Functional fitness: Five best exercises you can do to be injury free

Fitness is a wide term that is quite comprehensive and includes several aspects of well-being including physical, mental and emotional. Physical fitness itself entails multiple things, some of which might include stamina, endurance, energy levels, balance and a proper posture and stance. Performing everyday activities without getting injured is also a part of fitness and is extremely important in order to maintain a healthy living. Even though it may sound odd, but like there are specially designed fitness exercises for strength, endurance and cardio vascular function, there is a special group of exercises designed especially for performing everyday movements without the risk of injury.

Functional fitness is a type of exercise that relates most closely to the movements that one performs on a regular basis. It includes a number of movements that fall under the category aerobic and resistance training and can help take fitness to another level. Benefits of this exercise include a better sense of spatial alignment, increased mobility, muscle strength and balance. Here are five functional fitness exercises that you can try out if you’re a beginner.

Also read: Beginner's guide to strength training

This exercise helps improve hip mobility by stretching your limits. Squats work the glutes and hamstrings primarily, and so does this variation of squats. A set of forty seconds with twenty seconds intervals is recommended. The number of sets, however, depends on your level of comfort and your stamina.

Also read: Cardio exercises that will give you a full body burn

This exercise is a slightly lesser known one and will help maintain agility in the body. It also improves footwork while working on the glutes and leg muscles. Try doing as many sets as you can but make sure you balance yourself well. Rest periods are vital for regaining balance.

Be it any kind, planks are great for maintain core strength and can help immensely with balancing. Diagonal plank reach is a variation of the classic plank which, if performed regularly, can improve balance and strength. Three sets of forty seconds with twenty second rest periods are the ideal repetitions for beginners.

This form of crunches is extremely fun to do once you get the hang of it. While crunches work the abdominal area, this form works the obliques as well. Ensure that you do not strain your back while performing this exercise and manage the duration of a single set accordingly. Make sure you rest in between for proper recovery and better balancing.

Mountain climbers are considered to be one of the best forms of exercise for the legs. The movement involved in performing mountain climbers helps create a better balance and increases mobility. Try and do three sets of forty seconds followed by a resting period if twenty seconds.