The new big hype among fitness enthusiasts is functional
strength and fitness. Now what do we mean by this? Functional strength and
fitness is increased by mimicking real life situations with familiar equipment and
working over different planes of movement. For example, a builder that’s used
to knocking down walls with a hammer would have good muscle stability around
the shoulder joint compared to somebody using a shoulder press machine. The
shoulder is a ball and socket joint so therefore is designed to move on
multiple planes of movement in circular motions rather than heavy weight on
singular plane lifts. This can be replicated with Sledgehammer hits on a large
tyre or kettlebell swings.
What are the benefits?
The movements promote muscle
balance, joint stability and cardiac improvement. In comparison,
though machines appear to be safer to use, they restrict movements to a single
plane of motion, which is an unnatural form of movement for the body and may
potentially lead to unbalanced muscles causing bad posture or injury.
In 2009 Exercise Physiologist Keith
Spennewyn conducted research, published in the Journal of Strength and
Conditioning Research which compared functional training to fixed variable
training techniques, this was considered the first research of its type
comparing the two methods of strength training.
Results of the study showed very substantial gains and benefits in the
functional training group over fixed training equipment. Functional users had a
58% greater increase in strength over the fixed-form group. Their improvements
in balance were 196% higher over fixed and reported an overall decrease in
joint pain by 30%.
What equipment can be used?
There is a lot of equipment out there from a variety of
shops but these can be costly. At Bodytorque, this is the specialty of the gym
boasting a variety of equipment such as tractor tyres, kettlebells, kegs,
battleropes, sandbags and sleds just to name a few.
To find out more about how Functional fitness can benefit you or to check the Bodytorque class timetable please contact us through any of the following to book yourself into a FREE trial class! :
Twitter : @Bodytorquegym
Thanks for reading, we would be very greatful if you could please spread this link to inform others how they could also better themselves!
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