Functional fitness is all the rage at the moment.
F45, Crossfit, the local gym franchise and those hard arse sergeant majors at bootcamps are all shouting the praises of functional fitness.
My definition of functional fitness is fitness that helps you function. That is – improves your fitness level to benefit you in everyday life – like lifting the shopping out of the car without hurting your back, spending half a day on the shovel or sitting straight with a strong core at your desk at work.
And while the spiel on the brochure might extol the functional benefits of the high intensity workout, popping a disc from being told to do a minute’s deadlifts flat out (with minimal instruction or supervision) doesn’t strike me as particularly functional.
Nor does being told to superset boxjumps and deadlifts first workout back after having a baby.
Both trues stories.
For some muscle groups and exercise needs it’s great to go flat out. Think boxing, skipping, and cycling.
But for others (deadlifts, squats, core work), controlled technique is much more important, particularly for the beginner or early stages trainer.
If you are an experienced lifter/athlete then your body knows how to prepare and react instinctively to heavy weights and/or high intensities.
You don’t have to think about engaging your core and your glutes, etc, every rep because your mind and body know the cues and work in sync – you’ve trained them to.
For newbies each step in an exercise requires a thought process and you can’t rush it.
Crossfit and F45 encourage the “go flat out,” mentality - go as hard as you can in short bursts and your workout is done in 45 minutes.
It’s an awesome workout if it’s the right workout for you.
But if you throw yourself into High Intensity without an adequate strength base you are likely going to end up injured, as your body won’t be equipped to handle the strain.
It is why for most people, a strength-based program is a great place to start.
Get your core strong and re-teach your body the basics about which muscles it should be using for which exercises/movements.
You will boost your metabolism, burn fat, strengthen your bones and improve your muscle tone, circulation and heart function.
You may not drop a dress/belt size as quickly as you’d like, because while you will lose fat (assuming a reasonable diet) you will gain weight in muscle development.
But don’t worry – if you stick at it you will almost certainly start to lose weight if you have it to lose.
More importantly you’ll look and feel much better, you’ll be stronger and healthier and you will have developed a base from which to pursue exercise at a higher intensity.
