What is functional strength training?
Functional strength training refers to a training style or group of exercises which focus on movement patterns you tend to use in everyday life, such as squatting, bending to lift things off the ground, lifting objects above your head, carrying heavy bags, twisting, pulling or pushing.
Functional strength training is a great way to build full-body strength, control and power that can help to improve your quality of life by making everyday movements easier and reducing your risk of injury.
With traditional strength training, you would typically be isolating specific muscles and joints and working them to fatigue with weights or machines, such as bicep curls or leg extensions. Meanwhile, functional strength training is all about performing dynamic exercises that encourage multiple muscle groups and joints to work together at once.
The effect of functional training on fitness among athletes concluded it significantly impacts speed, muscular strength, power, balance, and agility. You may also see improvements in other components of your fitness, such as:
Mobility
Coordination
Cardiovascular fitness
Muscle control
Core strength
Endurance
Functional strength training exercises can use a range of equipment such as kettlebells, dumbbells, resistance bands, TRX or barbells, or simply your bodyweight!
Functional vs traditional strength training: Which is best?
There`s really no black and white answer to this question - it all depends on your personal fitness goals, the type of workouts you enjoy and what equipment you have available.
Traditional strength training is better if-
Your goal is to build muscle mass and size
You have access to and enjoy using large pieces of equipment such as barbells and gym machines
You want a workout that feels challenging, but isn`t high-intensity to the point where you`re out of breath
You want a training program that uses exercise principles such as progressive overload and hypertrophy
You enjoy doing similar exercises each week and seeing your strength increase progressively
Functional strength training is better if-
You have access to and enjoy working out with smaller pieces of equipment such as resistance bands, kettlebells, medicine balls and dumbbells. If you have a gym membership, you`ve got plenty of options!
You want a workout you can do anywhere, anytime using minimal equipment or your bodyweight
You enjoy high-intensity training where you challenge your muscular strength as well as your cardio fitness
You find complex movements fun and love seeing your skills improve
You want to improve your overall strength, fitness and athletic performance
