Move
WHY FUNCTIONAL FITNESS IS CRUCIAL TO YOUR WORKOUT—AND HOW WE DELIVER IT EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.
If you’ve taken a barre3 class, you’ve heard us use the term functional fitness. From Sumo Squats to Side Lunges, we incorporate it throughout our workout. But what, exactly, is functional fitness—and why is it important? Barre3 Lead Instructor Shannon McClintock and sport-physician expert Brad Farra break it down.
In a nutshell, what is functional fitness?
There are actually a few ways to define functional fitness. “At its basic level, it means doing something in a gym or studio that directly relates to how you move in the real world,” says Shannon. “Some moves and activities give you results but don’t actually make your daily life better. Functional fitness will.” In other words, whatever your goal is—whether it’s training for a specific sport or activity or wanting to be able to easily pick up your 40-pound kid—functional fitness is designed to get you there.
But that’s not all. It’s also designed to keep your body and muscles balanced, which is tougher than you’d think. “When you spend your day sitting, using a computer, and looking down at your phone, your body becomes imbalanced,” says Brad Farra, a certified chiropractic sports physician who works at Evolution Healthcare and Fitness in Portland. “This puts you at risk for injuries—functional training fixes that.”
How does that translate to the gym?
One of the best examples of functional fitness is the squat. “Every day, most people need to bend down, pick something up, and stand again,” says McClintock. “Working on your squat form—making sure your glutes are firing and that you’re using the right muscles—will help you every time you go to do that movement.” Thanks to incorporating squats into your workout, your body will automatically move the way it’s supposed to. This keeps you both balanced and prevents injuries (yay, functional fitness!).
So what kind of exercises wouldn’t count?
Anything that uses a movement you’d never normally do is most definitely not functional fitness. “In studio, we do the inches which require a super small range of motion,” says McClintock. “Those are great for providing a big burn and strengthening your muscles, but that’s now how you move in real life. That’s why we combine the inches with a ton of squats.”
You can also assume that machines meant to isolate a single muscle don’t encourage functional fitness. “Take the leg press, which isn’t a bad exercise, but it’s not functional,” says Farra. “While a squat is multidimensional, a leg press eliminates engaging your core muscles since you don’t need to worry about keeping yourself stable. But think about it: In real life, you don’t rest your back against a board when you bend down to pick up something, so why do that at the gym?”
Why is functional fitness so important?
Of all the benefits of functional fitness, one of the biggest is that it reduces your risk of getting injured. “We live in a reactionary society, where people only seek out help after an injury,” says Farra. “Practicing functional fitness is a way to be proactive so you can avoid injuries in the first place.” Without functional fitness, your body’s imbalances strain muscles and joints—and those tight, overworked muscles are more easily hurt. And then there’s the overall improvement you’ll notice in your day-to-day life. The next time you go to swing your daughter around or place a suitcase in an overhead bin, it will just feel easier. And who wouldn’t want that?
Ready to feel stronger and move with more ease in your daily life? Sign up for a barre3 studio class or try our 15-day free trial of barre3 Online!
If you’ve taken a barre3 class, you’ve heard us use the term functional fitness. From Sumo Squats to Side Lunges, we incorporate it throughout our workout. But what, exactly, is functional fitness—and why is it important? Barre3 Lead Instructor Shannon McClintock and sport-physician expert Brad Farra break it down.
In a nutshell, what is functional fitness?
There are actually a few ways to define functional fitness. “At its basic level, it means doing something in a gym or studio that directly relates to how you move in the real world,” says Shannon. “Some moves and activities give you results but don’t actually make your daily life better. Functional fitness will.” In other words, whatever your goal is—whether it’s training for a specific sport or activity or wanting to be able to easily pick up your 40-pound kid—functional fitness is designed to get you there.
But that’s not all. It’s also designed to keep your body and muscles balanced, which is tougher than you’d think. “When you spend your day sitting, using a computer, and looking down at your phone, your body becomes imbalanced,” says Brad Farra, a certified chiropractic sports physician who works at Evolution Healthcare and Fitness in Portland. “This puts you at risk for injuries—functional training fixes that.”
How does that translate to the gym?
One of the best examples of functional fitness is the squat. “Every day, most people need to bend down, pick something up, and stand again,” says McClintock. “Working on your squat form—making sure your glutes are firing and that you’re using the right muscles—will help you every time you go to do that movement.” Thanks to incorporating squats into your workout, your body will automatically move the way it’s supposed to. This keeps you both balanced and prevents injuries (yay, functional fitness!).
So what kind of exercises wouldn’t count?
Anything that uses a movement you’d never normally do is most definitely not functional fitness. “In studio, we do the inches which require a super small range of motion,” says McClintock. “Those are great for providing a big burn and strengthening your muscles, but that’s now how you move in real life. That’s why we combine the inches with a ton of squats.”
You can also assume that machines meant to isolate a single muscle don’t encourage functional fitness. “Take the leg press, which isn’t a bad exercise, but it’s not functional,” says Farra. “While a squat is multidimensional, a leg press eliminates engaging your core muscles since you don’t need to worry about keeping yourself stable. But think about it: In real life, you don’t rest your back against a board when you bend down to pick up something, so why do that at the gym?”
Why is functional fitness so important?
Of all the benefits of functional fitness, one of the biggest is that it reduces your risk of getting injured. “We live in a reactionary society, where people only seek out help after an injury,” says Farra. “Practicing functional fitness is a way to be proactive so you can avoid injuries in the first place.” Without functional fitness, your body’s imbalances strain muscles and joints—and those tight, overworked muscles are more easily hurt. And then there’s the overall improvement you’ll notice in your day-to-day life. The next time you go to swing your daughter around or place a suitcase in an overhead bin, it will just feel easier. And who wouldn’t want that?
Ready to feel stronger and move with more ease in your daily life? Sign up for a barre3 studio class or try our 15-day free trial of barre3 Online!
