Functional vs Traditional Strength Training
Strength training exercises are important for overall muscle health and performance. There is an ongoing debate between functional vs. traditional strength training. Traditional strength training focuses primarily on developing muscle mass without much attention to larger muscle groups. In practical terms, functional strength training helps a landscape gardener dig ditches or rip trees up without causing damage to his back or other muscles. So which is better?
Both strength training techniques are beneficial to your body. That being said, functional power training relies more on the contraction of muscles and should be done prior to using heavier weights. If you want to work your back, shoulders, legs, traditional strength training will help the most. If you’re a beginner, however, functional training is usually a better option.
To get started with functional training, it’s best to start with a single leg exercise. This exercise is great because it is very effective in building strength and endurance. Begin walking around the outside, pausing once you reach a set distance. As you step back, press into the ground with your foot and bring it back up. Repeat this pattern four times and you should be feeling a lot of tension built up in your legs!
What Are The Benefits For Weight Loss
Functional training routines are great for anyone new to strength training. Rather than lifting a dumbbell with each hand, hold onto a lightweight rod in the air and swing it back and forth between your hands. The motion is similar to that of a pendulum. This doesn’t require a lot of strength, but the resistance is enough to really strengthen each muscle group.
One of the biggest problems with functional training is that it often requires a lot of effort. A common example would be to swing from side to side while holding onto a steady object. While this may sound easy, it requires a tremendous amount of strength. The best exercises to do this with are ones where you hold onto something or are required to move some sort of weight. Examples would be pushups, pull-ups, sit-ups, lunges, and any sort of cardio activity.
Traditional strength exercises usually isolate a single muscle group. While this does allow you to achieve good overall strength and build a large base of strength. This doesn’t do much to develop the movement patterns necessary for fitness. For example, if you look at pushups from a functional perspective, you’ll see that they are designed to strengthen the chest muscles. However, if you look at them from a functional standpoint, you’ll see that they do not isolate the chest muscles at all. Instead, what you are really doing is creating power from your leg muscles.
How To Utilize Them
This is important to understand because the functional benefits of training in this fashion are very limited. When you perform these exercises, you will not be developing the type of muscle mass and symmetry that are required for peak performance. Instead, you will be developing the ability to maintain or create maximal muscle loads in a short period of time, which is truly functional. This form of exercise is the very opposite of traditional training.
If you are looking to incorporate functional training into your workout routine, then you need to learn about functional as traditional strength training first. You should also make sure that you understand the differences between functional and traditional strength training so that you can choose the exercises that are going to be right for you. Once you understand these concepts, you’ll find that you can enjoy functional workouts and make progress on your weight loss journey. Then you’ll be well on your way to developing the strong, functional body that you’ve always dreamed of.
