving daily activities and movement, perfecting a specific sports-related skill (swinging a golf club or throwing a pitch) or reteaching movements following a traumatic injury. It not only strengthens muscles, but trains the mind, body and muscles to work together. It exercises several muscle groups and joints together and simulates common movements.
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A functional strength training program is often designed by a trainer who assesses a person’s goals or the reasons for the training. Training progresses over time; muscle groups are gradually strengthened and coordination improves. Normally this type of exercise strengthens core muscle groups and involves a variety of activities including squatting, bending and twisting.
Who Needs Functional Training?
While it may seem that only older adults or elite athletes need to focus on functional strength training, people of all ages can benefit from it to improve coordination, strength and the ability to perform everyday activities.
Good questions to ask are, what do you want to be able to comfortably do? Kneel in the garden and be able to stand up easily? Swing a golf club with little pain the next day? Get up off the floor with minimal assistance? Easily go from sitting to standing without help? Pick up your children or grandchildren? Everyone’s definition of function will be different but the point is that functional training can help many people at different stages of life.
Functional training works a variety of muscle groups and joints together rather than focusing on isolated muscles or movements. It uses full-body movements that mimic activities done in everyday life. This helps strengthen muscles and joints and helps individuals perform daily activities without pain, improves specific sport related skills or just improves overall well-being. Like other types of exercise this also improves coordination, supports bone health, burns calories and fat, helps with your mood and improves endurance.
How Often Is Functional Strength Training Recommended?
While aerobic activity helps build endurance and stamina, and weight training improves strength, functional strength training improves strength, coordination and endurance, especially when combined with other forms of exercise. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends that adults do some muscle-strengthening activities at least twice a week along with a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity.
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Yoga and tai chi are both low-impact exercises that exercise joints, build core strength and improve balance and flexibility. They both have coordinated movements that mimic movements done in daily life and are often thought of as good strength training programs. Remaining physically active is important for reducing the risk of chronic disease. It is also important to continue to function and easily perform activities of daily living as long as possible. Functional strength training exercises are something everyone should consider adding twice a week to their weekly exercise routine.
Always consult with your physician before starting any exercise program.
