FUNCTIONAL FITNESS
When it comes to performing certain exercises, I do them not only because they make my body look strong...they make me feel GOOD...but they are also moves that are FUNCTIONAL and help me do my daily chores.
What do I LOVE about all of these exercises?!?!? A LOT OF THINGS:
You can do them EVERYWHERE!!! No gym..No machines...No dumbbells...NO PROBLEM!
There are plenty of variations for each of them. The stronger that you get, the more advanced you can make the moves!
They train the ENTIRE BODY...You are working all of the muscles, including your heart, because when you really engage and focus on these movements and the breath, you are truly working it ALL!
Now it is time to do the work!!! Below are 5 of my favorite Functional Fitness exercises that you should 100% add to your routine. You could actually do all of these moves for a quick, effective, and sweaty workout. See...I have always got you and I am always here to help and motivate you, because that is what I love to do. Let’s get after it and dive in...
PLANK - Good old plank! If you trained with me in the past, I love these and I ALWAYS would make my clients do this killer move, because it is functional and it gets the job done. When done properly, plank strengthens the entire body. It is a functional move, because it builds strength in your core and your spine, which helps with balance and posture, so when you are sitting at your desk, or walking up the stairs, YES, plank helps improve these simple moves that you do every day. No more slouching...because a strong core, spine, and body improves your overall well-being. BOOM!
Here is how to do it:
Keep your wrist aligned with your shoulders;
Make sure that your feet are separated a little bit more than hip-width;
Keep your core, butt, and legs engaged so that you keep everything stable, so that there is no slouching.
Try It...Perform 3 sets and hold each one for 1-minute.
SQUATS - Booty ROCKING! I love squats, but then again, I love all of these exercises, but squats...they burn so darn good! Squats help obviously build your quadriceps and your gluteus maximus, but they also help with...again...your core, posture, balance, and ALL THE DAMN GOOD THINGS! Today we are just going to focus on the original squat.
Here’s how to do it:
Keep you feet a little bit wider than hip distance;
Put your weight in your heels, so that you can almost lift up your toes;
Lean into and drop it like it’s hot...You want to get low enough so that your butt is aligned with your knees;
Slowly rise up...bring those hips forward...arms above your head...and then repeat;
Try it...Perform 3 sets of 20 repetitions.
LUNGES - Do you know that there are a LOT of different variations of lunges? SO MANY and so many good ones that work various leg muscles. In this post, we are just going to focus on the original lunge and then we can always build up from there! Just like squats and planks, the lunge is a great move to help with ALL THE THINGS! Strength in your legs, butt, core, which of course leads to improved balance and posture and overall health...Are you getting the theme here yet? FUNCTIONAL FITNESS people...LOL!
Here’s how to do it:
Again, start with your feet hip-width distance apart;
Bring your right leg back and make sure that your back heel is lifted and that you are on your toes;
Bend your front knee, so it is aligned with your ankle and bend your left knee at the same time, so that it slowly comes down to hover over the floor.
Bring everything back up slowly, while your core is engaged and repeat on the other side;
Try it...Perform 3x sets of 15x repetitions on each leg.
PUSH-UPS - A move that is so effective, but that is so easily messed up when done incorrectly. In this post, we are going to do push-ups on our knees and then we can build up as we get stronger and show some other effective and functional variations of push-ups.
Here’s how to do it:
Make sure that your wrists are aligned with your shoulders...almost like you are in plank;
Lower your knees to the ground, so that you are on the fatty part of your knees, allowing your hips to drop...You almost are in the shape of a V;
Keep your back flat...core engaged...and slowly lower to the ground;
Exhale when you come back up and repeat.
Try it...Perform 3x sets of 15x repetitions.
WHEW...What do you think? Are you ready to try this Functional Fitness moves?
Let me know if you have any questions as I am always here to help y’all!
xoxo
