As humans, we perform a wide range of movement activities, such as walking, jogging, running, sprinting, jumping, lifting, pushing, pulling, bending, twisting, turning, standing, starting, stopping, climbing and lunging. All of these activities involve smooth, rhythmic motions coordinated from the nervous and muscular systems. Functional training is more than just a buzzword used in the fitness industry it is a classification of exercise which involves training the body for the activities performed in daily life. In other words, it is training that enhances the working relationship between the nervous and muscular system.

We often think of strength in terms of the actual force-producing capacity of a muscle or group of muscles. However, the brain, which controls muscular movement, thinks in terms of whole motions, not individual muscles. In turn, exercises that isolate joints and muscles are training muscles, not movements, which result in less functional improvement. For example, squats will have a greater "transfer effect" on improving an individual's ability to rise from a sofa than knee extensions. Functional training helps the average person develop strength that carries over into daily activities such as pulling open a heavy door, hiking up a rocky trail, starting a lawn mower, carrying a child, unloading heavy packages from the trunk of a car, or reaching up and pulling down a bulky box from an overhead shelf.

Just as athletes train for their specific sport, we need to train for ours: the sport of life. How? A great place to start is with a stability ball. Since stability balls are unstable you must constantly adjust your balance. This will help to improve your balance, your body’s awareness of where it is in space, and your flexibility. A great way to become familiar with stability ball training is to hire a personal trainer or join a group fitness class that uses this equipment. Trainers and instructors love stability balls for the following reasons: it is easy to use (it doubles as a weight bench or a chair) it adds intensity by engaging more muscle groups it targets a variety of goals like improving muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, stability, and the ratio of fat mass versus fat free mass it can be used anywhere! So, get on the ball and train for the sport of life.

Jenn Naiman, Group Fitness Director