Functional

There are a few words in the fitness industry that have been used so much they've lost their meaning. Some that come to mind: core, HIIT, Tabata and perhaps the most offensive, and one that I use often; functional.

Today, I'm going to provide the definition of functional as we use it at GAIN. And it has nothing to do with balance boards, Bosu balls or complicated kettlebell flows that are choreographed.

Functional fitness is having the ability to do a wide range of physical demands with ease.

The broad goal of all our programs is to help people feel confident and navigate life more easily. We use basic human shapes like squatting, hinging, pushing and pulling to create robust movement patterns that help outside the gym.

You may not jump on boxes, lift symmetrically loaded barbells over your head or climb a rope in real life. But you will need to move a couch, react quickly, move fast, get up from the floor and be generally useful.

Getting stronger and better at these movements have a direct carryover to your performance and function outside of the gym. Therefore, strength and conditioning is functional because it will help you do a wide variety of physical tasks with confidence and without hesitation.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain