What are functional movements? They are movements that directly relate to how we move on a day-to-day basis. Generally, these movements can be categorized into squatting, pushing, and pulling. Most of the time, as we go about our daily lives, we don’t think about how many times we perform some type of squat, pull, or press.
Walking up and down the stairs, carrying groceries, picking something up from the ground, and simply opening or closing a door; these are just a few examples of movements that help us function day in and day out. Sometimes, functional movements require a combination of squatting, pulling, or pressing as well.
In our Fitness Classes, you’ll see common movements programmed like air squats, pull ups, ring rows, and push-ups. In addition, you may encounter exercises that require a combination of movements like wall balls, rowing, medicine ball slams, and burpees. In our classes, we provide a controlled environment for you to practice and continually improve your foundation of movement using functional exercises. Since life isn’t the same day to day, you can expect different types of workouts also. Some days you might find a 20:00 AMRAP that includes a wide variety of movements and other days you might find yourself doing short interval work. By varying exercises and how you perform those exercises, ensures that you’re getting a well-rounded stimulus. Being efficient, well-rounded, and mechanically sound throughout a variety of movements and time domains really prepares you for whatever life throws at you.
Next time you come to a Fitness Class, I encourage you to think about how the different exercises prepare you for what you encounter on a regular basis. Additionally, although some workouts will cause muscle fatigue or have you breathing hard at one point or another, it’s still important to continually focus on your movement quality. Just as physically strengthening the body is important, our Fitness Classes allow you an opportunity to strengthen your mind-body connection as well. It’s no secret that when things start to become more intense, it becomes increasingly difficult to focus on movement mechanics. Being strong not only physically, but being mentally strong and improving your ability to focus through different workouts, makes for a solid combination.
Obviously, in life you won’t always think about your hip and back alignment, whether or not your knees are tracking in line with your toes, or if your shoulders are rounded forward or not. The more awareness you can bring to each movement in class will help your body learn and eventually perform on it’s on. The goal is for your body to be autonomous with its movement. Own every inch of your movement so you can simply focus on enjoying life!
