How does functional training differ from bodybuilding?

If you are a workout enthusiast like us, then you have probably heard of functional training. Is it part of your workout routine? For those of you who haven’t heard of it, it is a type of exercise that mimics or stimulates the movements and activities that you perform in your daily life. You see, the focus here, with functional training, is to improve strength, flexibility, and coordination so as to enhance your ability to carry out everyday tasks, like taking the stairs, lifting groceries or holding your kids, just to name a few.

Let’s take squats as an example, shall we? Now, imagine you’re picking up a heavy box from the ground and then putting it on a shelf. In this case, the squat isn’t just a gym move; it’s preparing you for the real-world action of lifting and reaching. Interesting, is it not?

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What’s Not Functional Fitness?

Functional fitness aims to make you move better in your daily life and during your favourite activities, like playing sports or even carrying groceries.

While fancy gym equipment and exercises might look cool, they’re not always functional. Imagine balancing a weight on a wobbly ball or standing on one leg for ages – that’s not something you typically do every day, right?

Functional exercises are like practice drills for real-life movements. Imagine a golfer swinging a club or a soccer player dribbling the ball – those are functional movements! They help you perform better at the activities you enjoy.

So, remember, the key to functional fitness is choosing exercises that mimic real-life movements and help you move with ease and confidence in your daily activities and favorite sports. Online zoom classes and personal training can greatly support this journey. Through online zoom classes, you can participate in guided workouts led by qualified instructors, focusing on functional movements like squats, lunges, and core stability drills. These sessions provide structured routines designed to improve strength, mobility, and overall functional capacity. Additionally, working with a personal trainer specializing in functional fitness can offer personalized assessments and workouts tailored to address specific goals, helping you move more efficiently and confidently in both your daily life and favorite activities

Functional Fitness vs Bodybuilding

Function Training

Let’s familiarize ourselves with Function Training first, shall we?

As we have mentioned earlier. Functional fitness is all about making your body better at daily movements, like squatting or reaching. Instead of just pumping up one muscle, it gets you ready for real-life actions. Functional training combines different moves at once, making various muscles team up for a coordinated effort.

Let’s take another example to understand this better. Imagine swimming – it’s not just a single muscle doing all the work. Different muscles, from your chest to your legs, join forces to keep you moving smoothly.

And have you heard of Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS)? Well, (EMS) in Functional Training gives your functional workouts an extra boost. It helps improve your muscle performance, agility, and endurance, making you a functional fitness superstar. So, be it you are a pro athlete or just love staying fit, functional training enhances your agility and overall performance. EMS, like PowerDot, takes your muscle strength and endurance to the next level.

Bodybuilding.

Now, on to Bodybuilding. Simply put, bodybuilding is about building big muscles through repetitive motion. It’s more about making a specific muscle look good than helping it work well. While functional fitness gears up for movement, bodybuilding concentrates on making muscles look impressive. It’s about control and repetition.

Now, bodybuilding isn’t just about big muscles; it helps with overall health. Did you know that it also reduces the risk of high blood pressure and high cholesterol and keeps your bones healthy? Well. Now you do.

Even in bodybuilding, EMS has a role. It helps you in building your muscle strength. So, do try to set your PowerDot to the strength program for a powerful muscle-building session.

Benefits of Functional Fitness:

Getting You Moving: Are you stuck sitting all day? Functional fitness gets you up and moving, burning calories and helping your body handle sugar better.
Improving Posture: Modern life can wreck your posture. Functional fitness works on muscle slings to release tension, fixing that hunched-over look.
Better Fat Burn: Tired of regular cardio? Functional training burns more fat because your whole body is in action. Multi-plane movements keep your calorie burn high.
Improved Flexibility: Struggling to touch your toes? Time for functional training. It helps you move better by enhancing your flexibility and range of motion.
Meaningful Workout: Functional fitness isn’t just for looks; it’s for a better life. As you age, it keeps you ready for daily activities, from playing with your kids to doing chores.
Variety and Engagement: Bored with the same old gym routine? Functional training keeps it exciting with a mix of exercises. No more workout blues!
Building Muscle: Yes, you build muscle with functional training, too. It stimulates different muscle fibers, burning calories and even making your bones stronger.

Final Thoughts!

As you can see, both functional training and bodybuilding have their own merits. In the world of fitness, you can never go wrong with either or both. That being said, if you’re looking to improve your daily flexibility, mobility, and overall fitness, then functional training is a perfect choice.

Whether you choose functional training or bodybuilding, the good news is that you can always utilise electrical muscle stimulation to get the best result in your fitness journey!