5 REASONS WOMEN NEED FUNCTIONAL BODY WEIGHT TRAINING

If you’re a woman, you might take one look and think this ‘functional body weight training’ isn’t for you. But that’s where you’re wrong. These moves benefit everyone. Functional body weight exercises enhance the way we perform everyday activities by mimicking their movement patterns. For example, a squat is a functional exercise because it mimics the movement of sitting down and standing up.

Whatever your fitness goal, here are five reasons you need to make functional training part of your life.

1. It’s one of the perfect workouts!

If you’ve been steering clear of functional body weight training, you’re missing out on one of the best high-intensity workouts possible. You get to target a number of goals in this single workout. With a mix of strength/toning and cardio, you can improve fitness and promote overall body conditioning and weight loss.

Plus, another huge benefit to this type of training, is that you can do it anywhere - anytime! You do not need any fancy gym equipment or studio. I've had personal training clients who did these workouts in their hotel rooms as their job requires them a to travel often, so they got moving in a short amount of time in their room!

2. Everyday lifting gets easy! Women need to be strong! Creating lean muscle mass is not just about toning physique: it gives you the everyday independence to get things done yourself – faster, better and more easily.

Whether you’re moving house or just grabbing groceries, you’re lifting. That engages your arms, core, back, even your quads and hips when you’re leaning down. If you’re just hitting pure cardio for weight loss, you aren’t building the strength you need here.

If you’ve got kids, chances are they’re going to need to be picked up from time to time. Sure, upper body flows build the arm strength I need for toddler carrying, but there’s also the increased hip mobility and quad strength I get from core and leg specific body weight flows , which help me lift him into his car seat. These functional moves help me avoid lover back strain and pain.

3. You can become more coordinated! Unlike exercises purely for fat burning or muscle toning, functional exercises work supporting muscle groups as well as the main muscle groups. This increases the range of motion throughout the body. Generally, the more joints, movements and speed you’re putting into an action, the more coordination you need to pull it off.

It’s practice for every day. You need these skills any time you’re trying to move with ease and control, like reaching for things and or getting up and down off the ground to play with kids. Even reacting to sudden situations like loose stones on a hiking trail or an uneven sidewalk in heels, mobility and muscle coordination make the difference between staying upright or falling flat on your face.

4. You’ll protect yourself from injury!

Functional training mimics everyday activity, strengthening the muscles you use every day and helping to reduce the chance of injury. All of my moves together are geared towards building a better body, but if you’re concerned about high-impact moves, then follow the modifications I offer and the step moves in stead of jumps when required.

5. You can become a core-strength powerhouse!

Because my exercises are dynamic compound moves, they work multiple muscles all at once – including your core. Mobility and flexibility are key elements here! If you’re focused on perfect form in the moves, you’re actively stabilizing your core as you complete the movement. Your arms and legs move but it’s a strong core holding it all together.

Having a strong core is more than just flat abs. It helps to improve posture, protect the spine and lower back and work against the problems of a sedentary lifestyle. Now that’s real inner strength!

So you have nothing to lose by joining one of my Primal Flow body weight functional fitness sessions I hold on a weekly basis (check schedule here) or grab one of my online quick less then 10 minute workout programs to follow on your own time, pace and schedule here.