‘Functional fitness’ has become a buzzword in the gym scene. And although the rise of functional fitness and Hybrid Training classes on your local gym’s timetable may have you thinking it’s just the latest fitness craze, functional movement is much more than that – it’s been around for many years, and it isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

What is Functional Fitness?

Functional fitness refers to a specific type of exercise that trains your muscles in compound movements to prepare your body for real-life activities. Examples of movements are goblet squats, deadlifts, pull-ups, and wall balls. These exercises prepare you for activities like getting up from a chair, pulling yourself onto the side of the swimming pool, and lifting a heavy object into overhead storage.

What Are The Benefits of Functional Fitness?

Functional fitness, also known as functional training or functional movement, trains multiple muscle groups together and makes you responsible for your own form. Whereas gym machines isolate a muscle group and guide you into an idealised posture. The main benefit of functional training is that it prepares you for life. For example, when you follow a mostly machine-based gym routine, you might be able to leg curl 60kg, but kicking a football or running up the stairs can still make you pull a muscle. This type of scenario is less likely when you’re functionally fit.

Additionally, you don’t need space-consuming, complicated machines to train functional movement, which makes it a lot more accessible to home gym owners and people who have limited access to gyms.

Top Five Pieces of Functional Fitness Equipment

So, you’ve decided to give functional fitness a go. What are the best pieces of equipment to own? Which tools will give you the most bang for your buck? Defining what’s ‘best’ will ultimately depend on your fitness goals. However, effective functional fitness equipment allows you to engage multiple muscle groups simultaneously and helps you build full-body strength, endurance, and mobility.

The products below have been chosen for their versatility, functionality, and physical footprint.

1 - Barbell and Bumper Plates

Talking about versatility means talking about a Barbell Weight Set. With this classic piece of gym equipment, you can perform deadlifts, squats, clean and jerks, snatches, overhead presses, thrusters, good mornings, lunges and bench presses – each a functional movement, and each training multiple muscle groups at once. Barbells and plates are also easy to store, either horizontally or vertically. If you have additional space, a squat rack, jerk blocks, or weight bench would complement the barbell well.

2 - Kettlebell

Designed to train strength, coordination, endurance, and mobility, the kettlebell is a fitness staple. Functional kettlebell exercises include swings, goblet squats, farmer carries, thrusters, cleans, and overhead presses. Kettlebells are relatively small and easy to store, making them very well-suited to home workouts.

3 - Medicine Ball

The Medicine Ball is a great, straightforward training tool. Medicine ball slams, Russian twists, chest passes, overhead throws, sit-ups, cleans, and press-ups are all exercises you can perform with this humble piece of gym equipment. It can be used to train core stability, explosive power, and full-body coordination, all with relatively low impact.

5 - Resistance Bands

You’ll often see resistance bands being used in warm-ups or accessory exercises, but you can do a full-body functional workout using gym bands. Banded lateral walks, glute bridges, chest presses, and woodchoppers are just a handful of exercises you can try. Resistance bands don’t weigh much and are easy to store or take with you when you’re travelling.

4 - Dumbbells

Similar to the kettlebell, the dumbbell is a great starting point for training in a small space. All exercises you can perform with a barbell, you can replicate with either a single dumbbell or a pair of dumbbells. You can get a comprehensive, functional workout – training your arms, legs, lower back, upper back, shoulders, chest, and core – out of this piece of equipment. If you're starting on your fitness journey, our Dumbbells Tree comes with six pairs of dumbbells in a range of weights.

These top five pieces of functional fitness equipment will let you train multiple muscle groups at the same time, using movements that directly translate to everyday activities. Each of these tools facilitates a wide range of functional exercises, is easily storable, and is straightforward to use. Whether you’ve just discovered the world of functional fitness or have been incorporating functional workouts into your training for a while, this equipment can help you take your functional fitness to new heights.  

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Tags: Equipment > Bars and Weight Plates ; Equipment > Dumbbells ; Equipment > Kettlebells ; Equipment > Resistance Bands ; Equipment > Med Balls ; Exercise Type > Conditioning ; Exercise Type > Strength ; Misc > Gym Planning