Functional Strength Training: What Is It and How Can It Benefit Me? Functional Strength Training exercises train your muscles in a way that will help prevent injuries while doing everyday activities safely and efficiently. In this type of training, you will engage your muscles in the upper and lower part of your body at the same time, while emphasizing core stability. The exercises simulate common movements you perform at work, home or while participating in sports.
We all know people who have complained of throwing out their back from making a sudden movement, lifting their child or carrying groceries. As we age, we become less flexible. In general, between the ages of 30-80, muscle mass and strength decreases 30-50%. Yet, less than 10% of adults do resistance training 2 or more times per week. By performing resistance training, the exercises and movements will help you become stronger, more flexible, and agile; helping you become less injury-prone. Therefore, it is important to add functional strength training as part of your exercise program, however, you shouldn’t rely on any single group of exercises; functional strength training should serve as a supplement to traditional strength training, not as a replacement.