At CrossFit Golden Valkyrie, we believe nothing compares to a solid session of exercises for functional strength. The rush of lifting heavy loads and pushing through high-volume reps brings a sense of power and fitness like no other. No matter your athletic background or fitness level, exercises for functional strength are key to enhancing physical performance.

 

What is Functional Strength Training?

Functional strength training is a method of exercise that prepares your body for the movements you perform in daily life, sports, or specific tasks. Its main objective is to enhance natural movement patterns and boost your overall functional fitness.

What does this truly mean? Consider the everyday actions you take: climbing stairs, carrying groceries, or bending down to play with your kids. These are all functional movements. Your functional fitness dictates how much stamina and ease you experience performing them.

 

Functional vs. Traditional Strength Training

There’s a significant overlap between functional and traditional strength training. Functional training builds strength through resistance exercises that challenge multiple muscle groups. Similarly, traditional strength training can improve functional fitness by increasing overall strength and muscle capacity, which naturally benefits daily activities.

The key distinction is that traditional strength training often focuses on isolating individual muscles with exercises such as:

• Shoulder press

• Bicep curls

• Bent-over rows

• Glute bridge

• Hollow body hold

In contrast, Exercises for functional strength often involve compound movements, some examples include:

• Push-ups

• Jump squats

• Lateral lunges

• Walking lunges

• Single-leg deadlifts

At CrossFit Golden Valkyrie, our workouts often incorporate both categories, offering a balanced approach that maximizes your results.

 

Benefits of Functional Strength Training

Functional strength training offers distinct advantages that translate directly into a better quality of life and enhanced athletic performance.

Increased Core Strength and Stability

Your core is central to nearly every movement you make. Neglecting it can lead to injury. Functional exercises, like planks, teach you to engage your core naturally, leading to improved posture and stability

Better Balance and Coordination

If you often feel off-balance or clumsy, it’s likely a matter of underdeveloped balance muscles. Dynamic movements such as reverse lunges or single-leg deadlifts challenge your muscles through their full range of motion, improving flexibility and stability. Studies show a direct link between balance ability and enhanced motor skills like walking, running, and jumping.

Injury Prevention

Functional strength training helps correct muscle imbalances and strengthens joint stability, significantly reducing the risk of injuries in daily activities or sports. For instance, runners and cyclists benefit immensely from squats and lunges for lower body power, and planks for core stability, which improves gait and cycling posture.

Glute and Hip Activation

Many Exercises for functional strength are excellent for strengthening the glutes and hips. This is vital for athletes, especially cyclists and runners, providing essential power during sprints and climbs.

Flexibility and Mobility

Dynamic stretches inherent in functional training, such as walking lunges and scapular push-ups, enhance mobility, flexibility, and range of motion. This is particularly important as we age, helping to protect joint health and keep you active.

Greater Calorie Burn

The dynamic nature of functional exercises leads to higher caloric expenditure compared to isolated movements. You’re elevating your heart rate while working against resistance and engaging multiple muscle groups simultaneously, burning more energy.

Time Efficiency

Functional strength training is incredibly efficient. Our CrossFit Golden Valkyrie classes often feature compound movements that work multiple muscle groups at once, allowing you to achieve a highly effective workout in less time.

 

Read more about The Ultimate Guide to Total Fitness

 

Top Functional Strength Training Moves to Try

Our CrossFit Golden Valkyrie workouts frequently blend traditional and functional strength exercises, giving you the best of both worlds – isolated muscle strength and enhanced endurance.

If you’re new to functional strength training, here are some excellent Exercises for functional strength to get you started:

1. Squats

• How to: Stand with feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent. Engage your core and slowly lower as if sitting in an invisible chair, keeping knees aligned. Hold for 3-5 seconds, then slowly return to the start.

• Make it harder: From the squat, push through your feet into a jump, extending legs. Land softly and immediately go into another squat. Aim for 10 reps (or 5 standard squats followed by 5 squat jumps).

2. Reverse Lunges

• How to: Start with feet shoulder-width apart, hands on hips. Engage your core and step back with your left foot, bending the knee almost to the ground. Your front knee should form a 90-degree angle. Press through your front foot to return to the start.

• Aim for: Alternate between left and right for 10-20 reps (5-10 per side).

3. Single-Leg Deadlifts

• How to: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. (Start with bodyweight, then add dumbbells between your feet). Lean forward, shifting weight to your right foot as your left leg extends behind you. Keep a slight bend in your right leg, raise your left leg as you bring arms down to mid-shin level. Engage glutes and core to slowly lift back up.

• Aim for: 5-10 reps per leg.

4. Push-ups

• How to: High plank position, hands under shoulders, feet hip-width apart. Keep elbows close to your body and slowly lower your chest to graze the mat, or as far as you can. Keep elbows rotated inward and slowly push back to high plank.

• Aim for: 5-10 reps with good form. (Modify on knees if needed).

5. Burpees

• How to: Start in a squat, hands to the floor outside your feet. Jump or step back into a high plank. Complete one push-up. Frog jump feet outside hands. Perform one squat jump and return to your starting squat position.

• Aim for: 5-10 reps without stopping.

6. Step-ups

• How to: Use a box, chair, or stool. Step up with your right foot, followed by your left. Bend your right knee and step down, followed by your left.

• Aim for: 5-10 reps per leg.

• Make it harder: Hold 10-15 lb. dumbbells in each hand.

7. Plank

• How to: Start in tabletop position (shoulders over wrists, neck aligned with spine). Tuck toes and extend feet behind you for a full plank. Engage pelvic floor muscles and hold steady.

 

Functional Strength Training with CrossFit Golden Valkyrie

We recommend incorporating functional strength training into your workout schedule 2-3 times a week, regardless of your current fitness level. It doesn’t need to replace your traditional strength training; instead, it powerfully complements it. Traditional strength training builds maximal strength in specific muscle groups, while functional strength training ensures you can effectively apply that strength to real-life movements and activities.

Ready to enhance your daily life and athletic performance? Visit CrossFit Golden Valkyrie today to learn more about our functional strength training programs and how they can benefit you!

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