1. Functional Movement

 Why are Functional Movements Important?

Functional Movements

Functional movements will take our joints through their full range of motion, whilst working the stabilising muscles at the same time. This is so important in preventing injury and promoting healthy movement back into our bodies. 

Staying active as we age is essential for a happy and healthy life. The general movement patterns of our bodies are push, pull, squat, hinge, walk. Looking at each of these movements individually will help us understand their relevance in our every day lives. 

I will show you how implementing these movements back into our daily routines will help regain any loss of mobility and balance.

Simplified:

1. Squat - The action of sitting down - From a standing position to a seated position and back to a standing position
2. Hinge - The action of a hip movement whereby the hip movement is the prime mover rather than the knee. For example a bow, where the legs are straight while maintaining a flat spine.
3. Push - The action of pushing only, for example pushing a shopping trolley
4. Pull - The action of pulling only, for example opening a door towards us.
5. Loaded Carries - Lifting an object/objects with good form and moving for a set distance - for example, two shopping bags or moving large boxes overhead and placing them on a high level.

If we work on these movements daily by using various everyday objects to hand or using weights and resistance bands, we will benefit greatly by developing strength, balance, mobility and thus decreasing our chances of injury or damage to our muscles and joints.

The Squat 

Click here - Sit to Stand progression

The squat can be performed from a chair with progression to a full squat. Try this for 30 seconds and see how many you can do. You will feel the muscles working in the thighs and bottom (quads and glutes). 

This exercise is also a good cardio workout so if you feel out of breath, you can rest before your 30 seconds are up. Work on improving the length of time you can perform this exercise.

The Hinge

The Hinge progression

The glute bridge is a hinge exercise that strengthens the hips and bottom. Squeeze you bottom and tummy muscles as you raise your hips, until your shoulders, hips and knees are in a straight line and hold for 2-3 seconds. 

As you lower your hips, make sure your movement is controlled and repeat. Continue this move for 15 to 25 repetitions in a controlled movement. Your form and controlled movements are required rather than speed for this exercise.

The Push

Click Here - The Push - Tricep and Shoulders

The Shoulder press and Tricep Extension are push exercises. These can be performed seated or standing. You can use bottles of water or dumbbells (if you have some at home). 

Make sure that this exercise is performed with control both on the push and the return to the starting position. 15 to 25 repetitions. Once you feel comfortable and able,  repeat 15 to 25 repetitions, then rest for 30 seconds before trying again. Perform another set of 15-25, for a total of 3 sets of 15-25 repetitions.

The Pull

Click Here - The Pull - Bicep Curl

The bicep curl is a pull exercise. This can be performed seated or standing, with water bottles or dumbbells (if you have some at home). Make sure you perform this exercise with control on the lift and return. 

Make sure that you squeeze your tummy muscles (abdominal muscles also known as engaging the core muscles) on the lift. Make sure that your elbows are tucked in at the waist and do not move throughout this exercise so that the bicep muscle is used and not the shoulder. 15 to 25 repetitions. 

Once you feel comfortable and able, repeat 15 to 25 repetitions, then rest for 30 seconds before trying again.Perform another set of 15-25, for a total of 3 sets of 15-25 repetitions.

Loaded Carry

Click Here - Loaded Carry - Farmers Walk

Loaded carries consist of carrying a piece of equipment or pieces of equipment for example, two dumbbells, two bags of potatoes or two shopping bags (of equal weight) and walking for a pre-determined distance with good posture. 

By simply doing this, you will build muscle, strength, stamina and re-train proper movement patterns. You will also find an improvement in your grip strength and core stability. Remember to use a squat stance (exampled in the above video) and straight back, pushing through your heals when you pick up your weighted pieces. 

Do not bend your spine and round your shoulders as this may cause injury when lifting weighted equipment from the floor. 

Functional Movement - Circuit

To make improvements to your daily activities and movements, try this circuit routine 2 to 3 times a week. You can do this circuit at home or in the gym if you prefer. On warm and sunny days you could even try this outside in the fresh air.

1. Sit to Stand (progress to squats) for 30 seconds

2 Tricep Extensions 15/20 repetitions

3. Bicep Curl 15/20 repetitions

4. Shoulder Press 15/20 repetitions

5. Farmers Walk for 1 minute

6. Glute Bridge 15 repetitions

Rest for 1 minute and repeat the above (2 to 3 circuits). 

Use light weights to start with (or small bottles of water) and you can use carrier bags of equal weight or two sacks of potatoes for your farmers walk (as long as you are weighted equally on both sides). Use a mat or rug for your glute bridge.

Conclusion

Functional training is definitely something we should be thinking about as we age. Core stability, balance, mobility and good posture have so many health benefits as well as helping to prevent injuries. Each of the 5 exercises above mimic our everyday movements and keep our bodies 'fine tuned' to accomplish our daily tasks. 

Performing these moves and exercises regularly will keep us on the path of preserving our independence for many years to come. Always remember to warm up before exercise and stretch after exercise to prevent injury and increase flexibility and mobility.

Click Here for Module 2 - Changing Habits to Achieve Optimal Health

©HealthyForeverFitnessMotivation