At FIT Carrboro, we believe in the concept of Functional Training so much that it is in our name -- our "FIT" stands for Functional Integrative Training.
What Is Functional Training?
Functional training focuses on preparing your body for activities performed in daily life and emphasizes movements that mimic real-life movements such as bending, lifting, pushing, pulling, twisting, and balancing. Our FIT Carrboro training philosophy is "Train For Life” because it is about establishing life and fitness goals for your quality and enjoyment of life.
As we age, basic activities of life can become more and more difficult or cause injury – but it doesn’t have to. By conditioning our bodies during training sessions for activities of daily living and other life goals, movements like getting out of a chair, getting off of the floor, stepping up and down, carrying, lifting, and enjoying fun activities like sports, hiking, and traveling become not only easier, but often don't take much thought because our bodies are able to execute movements freely through muscle memory.
What Is The Goal of Functional Training?
The goal of functional training is to improve overall strength, flexibility, coordination, balance, and endurance to perform everyday tasks and lifestyle choices safely and efficiently. Our trainers at FIT Carrboro help you establish fitness and lifestyle goals and then program exercises to reach these goals in a safe and progressive way. Whether your goal is bending to pick up a child or grandchild, gardening or yardwork, being able to carry and lift a heavy suitcase for upcoming travel, preparing for a vacation that may involve walking on uneven surfaces, training for activities like pickleball, golf, or a long hike, there are exercises that can help reduce injury, enhance performance, and more than anything, help you gain the confidence to pursue any goal.
Who Is It For?
Functional Training is an incredible option for every type of body and age range, including older adults focused on staying strong and healthy without injury. Think of it as preventative medicine as it can improve longevity and quality of life. This type of training is empowering because the effects are felt in multiple areas of everyday life including improving the performance of athletes, benefitting an aging population, rehabilitating injured individuals, and strengthening at any age.
What Are Examples Of Functional Training?
Functional training teaches your body to work as a whole rather than training specific parts. Strengthening the whole body in this way has many benefits for your health and is more life-like as most movement patterns need several muscle groups to work together efficiently. Functional training is less about targeting specific areas, but getting all of the muscles of the body to work together to perform a task or goal.
Examples:
Bodyweight squats can improve the ability to stand up from a chair (or get off of the toilet)
Weighted step-ups can help you get up and down stairs or prepare for a long hike with a back pack through different elevations
Farmer walks can prepare you for carrying groceries or babies in carriers
Sled pushes can help you push a stroller uphill
Overhead presses can help you put your suitcase in the overhead bin
Gorilla rows can help gardening
In addition, functional training can help you maintain balance by doing exercises on unstable surfaces or on one leg which can help decrease the risk of falling. Clients recovering from injuries can also regain balance, stability, and range of motion to reduce the risk of future injury. For example, if you lift heavy objects off the floor correctly during your training session and focus on core strength and stability, you can prevent back injuries when picking up heavy objects at home or work.
How Does Functional Training Help Prepare Athletes for Their Sport?
At FIT Carrboro, our trainers work with athletes of all levels with the aim of improving sports performance by programming functional exercises based on the movements of their sport. These are just a few examples of how functional training can help performance and avoid injury:
Basketball or volleyball players might practice jumping from side to side to improve their agility and speed on the court or do explosive exercises such as wall balls, burpees, or various jumps...
Rowers may practice squats to train the same leg muscles they use in the boat...
Tennis and pickleball players may do agility and shoulder mobility exercises...
Golfers may practice rotational exercises...
Trail runners and hikers may do exercises for ankle stability and endurance...
How Can Personal Training Help You “Train For Life?”
The best thing about functional training is the confidence it builds as you can go throughout your day without worrying about straining or pulling something while doing your favorite activity or daily chores. Functional exercises exist on a continuum depending on your goals. Most exercise can be functional because increasing strength, balance, flexibility, mobility, and stability will inherently help you become more functional in daily life.
Whether you are preparing for an upcoming trip, training for a sport, recovering from an injury, or just want to keep up with your kids and grandkids, our trainers are here to partner with you to help you reach your goals and improve your life enjoyment without injury.
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