What Is The Importance Of Functional Fitness For Us?
While most of us still spend most of our time at home, being physically active is very important. Being in good physical condition can be a good way to combat restlessness and keep your body moving during a shelter-in-place. But what is functional fitness, and what is the importance to everyone?
Functional Physical Fitness
Functional fitness means training the body for daily activities and making daily movement easier and safer. When we practice functional fitness, it is for activities such as:
- get up off the ground
- carrying heavy objects
- put something on a shelf
By strengthening your muscles like you would need to use for certain tasks, you have to reduce your risk of getting injuries and increase the quality of your life.
We have to know the importance of functional fitness because it increases our overall strength and will help us move in an improved manner. If we combine ‘strength training‘ with exercises that mirror the movements of daily activities, it can provide an even more effective training regime.
It can also better promote balance, endurance, and flexibility. And who doesn’t want that, right?
Exercises To Improve Functional Fitness
If you know the importance of functional fitness, you will never think about skipping your daily routine. Here we have compiled some exercises to help improve the fitness of adults of all ages. Complete five or six of these exercises three or four days a week for optimal results:
Squat
Squatting is a movement similar to sitting in a chair, making it a must-have element in any functional fitness routine.
You must make sure you move slowly and control throughout the movement.
Further, holding a light dumbbell in each hand is better if you need more of a challenge.
Instructions:
- Stand up straight with your feet and shoulder-width apart, then your arms at your sides.
- Bend your knees and squat down, pushing back at your hips like you’re about to sit on a chair. Then raises arms in front of you as you go.
- When your thighs are parallel to the ground, pause for a while, then push through your heels, extend your legs, and finally return to the starting position.
- Do two sets of 15 repetitions.
Tilted Chest Press
Getting up off the ground or another surface is invaluable in terms of functional fitness, but push-ups can be very difficult. Incline yourself towards chest press works with the same muscles. It can be more beginner-friendly.
Instructions:
- Please note to set the bench at a 45-degree angle and hold a dumbbell in each hand. Also, you must lean back on the bench and extend your arms with the dumbbells above your head.
- It would help if you bent your arms slowly, dropping the weights toward your chest. As your upper arms pass parallel to the ground, push the dumbbells up to the initial position by using your pectoral muscles to lead the movement.
- Do two sets of 15 repetitions.
Plank
Getting up and holding the plank position requires mobility and balance, which helps get up off the ground. Plus, the exercise recruits a lot of muscles, so it’s great for building overall strength.
Instructions:
- Start this on all fours with your palms planted on the ground and your knees bent just over 90 degrees.
- Push up from your hands and feet and extend ‘your arms and legs,’ then keep your core tight. As a result, your body should form a straight line from head to toe.
- Keep it as long as you can. Repeat the operation for two series.
Wall Squat
Suppose you need a little more support than a normal squat, squat against a wall. It should take any lower back pain out of the equation.
Instructions:
- Stand with your back towards the wall while keeping your feet one step out.
- Bend your legs, pressing your back against the wall, and allow yourself to slide down into a squat.
- At the time of placing your thighs are parallel to the ground, push your back against the wall to the starting position.
- Repeat the operation with two sets of 15 repetitions.
Step Downs
Like getting off a high seat or down a set of stairs, steps are a great way to help improve balance and stability.
Instructions:
- Stand next to your bench or step with one foot and one on the ground.
- Then push the heel of your foot on the bench, come up to fully extend your leg, and slowly lower your back to start.
- Do two sets of 15 reps on each side every day.
Step Up
You may strengthen the muscles when used to climbing stairs with steps.
Instructions:
- Stand with a bench or step ahead of you. It is always good to keep a step away.
- Step on to the bench with your right foot, striking only your left foot to the surface. Of course, you must keep your weight on your right foot in this step.
- Lower your left foot to the ground while keeping your right foot on the bench.
- Complete two sets of 15 on each leg.
Single Leg Raise
Improving balance makes everything easier, including the walking styles. It also helps to avoid the risk of falling.
Exercises that work one leg together force you to contend your core and work each side of your body separately.
Instructions:
- Stand with your feet and place your hands on your hips.
- Keeping your weight on your left leg, please lean forward slightly at the hips as you slowly lift your right leg back until you reach a 45-degree angle.
- Start over. Repeat 2 sets of 15 reps with your right leg, then switch.
Functional Fitness Tips
Functional fitness has importance in enhancing your health. Good functional fitness can help improve daily life by strengthening muscles to prepare them for daily tasks and activities. Using primarily bodyweight, this form of strength training is simple and safe for almost everyone.
Well-designed and purposeful training is a much more relaxed way, you need to require less equipment, with much less intensity, unlike other popular forms of strength training, such as CrossFit and bodybuilding, etc.
The focus is on performance but not on muscle size. We understand that the risk of injury is significantly lower, making it suitable for people of all ages and experience levels.
