Functional Training
by Jeff Brown,
Personal Trainer

We hear a lot about functional and core training, but is it just another passing fitness fad?

Having been in the fitness industry for more than 10 years, I am convinced that adding functional training into your fitness routine could be an important change for better overall results.

Traditional "weightlifting" exercises generally target only one muscle for each exercise. Functional training exercises target more than one body part with each movement or exercise. The short list of benefits are building "inner strength", building endurance, improving balance, and improving range of motion.

Functional training allows you to work on angles and build strength in those angle muscles as well as the main target muscle. Machines are pre-set using only the muscle and angle that the machine allows. Multi-angle exercises are more complex movements and more closely mimic movements that are used in everyday life.
 
The easiest way to begin is to write down what you do every day. If you're a secretary, you might find that your legs and back ache at the end of the day from picking files from the floor. These would be your first areas to target.

Exercise done by using a stability ball, resistance band, or by simply doing your normal exercises on an unstable surface are good examples of how easy it is to incorporate this training into your exercise routine. You should always consult your physician first before starting any physical program and ask a personal trainer to help you get started to ensure proper execution.

In recent years, health experts have become increasingly interested in a collection of risk factors known as metabolic syndrome. They have found that people with metabolic syndrome are at an elevated risk for developing cholesterol deposits in the walls of the arteries (atherosclerosis), which causes most heart attacks and strokes. Metabolic syndrome also raises the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Because these illnesses are among the leading causes of death in the United States, preventing or treating the individual conditions that make up metabolic syndrome could save many lives.  Read the Duke Diet & Fitness article >>

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