What Is Functional Fitness And Why Is It Important?

Functional fitness is a term that gets thrown around a lot in gyms and on social media, referring to a wide variety of exercise types, programmes and classes. 

Throughout the 20th century, physiotherapists assisted injured patients in regaining mobility and learning to tackle everyday tasks – enabling them to function again. 

Although it had been around for some time, the term functional fitness became more widely used in rehabilitation programmes in the 1990s. The health and fitness industry then adopted it to describe full-body workout programmes. 

What is functional fitness?

At its most basic, functional fitness is about being physically capable of performing everyday activities efficiently, effectively and without injury. Movements that require strength, endurance, flexibility and balance are all part of daily life. 

This focus on real-life foundational movements is the basis of a functional fitness training programme. It is designed to mimic things we do every day that are compound exercises, that is, exercises that require more than one muscle group or plane of movement. 

It encompasses many different types of exercise, for example, lifting weights, yoga, circuit training, suspension training, plyometrics and high-intensity interval training. It can also have elements of running, cycling, rowing or swimming as part of the programme.  

Who is functional fitness for?

Training in functional fitness can be done by anyone, at any age or level. Its versatility means it can be tailored to ability and experience. As a form of exercise, it provides challenge, variation and enjoyment that is scalable to the participant from beginner to athlete. 

However, as we get older, our bodies can struggle to cope with tasks that used to feel easy, such as carrying shopping bags. It can be debilitating when we can no longer do what we took for granted and need assistance with basic tasks. 

Charity for the elderly Age UK recommends incorporating functional fitness into an exercise programme as a way to guard against physical decline. It lists the benefits of stability, mobility, balance and strength, which can help people remain independent. 

Strength training is also known to improve bone density and help prevent osteoporosis as people age.  

Even if you’re a long way from being elderly, functional fitness can have huge benefits for all-around physical health. These include:

• Increased mobility and flexibility
• Reducing injuries
• Strengthening muscles
• Improving balance and posture
• Improving endurance and cardiovascular stamina
• Better performance in sports

What are the key features of a functional fitness programme?

Because it is designed to support and be transferable to everyday physical activity, the exercises may seem basic. Key features include:

• Push and pull movements
• Squats
• Lunges
• Hinging and bending
• Core and body rotations

What equipment is used for functional fitness training?

While many of the exercises in functional fitness training can be done with just bodyweight, others require additional equipment. This is particularly the case for those who want to scale up for an extra challenge. 

These are some of the pieces of kit you might use in a functional fitness class. 

Kettlebells

Cast iron kettlebells or adjustable kettlebells are useful for goblet squats, swings, and farmers' carries. 

Dumbells

Bent over rows, squats, deadlifts and chest presses are just some of the uses for dumbbells.

Plyo boxes

Available in various heights, soft plyometric jump boxes can be used for stand-up/sit-down movements and step-ups, as well as more energetic exercises like box jumps. 

Sandbags

Rotational lunges, crawl pull-throughs, bear hug movements, shoulder presses and more can all utilise the trusty sandbag.  

Weight balls

Used for rotational movements, overhead to floor ball slams and wall ball thrusters that build strength and power. 

Weight vests

Designed to increase body weight temporarily, these can provide an additional challenge to really up the ante on basic exercises such as step-ups, box jumps, pull-ups and runs. 

Can you compete in functional fitness?

Due to its scalability, functional fitness has grown into a competitive scene for some participants. Athletes can compete in events from local to international levels to prove themselves as the fittest. 

Big competitions and brands such as Hyrox, CrossFit and Strongman include functional movements as part of their workouts. 

Competitors in Hyrox complete an 8km run and a series of functional workouts designed as a circuit, similar to many gym classes.

CrossFit competitions are designed to push endurance and strength capacity through lifts, plyometric and cardio exercises. Metcon is the short term for metabolic conditioning that CrossFit promotes.

Strongman competitions focus on lifting non-traditional items such as Atlas stones, or pulling or throwing very heavy items. 

Does functional fitness have to be competitive?

Of course, not everyone dreams of being the world’s fittest or strongest. It can also provide a cross-training alternative for other sports, such as martial arts or rugby, both of which need power, flexibility and strength in competition.

Functional fitness doesn’t have to be a competition, though; it can simply be a fun way to stay physically fit and healthy.