The trainer answers: what is functional training and why do you need it?

Recently, more and more people involved in fitness are thinking not so much about their appearance, but about health and well-being. It is great when walking up the escalator in the subway does not end in shortness of breath and dizziness, and grocery shopping in the nearest store is a simple walk without unnecessary stress.

To get this effect, you can do more than just strength training. Recent trends in the fitness industry show that it is functional training that is gaining popularity. Why? Just for the reason described above – thanks to such exercises you become more efficient, and as a result, the quality of life increases.

Anton Kotov, the author of the column #TrainerAnswers elite trainer of World Class, tells us what functional training is and why you should definitely add it to your training plan.

What is functional training?

In simple terms, its main difference from strength training is the emphasis on training movements that we use in everyday life. There are six main patterns – squats, inclines, spatial movements, pressing movements, pulling movements and rotations. In fact, any of our movements can be represented as one or a combination of several of these motor patterns.

Functional training is based on exercises that allow practicing these movements. At the same time, unlike strength training, where isolated exercises for working individual muscle groups are often found, almost any functional exercise involves the whole body. This explains the high energy expenditure of such exercises, i.e. you can burn more calories than in strength training. That’s why functional training is perfect for those who aim to lose weight.

What results can be achieved?

Thanks to these workouts, you can reduce fat, tone your muscles, strengthen your back and abs and, of course, feel great every day. You might think that these are some magical exercises that only need to be practiced. But it should be noted that in some cases such workouts may not be suitable.

If your goal is to increase muscle mass, to work out any particular regions of the body, then functional training will not be the most optimal type of training. It is not necessary to say categorically that it will be impossible to achieve these goals, but strength training will be more effective in this case.