Kelly Campoverde-Dela Cruz,
R. Kin
Kelly is a recognized Kinesiologist with years of extensive experience in health, rehabilitation and performance.
Functional training is performing exercises that involve movements similar to daily activities. Whereas the purpose of functional training is to condition our body with movement patterns that translate into everyday tasks, improving the way we move. For example, a Registered Kinesiologist (R.Kin) may recommend a farmer’s carry exercise to their middle-aged client who has a goal of being able to carry the groceries from the car straight into the kitchen with ease. In this article, we’ll take you through 3 functional exercises that we, as Kinesiologists, strongly recommend incorporating into your exercise routine to help you build strength and move with confidence.
Sit-to-stands are a great functional exercise because most of us stand up from a seated position several times throughout the day. Sit-to-stands focus on a hinge movement pattern and build strength in the hip and leg muscles. Getting out of a chair may seem quite easy for most, although as we age, it can become challenging especially coupled with injury and/or chronic disease.
How to perform a “sit-to-stand”:
Start in a seated position with the feet flat on the ground. Keeping the feet grounded, you can have your hands on your thighs or on the arm rests. Now slightly lean forward at the hips and use your leg muscles to push off the ground and stand up tall. If you need extra support, you can have your hands on the arm rests and gently push off the arm rests. However, try to get most of the power to come from your leg muscles.
A squat is seen in our everyday movements. For example, bending down to pick something up off the ground and using the washroom. Squats would be considered a full body exercise that requires us to use our lower body, core, and sometimes our upper body strength. There are several variations of a squat such as a body weight squat, a barbell back squat, a goblet squat, and so on. For the purpose of this article, we will instruct a body weight squat.
How to perform a “squat”:
Start standing with the feet hip width apart. Keeping the feet grounded, bend at the knees and at the hips while slightly leaning forward like you are about to sit down in a chair. Once the thighs are parallel to the ground, push the feet into the ground, standing up back to our starting position. You can hold on to a chair in front of you if you need the extra support.
An overhead press is focusing on a push movement pattern and builds upper body strength. It is seen in daily activities such as reaching up to get a mug from the top cupboard and lifting anything over your head. There are different versions of an overhead press, some including exercise equipment/some sort of resistance, however, we will instruct a seated body weight overhead press.
How to perform an “overhead press”:
You can perform the exercise with one or both arms. Start seated in an upright position, keep your elbow(s) bent at 90 degrees. Now bring the elbow(s) out to the side with the palm facing forward – this is the resting position. Now reach up as high as you can breathing out. As you relax, bring the arm(s) back down to the resting position.
These examples highlight the importance of functional training, which is to building strength and confidence in movement patterns that translate into your everyday. Functional exercises not only focus on your physical strength but also help strengthen the muscle-mind connection through building kinesthetic awareness. This helps people become more aware of their physical body and how it moves through space. This allows for a deeper understanding of how to position yourself and how to perform a certain movement without relying on visual cues. The benefit of a higher sense of kinesthetic awareness is that you can become more aware of your posture during certain activities. An example would be when lifting a heavy box, you might feel that you are using your back more than your legs. Being aware of your posture and feeling your body in an improper position can help you correct yourself to execute a specific movement as you intend to. Thus, functional training can help you build strength and confidence in how you move by learning about movement patterns and improving kinesthetic awareness.
Registered Kinesiologists have the background and expertise to help you with your goal(s). R.Kin’s have studied the biomechanical aspect of human movement, therefore they can analyze how you move, and with evidence-based research, they can provide guidance and support through exercise prescription. With R.Kin’s extensive educational background in exercise, they understand how certain movement patterns mirror everyday movements and can help you with functional training depending on your goal(s). Kinnected Chain offers Kinesiology services in addition to other programs and services. If you or a loved one want to learn more about functional training, and/or already have specific goals on how you want to move better, improve your posture, or want to improve your kinesthetic awareness, inquire with Kinnected Chain today. We look forward to helping you on your health journey.
