Functional Fitness at Any of Our NC Fitness Locations

Mar 16, 2010

Written by: Troie Barker, Membership Consultant, O2 Fitness Falconbridge

So... what exactly is  functional fitness? Well, it's training that

keeps you active and more mobile to prepare you for

real-life situations or things that we do everyday.  Some of those

things include climbing a flight of stairs, squatting to lift objects,

reaching for what's on the top shelf, or just simply walking.

I know plenty of people who have a tough time doing these things.

It's usually because they focus on training in only one area of the

gym, like only doing free weights, or cardio or machines.  All are

effective forms of training...to a certain extent.  What you want to

strive for in our Raleigh gym is a balance of exercise that will keep you

strong and flexible for the rest of your life, and you can get that with

functional fitness.

To begin with, think of functional fitness as just body-weight

exercises.  You will be very surprised how tough it is just resisting

your own body weight.  Three exercises that come to mind are body

squats, pushups, and pullups.  These are very effective and good for

the beginner to functional training because they target every part of

the body.  I name these three also because of all the different ways

you can do them, thus making your workout more interesting,

challenging and fun.

At most of our O2 Fitness locations, we have a grass turf area designed

specifically for functional training.  In this area are items you've

probably never seen before:  kettlebells, balance boards, trampolines,

cones, jump ropes, bosu balls, stability balls, medicine balls,

plyometric boxes, stretch bands, core wheels and more.  Get creative

with your workout, and start implementing these items in your regimen.

Ask an O2 personal trainer or use the power of the web to see different

movements done with these items.

I stand behind this 100% because I am living proof of it.  I'm down 35

pounds, injury free, and in the best shape of my existence.  Do some

experimenting, give it a shot, and see if you don't notice changes

that will greatly benefit you in the long run!




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