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Here’s why health professionals suggest working on your functional fitness

Research shows working on your functional fitness can lower your risk of injury and improve quality of life.

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a man on the playground in plank pose
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When you work on your functional fitness, you augment your ability to perform everyday tasks and activities. For example, you’ll improve your ability to do things like getting up off the floor, reaching up to put something on a shelf, or carrying a heavy object. Research reveals that functional training can lower your risk of injury and improve your muscle strength, balance, mobility, quality of life, and general wellness. Inspiring fitness gurus are still recommending working on your functional fitness due to the many benefits and practical applications. Let’s look at the best exercises to try.

What is functional fitness?

Dumbbell single leg, straight leg Romanian deadlift
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Functional fitness involves exercises that mimic the movements of daily activities and help you enhance your strength in those particular muscles. You’ll be less likely to pull or strain something throughout the day if you work on strengthening and stretching those muscles you use so often. 

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Functional exercises help prepare your body for these common movements like lifting, squatting, pulling, or reaching.

What are the benefits of functional fitness?

Wall sit exercise man and woman in gym
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One of my favorite benefits is simply how good it feels to move my body in so many different ways, and my ‘everyday’ muscles, like my shoulders and arms, feel less achy on the other days of the week. 

To summarize, here are some of the benefits of incorporating functional fitness into your workout schedule:

  • Boost strength, stability, and coordination for everyday tasks.
  • Lower your risk of injury.
  • Level up your overall fitness.
  • Become more efficient in your everyday activities.

What are the best functional fitness exercises to try?

man and woman doing walking lunges outside
Gustavo Fring / Pexels

You need little to no equipment to perform these moves. If you want to add weights and try progressive overload, you can really maximize your potential over time. For example, start by mastering squats, then add a kettlebell and try a Goblet squat. 

The following are some of the best functional fitness moves to try:

How many days a week should you incorporate functional fitness?

man and woman doing downward dog yoga pose
Ron Lach / Pexels

Power through five or six of these functional fitness exercises three or four days a week for best results.

Steph Green
Steph Green
Steph Green (Steph Zee) is a singer-songwriter and professional writer with over 12 years of experience in healthcare and…
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