When it comes to endurance sports, where speed, stability, and toughness are important for success, one word stands out: consistency. Staying consistent is the key to success, no matter how long you’ve been an elite or how new you are to the game. But being consistent goes hand in hand with another important thing: having fun with your training. You should want to work out, not just feel like you have to, if you want to keep yourself going.
The risk of suffering injury is something that is often forgotten in the race for endurance. Acute injuries are a normal part of some sports, but overuse injuries can throw off your training schedule for a long time if you don’t treat them. In such situations, functional training can come in handy, as it can help you avoid any or more injuries and make you more efficient too.
In this article, let’s try and understand how functional training can aid athlete performance.
What Is Functional Training Exactly?
Functional training involves doing movements that are similar to things you do every day and the sport you are playing. Functional training, on the other hand, uses all of your muscles and focuses on core strength, flexibility, and mobility. The main goal here is to help you move correctly and build muscle in a way that makes sense for the sport you want to play.
What Consistency Does for You
In training, being consistent isn’t just about showing up on time; it’s also about liking the process. Functional training is a very important part of this process. By using movement patterns that are similar to things you enjoy, you can turn working out from a chore into an important part of your daily life. This change in attitude will make your workouts something you look forward to, which will lead to long-term commitment and, eventually, success.
Functional Training Can Help You From Injuries
In endurance sports, the chance of getting hurt is high, especially during long sessions when tiredness can make it hard to move correctly. Functional training is a strong way to avoid injuries because it focuses on building muscle and teaching the right movement. Even though it might not completely remove the risk, it makes overuse injuries much less likely, which can keep players out for a long time.
Moreover, in today’s digital age, access to fitness resources has expanded exponentially. Online zoom classes have become a popular platform for delivering interactive and engaging workouts remotely. Athletes can join these sessions from the comfort of their own homes, benefiting from expert instruction and real-time feedback to refine their technique and bolster their injury prevention efforts.
By integrating functional training, personal training, and virtual classes, athletes can fortify themselves against injury, enabling them to push their limits safely and thrive in their endurance pursuits.
Efficiency, Strength, And Speed
Moving efficiently is the key to getting fast and lasting for a long time. By focusing on movement patterns that are specific to a sport, functional training makes sure that your body is not only strong but also good at what it does. This speed becomes the key to going farther, faster, and sticking to a regular training schedule, which is great for endurance athletes.
How Often To Train Your Body To Function
When you think of functional training, picture doing movements that are directly related to your sport or everyday life. Instead of focusing on single muscles, work on the exact movements you need to do for your sport. Functional fitness is an important part of your training if you do sports like obstacle course racing, adventure racing, ski climbing, mountain biking, gravel riding, and trail running.
Functional training should be a part of your routine at least twice or three times a week for best results. The goal is not to make you tired but to gradually get stronger without getting in the way of future workouts. A balanced method is to start with light weights to learn the right way to use them and then slowly add more weight.
Functional Strength Training Vs. Regular Strength Training
All strength training in the field of functional fitness is geared towards improving sport-specific performance. Its goal is not just to build muscle but also to improve durability and the ratio of power to weight. For tasks involving climbing, the focus might be on squats, lunges, step-ups, and deadlifts, building a strong core in the process. By making functional training fit the needs of your sport, you can be sure that every step directly leads to better performance.
Adding Stability
Single-leg exercises take centre stage in functional training, reflecting the reality of sports rarely engaging both legs simultaneously. These activities not only enhance stability but also eliminate asymmetries between dominant and less dominant sides. Single-leg squats, deadlifts, glute bridges, and calf raises are all exercises that are similar to moves you might do while running or playing other sports. Start these workouts with just your own body weight, and as your stability and control get better, add weights.
The End Goal
Fitness trainers don’t see training as an end in itself; they see it as a way to get to the end goal, which is performance and exploring other places. Focusing on efficiency and functional movement in training leads to better performance, whether in a run with a timing chip or on a solo trip with only a GPS watch to record your progress.
All in all, functional training isn’t just a trendy term; it’s a smart way to protect your body from injuries, make it more efficient, and make sure that every workout helps you reach your fitness goals. Enjoy the routine and the movement, and let functional training be your constant partner on the way to physical success.
