Why look strong without being strong?

The first thing you notice when you walk through any gym is that there are mirrors everywhere. Where there’s a wall, there’s a mirror. What do you think this tells you? Most people that go to the gym are simply going to look good. Performance and function in the training world take a back seat to being ripped and looking good.

It’s easy to confuse the meaning of functional fitness. The true meaning of the term is the capability of people to improve their performance in their chosen activities and daily lives. Functional fitness allows improves endurance, strength, and the overall ability of people to move.

If a trainee focuses on performing better, the form will absolutely follow. Set some goals and try to break them. Even going to your limit with push ups and then trying to up that number the next time is a step to the road of performance-based training.

Training for functionality can be started simply with the following list:

1. Instead of traditional cardio machines, do hill sprints and jump rope intervals

2. Instead of isolating your muscles while exercising, do full-body exercises like pull-ups and squats

3. Instead of splitting your workouts into body parts, work your whole body with kettlebells and sandbags

By training with specific performance goals in mind, accomplishing them will be that much sweeter. In addition, you’ll look better and you’ll really be strong.

I set a goal for myself to lower my body fat by 2% in a month. I worked out and ate right, and even with some slip-ups along the way, I hit my mark. This was great, but it was almost like it wasn’t enough or there was something missing. Months later, I read about the kettlebell US Secret Service Snatch test. The test was developed when the trainees for the secret service were given ten minutes to perform as many snatches as they could with a 53lb kettlebell with 200 being their ultimate goal.

A kettlebell snatch involves swinging a kettlebell from between your legs to above your head in one fluid motion. Just a reps will cause most people to start sweating, and accomplishing the test could require months of practice and hard work. Even so, I promise that if you can do it, you will not only feel accomplished, you’ll being extremely functionally fit.

Training to be functionally fit will have far more benefits than just looking fit. Try it out and see how you feel.

Source: lower body-fat