What does functional exercise mean?

Functional means the exercises fit with movement patterns which of our daily lives like lifting, carrying and reaching. Lifting in the real work tends to be unbalanced, using one hand more than the other and carrying things through awkward positions.

Functional home gym equipment

Kettlebells are a great example of a functional exercise the centre of mass of a kettlebell is removed from the grip and is constantly changing during the movement.  A good example of this in life is any type of heavy bag.

Range of kettlebells for functional training

Powerbags are another great example of functional exercise for sport. Lifting and carrying powe

rbags require both arms to grip. This makes power bag training good functional training for contact sports like rugby and heavy lifting jobs life the Army and the fire service.

Bosu Balls are another very different and challenging piece offunctional equipment. Bosu balls create a challenging balance platform to exercise on. This causes the user to really focus on balance and control, and prepares the joints and movement paterns for sudden and awekward movements.

This makes bosu balls fantastic training for rehabilitation and stability confidence for joints after an injury.