Putting the Function Back Into Functional Fitness

It comes as no surprise that the number of people searching for home workouts has exponentially increased over recent weeks. Many of us are finding additional free-time on our hands while all fitness centres are closed for the foreseeable future, resulting in the time to exercise without the usual equipment or means. This means home workouts are making a comeback – which can be both a good thing but also needs to be exercised with caution.

Fitness centres, gyms and CrossFit boxes around the world are coming together to offer free at home workouts but these workouts often take place without a coach watching to make sure you are keeping the correct form or sticking to the rep schemes. In order to reduce the risk of injury several of these workouts are using body weight only or odd objects around the house. This is where we are seeing true functional fitness being exercised, and we love it! We are getting back to movements which we truly mimic in real life. We are seeing the simple air squat becoming a staple again and we are sure that this is going to result in huge rewards once the gym doors open again. By incorporating this movement more and more, we are seeing people mastering their form, improving hip, knee and ankle flexibility and identifying their sticking points, which is going to help you get your lifts onto a whole new level.

The original goal of functional fitness was to make everyday tasks easier and as a beginner you’ll notice this rather quickly but as you become more advanced in your fitness journey you’ll notice those little improvements less and less. But with the inclusion of odd objects we are finding that from first time athletes to the elite athletes getting creative and working muscles they never knew they had. Ultimately, the use of odd objects in training can be creative and fun but also reap a host of benefits for your accessory muscles. For example, using a loaded wheelbarrow as a sled workout improves your core stability and strength and you’ll finally get that nagging garden work done.

Even something as simple as digging a hole (this may be to plant a tree or even building a wall) will work a range of different muscles and is likely to be something you encounter more in life than the need to hang from a bar and raise your toes to it.

So, as we can see there are a range of benefits to home workouts and using odd objects but where do you find the workouts? Ideally you should follow the workouts you receive from your fitness centre or trainer but if you don’t attend one or your centre doesn’t provide home workouts you may need to look elsewhere. This needs to be done with caution and not everything you find online will be useful or even good. Try finding fitness centres similar to the one you attend that is providing free home workouts. Additionally, when you do find a good workout you should not do this workout every single day. Home workouts require variation to avoid fatigue, burnout and boredom. We have noticed a rise in HIIT workouts on social media platforms and while this type of workout is incredibly useful and great for cardiovascular functioning and weight loss, you should not do this every day as your muscles will not have time to recover and may start to fatigue and result in a higher risk of overuse and injury. Functional fitness at its core is varied and balanced between strength, cardio, gymnastics and mobility. If functional fitness home works are implemented correctly, you’ll fall more in love with your fitness journey and come out stronger, fitter and happier before heading back into the gyms.