So, my family and I went to the circus this past weekend. Very Cool! Many of the things that they did incorporated tons of functional training. I highly doubt they sit down on machines and push and pull a bunch of weights around as we see in almost all gyms on every corner.
Functional training gets you the results you really want. One of the highest levels of functional training is in gymnastics. Picture a gymnast up on the rings. His strength comes from his core, not from his big biceps, not from his powerful legs, but from his core. He got his strong core from flipping around, holding his own body weight up, while twisting and turning in every direction. He got it through functional training.
In my studio, this is how we train people, through functional training. No we don’t do flips or floor routine or even the high bar. We have rings in our studio though, not for doing great routines on, but everyone of all ages use them. We do movements, not exercises. We train the body the way it was supposed to move. We train with exercise toys like stability balls, BOSU balls, free weights, cables, bands, tubing, medicine balls, tires, rope, ladders, and much more. The best piece of equipment we have and the one we use the most is our own body. Using our own body weight for resistance is the absolute best thing we can do to strengthen our core.
We don’t have a leg press machine, or a seated row machine, or a chest press or biceps curl machine. They were built for the individual person that designed them, not for you and me. We still do those type of movements, but in a more functional manner.
Do you know how to make getting in and out of your car easier? Do you think sitting on a leg press machine will help improve that? I tell you what will…perform side lunges. No weights needed. Just step to the side and bend. We do this everyday, without thinking twice. So this is how we should train our bodies, with the movements that we do day in and day out.
I had a great video of some elephants standing on one leg doing tricks and a woman doing a rope trick 40 feet up in the air, but I couldn't download it. Sorry!
Functional training gets you the results you really want. One of the highest levels of functional training is in gymnastics. Picture a gymnast up on the rings. His strength comes from his core, not from his big biceps, not from his powerful legs, but from his core. He got his strong core from flipping around, holding his own body weight up, while twisting and turning in every direction. He got it through functional training.
In my studio, this is how we train people, through functional training. No we don’t do flips or floor routine or even the high bar. We have rings in our studio though, not for doing great routines on, but everyone of all ages use them. We do movements, not exercises. We train the body the way it was supposed to move. We train with exercise toys like stability balls, BOSU balls, free weights, cables, bands, tubing, medicine balls, tires, rope, ladders, and much more. The best piece of equipment we have and the one we use the most is our own body. Using our own body weight for resistance is the absolute best thing we can do to strengthen our core.
We don’t have a leg press machine, or a seated row machine, or a chest press or biceps curl machine. They were built for the individual person that designed them, not for you and me. We still do those type of movements, but in a more functional manner.
Do you know how to make getting in and out of your car easier? Do you think sitting on a leg press machine will help improve that? I tell you what will…perform side lunges. No weights needed. Just step to the side and bend. We do this everyday, without thinking twice. So this is how we should train our bodies, with the movements that we do day in and day out.
I had a great video of some elephants standing on one leg doing tricks and a woman doing a rope trick 40 feet up in the air, but I couldn't download it. Sorry!
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