People still seem to love a good bicep curl or chest press? But let’s think about this…in the real world, unless something heavy falls on you or you have to pull something heavy to you, exercises like these don’t really serve a purpose. 

Here’s the thing…I love it all…bodyweight exercises, Olympic lifting, traditional bodybuilding…there’s a place for everything. However, as a coach it’s most important to me that my clients develop functional strength, which is simply defined as strength that allows us to efficiently and safely get through day to day life. It is the difference between exercise and movement.

 Even though the days of manual labor for most everyone have come to an end, and many humans spend the majority of their days on a computer, functional strength is still important.  Humans should be able to walk, run, push, pull, and grip. You should be able to do all of these things without pain, tightness, and restriction. 

But that’s easier said than done in the seated lifestyle we’ve created.  There’s just not a lot of day to day demand on our bodies to keep them healthy and capable of doing the above, so we have to create that demand for ourselves by sticking to an movement program, having recreational hobbies that involve movement, and by simply being conscious of how much we move day to day.

 And another thing is that necessary levels of function vary person to person. An athlete requires a different level of functional strength than a grandmother who wants to stay out of pain and keep her bones strong. 

One of the best ways to determine how to attain the level of function that is best for you is by working with an educated and experienced fitness professional who can design a program to help you get there. 

And that happens to be our specialty here at To the Core Pilates, so let us know how we can help you get functional! 

One final note…I’ve seen so many people neglect functionality when they were younger only to pay for it in the future. It’s never too early or too late to start your functional strength program.  And when you’re ready, we’re here to help! Just hit reply to let us know and we’ll get back in touch to schedule a time to speak ASAP.