Spring Into Fitness: Functional Strength Training
In the winter, it’s easy to forgo workouts and let exercise fall by the wayside. Weather can keep you indoors, there isn’t much sunlight, and motivation can falter. But as the days start to lengthen again, what are you doing to renew your good habits?
Are you looking at Internet fads and crash diets? Watching late night infomercials about special pills and crazy workouts? You know those never work, and many are unsafe. Before starting any workout program after a period of inactivity or injury, you should consult your medical professional to see if you are ready to begin. If your doctor gives you the “all clear”, the next question to consider is…
Is functional strength training the right choice for you?
Functional fitness programs are all about training your muscles to do your everyday activities more safely and efficiently. Think for a moment about the work you do physically every day: stair climbing, lifting, carrying, balancing, stretching, walking, jogging, running, sprinting, jumping, pushing, pulling, bending, twisting, turning, standing, starting, stopping, and lunging.
Because functional strength training focuses on improving your ability to do tasks you’re already participating in, not only do you quickly see results, but those results are also useful to you on a daily basis and as an athlete. Functional strength training doesn’t just focus on muscle building. Instead, this practice emphasizes the enhancement of the coordinated working relationship between the nervous system and your muscles.
If your exercise routine only focused on a specific muscle or movement, you’d get really skilled at that one movement only. With the exercises of functional strength training, you develop skills that are cross-applicable to most of your activities of daily living. Functional strength training also reduces your chance of injury. Improvements in balance and resilience make normal activities more smooth and efficient.
To find out about whether functional strength training is right for you, and about classes starting soon, request an appointment today!
be injured and how long will you take to recover. Moreover, what will the recovery look like? Many players imagine the worst: immobilization, pain, and lifelong changes to skills and abilities. But are those realistic outcomes?
