Functional Training is training the muscles of the body to move more efficiently for specific sports, daily movements, hobbies, or general health. I have made no bones about it during my twenty year tenure in professional fitness training, I eat, sleep, breathe the functional training philosophy.

Sure in my training infancy, I did split body part training, Wrapping my knees to squat 325 and doing an abundance of cardio. I was constantly inflamed, sore, and broken down, my overall fitness and life didn’t improve, and I was holding so much more body fat than I  am now. Remind you I was 20 then. 38 now!

It has been 8 years since I really defined my personal functional fitness style. I have never been healthier, leaner, or more fit. My clients who are devotees can attest to their overall increase in quality of life and movement.

So what are the secrets to my personal FUNctional Training Style? Here is a little sneak peak:

1. ALWAYS prioritize your form and core activation/stiffness. Your core, hips, and shoulders act as the axis of all movement. Always prioritize setting your body up for movement before you actually move!!! A strong foundation helps us move with precision in any plane of motion, prevents injury, develops a strong core and 6-pack, and enables you to carry or push/pull more resistance. Which leads me to my second secret.
2. Within one workout train your body in every plane of motion. Frontal (sideways), Sagital (front to back), and Transverse (diagonal). This is how WE MOVE IN LIFE AND IN SPORTS. All too often I see people exclusively train in the Sagital Plane. Train for life people! Not for vanity!
3. PROGRESSIONS MY FRIEND! I cringe when I see trainers online or fitness devotees work advanced movements without mastering the basics. It’s a building process. Advanced movements should always come after you have 100% mastered the basic form. Want to avoid injury, reach your physical potential, sustain energy, and experience the elusive and rewarding total Mind-Body Connection? Then train with PROGRESSIONS. If you can’t do a jump squat – DO NOT! You will only serve to ingrain detrimental and harmful movement patterns into your Central Nervous System. Setting you up for a lifetime of pain!
4. Incorporate a push, pull, rotation, hip hinge, core, and agility movement into your training program. And once you get those down. Do those movements in all levels of motion! Train like and athlete…look like an athlete. ’nuff said.
5. Take days off! Work as hard as you can in your specified workouts…then let your body heal and recover. Respect it!
6. Don’t forget to stretch dynamically prior to workouts and statically post workout. Dynamic stretches set your body up to move better and in a full range of motion. Static stretches lengthen the contracted muscles you just assaulted. This will enable them to function properly during the next workout and burn more calories to boot!

Those are my PRIMARY secrets to Functional Fitness Success. If you are not a believer yet…I will GIVE you a half hour training sesh, and i promise…you will never look back!

Signed, Your FUNctional Fitness Unashamed Queen.