What is Functional Fitness?

You've been working out at the gym all winter, and you’re stronger than ever. You’re toned, tight and ready for the beach. Then you bend down to pick up the keys you dropped, and you throw your back out. What happened? Could it be you’re not doing enough functional fitness?

What is functional fitness? 

Functional fitness creates real life movements in real life positions and prepares you for activities of every day living. It’s using as many muscles as possible while mimicking a movement that is close to real life action. For instance, if you are an athlete, you are training to become more functional on the field, but if you are someone just training to become more functional with every day tasks such as emptying the dishwasher, mowing the lawn or picking up a toddler, the function you are trying to improve means something very different.  This is the type of exercise I teach Cancer patients, diabetics and anyone else recovering from any type of degenerative disease or injury.  

For cancer patients that have chosen the traditional route of treatment, it is a way to speed up the process of eliminating the toxins from the body that the treatment has left behind.  It also helps to quickly regain quality of life. For a diabetic, it is an easy way to regain strength and help with things like neurapathy. . Exercise also triggers the release of natural painkilling compounds called endorphins.

For diabetics who experience minor neuropathy, the best exercises include low-impact activities, such as walking and bicycling. Water exercises, which can build strength without risk for injury from falling, are especially good for people who have balance problems. Aim to exercise for 30 minutes three to four times weekly -- as tolerated. 

Functional strength training goes beyond cardiovascular and strength, it’s high intensity and focuses on balance, flexibility, agility and speed. Functional fitness uses exercise tools like wobble boards, stability balls, free weights and fitness bands. Functional fitness forces you to work your core and keep your body balanced while lifting weight and working the entire body.

Exercise machines isolate certain muscle groups, while the rest remain sedentary. When you exercise with standard gym machines, you're locked into a fixed position. A belt or bar or padded seat keeps you stable while you perform a simple motion--one meant to exercise a single muscle, while seated on a bench. That's fine--as far as it goes. But how often in real life do you lift weights while seated? There are limitations with just working out with machines because:

• Machines don’t accommodate every body type.

• Machines don’t build balance or coordination.

• Machines can force you to move through a harmful range of motion.

• Machines stabilize your body for you.

• Machines are not practical. You need several machines to get a full body workout.

• Machines overdevelop the superficial muscles of your body such as the deltoids (shoulders) and latissimus dorsi (lats).

• Machines do not develop the stabilizer muscles, such as the rotator cuff and erector spine muscles, which lie underneath the deltoid and latisimus dorsi muscles respectively.

• Machines do not strengthen tendons and ligaments.

• Machines contribute to injury due to the overdevelopment of superficial muscles and underdevelopment of stabilizer muscles, ligaments, and tendons.

There is a huge benefit, particularly as we age, to incorporate functional exercise into your daily routine.

• Functional fitness is versatile. One set of dumbbells can be used for several exercises.

• Functional fitness builds balance and coordination.

• Functional fitness allows your body to move through ranges of motion that match real life.

• Functional fitness better develops the critical mind-muscle link, allowing for better development.

• Functional fitness not only builds the superficial muscles, but also builds the deeper stabilizer muscles.

• Functional fitness develops tendon and ligament strength.

• Functional fitness helps prevent injury because it equally develops superficial muscles, stabilizer muscles and tendons.


I like to incorporate this type of work out into my weekly routine at least twice a week along with cardio, strength training and high intensity - low duration exercises.  Physical activity helps maintain your physical abilities and prevent disabilities

So you might be fit. But fit for what? Looking great at the beach? Exercise should have a higher purpose than making you look good. It should make you stronger and more limber in performing the tasks of every day life. That’s not to say that looking good isn’t important too, but why not have both?

See you in the gym........

Diane Henry

www.rawlivingfuel.com