When looking to get in shape, a lot of individuals focus entirely on isolation exercises. Most of the machines you'll see at the gym consist of these, working a specific muscle group and those muscles alone. They're great for strength building, but quite often this strength is limited to particular exercises and movements.
'Functional fitness' is the idea that isolated machine training doesn't effectively reproduce the kind of strength humans use in their everyday life. When we run, carry, hit and push objects we use many muscle groups spread across the entire body. A lot of this movement emanates from the pelvis, hip and lower back of our body, or its 'core'. While isolated exercises have a good place in any exercise routine, a degree of core fitness is essential to becoming a capably fit individual.
Deadlifts
These are a classic high-strength exercise, and work a majority of your body's muscles. Set up a barbell on the ground, or kettle bell if you haven't built enough strength. With feet at hip width, squat down with your butt stuck out behind, and your chest puffed out like an arch. Maintain this chest shape and push your hips forward while standing up with the weight, then return to the squat position. Remember, if you don't keep proper chest shape you risk hurting your back, so start off with a friend, or someone experienced.
Planking
Planks are a common exercise for core stability, particularly building the abdominals. You lay on the ground with your body completely straight, held up by your toes, and elbows lining up with shoulders. It's less intensive than a pushup, and simply requires you to hold the position.
When you've built up a strong core the exercise becomes effortless, and therefore meaningless. Progress it by extending your arms, and holding a dumbbell in each. Alternately pull the weight up towards you ribs without changing your balance and posture, held up by a single hand. This is known as a 'renegade row', and provides a useful step up from regular planking.
Inclined Running
When you're walking or running on a treadmill, increasing the incline will engage more muscle groups. As you retain posture at an angle your glutes, lower back and thighs will be putting in considerably more work. A quite effective way of engaging the core is to run at a comfortable speed, and steadily increase the incline until it becomes unworkable, repeating this process over the course of a workout.
Mira has been writing about health and fitness for years, helping her readers discover new exercises and routines to smash their goals and keep on going.
She recently became a featured contributor to Muscle Finesse, a leading UK seller of diet and strength supplements, and hopes this new partnership will introduce her to more readers than ever before.
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