How do you use common functional movements in your training?

1 What are common functional movements?

Common functional movements are the basic patterns of human movement that you perform regularly, such as getting up from a chair, lifting a bag, opening a door, or turning your head. They involve multiple joints and muscles working together in coordination, and they require stability, balance, and power. By training these movements, you can improve your functional capacity, which is your ability to perform tasks efficiently and safely.

2 How to train common functional movements?

There are a variety of ways to train common functional movements, depending on your goals, preferences, and equipment availability. Bodyweight exercises, such as squats, lunges, push-ups, planks, and bridges, are simple and effective exercises that use your own bodyweight as resistance. Resistance bands provide variable resistance and can be used to add challenge to bodyweight exercises or to perform isolation exercises for specific muscles. Dumbbells can be adjusted to desired weight and can help develop strength, endurance, and power. Kettlebells are spherical weights with a handle that can be used to perform dynamic and explosive exercises to improve core stability, coordination, cardiovascular fitness, strength and power.

3 Why are common functional movements beneficial?

Training common functional movements can have many benefits for your health and fitness, such as improving your posture and alignment, enhancing your mobility and flexibility, increasing your muscle mass and metabolism, developing your balance and stability, and boosting your confidence and self-esteem. Strengthening the muscles that support your spine, pelvis, and joints can help prevent or reduce pain and injury. Moving your joints through their full range of motion can improve performance and quality of life. Stimulating muscle fibers and increasing muscle mass can boost metabolism and burn calories, aiding in weight management. Challenging balance and stability can help develop proprioception and core strength, reducing the risk of falls or injuries. Achieving goals and improving skills can positively affect mental and emotional health.

4 How to incorporate common functional movements into your routine?

When incorporating common functional movements into your routine, the approach should be tailored to your individual needs, preferences, and schedule. To get started, focus on mastering basic movements such as squatting, lunging, pushing, pulling, hinging, and rotating. Pay attention to your form, technique, and breathing and avoid any pain or discomfort. To keep your training interesting and effective, vary the intensity, frequency, and duration of your workouts. Change the number of repetitions, sets, weight, speed, rest, or tempo of your exercises. Aim for at least two to three sessions per week with a duration of 20 to 60 minutes depending on your goals and fitness level. Additionally, mix and match different exercises and equipment that target the same or different functional movements. Finally, listen to your body and adjust accordingly - if you feel any pain or fatigue stop or modify the exercise; if you feel bored or unmotivated try something new; if you feel proud or accomplished celebrate your progress.

5 How to measure your progress and results?

To measure your progress and results, you can use various methods, such as performance tests to measure your ability to perform a specific task or exercise, functional tests to measure your ability to perform everyday activities, body measurements to track physical changes, and feedback from yourself or others. Performance tests can help compare your results over time and see how much you have improved. Functional tests can evaluate your functional capacity and quality of life. Body measurements can monitor body composition and health indicators. Feedback can appreciate achievements and satisfaction.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?