Just read a few quotes (paraphrases, so not really proper, but good enough for my blog):

Adam Campbell, fitness director for the Men’s Health:  Machines like the leg press strengthen muscles, but what’s the real logic in sitting or laying down to train your legs?  Functional fitness is far more bang for your buck because it works multiple muscles simultaneously, providing better overall strength and mobility, and a higher calorie burn.

David Harris, the national director of personal training for the Equinox chain: I wouldn’t say obsolete, but there is a huge downtick in traditional strength-training equipment.  The company, based in New York, has thinned its ranks of chest press, leg press and leg extension machines to clear floor space so members can move freely.

Josh Bowen, until recently the quality control director for the seven-state Urban Active chain:  He referred to the sweeping revisions the company made last year as swapping “Arnold machines” (as in Schwarzenegger) “for AstroTurf.” He also said, “Gyms are way out of the times if all they have is machines. People spend all day sitting with machines. When they come into a gym, they don’t want to be sat down at another one doing three sets of 12.”

I am and have been very biased for years and clearly drink the Functional Fitness cool-aid.  Remember, there are many styles/ways to exercise and Functional Fitness is not for everybody.  However, the general public who want a way to exercise safely and efficiently in order to simply be healthy in a general, overall sense are really going to get that with Functional Fitness over most other formats.

Caution: I’m not talking Crossfit, which technically is a Functional Fitness program.  Click here if you want to know why I don’t personally recommend Crossfit.

There is a wide range of other Functional Fitness programs such as Kemme Fitness, which will get you great benefits with little risk.  In fact, if done properly, you are more likely to reduce the risk of injury in all of your life’s activities. And now, it seems like finding a gym to help you engage in a Functional Fitness program is becoming easier and easier. Sweet!

Both of these items are great for activating your core and developing not only the core strength, but also all the neural-muscular connections (your brain working well with your muscles). If you have any questions about the importance of a strong core, try this quick read – Functional Fitness Defined.

Moving on….let’s talk about homemade core-activation.  There are 2 pieces of equipment I highly recommend. If you are familiar with this site, you can probably already guess what they are.  They are….wait for it….wait for it…Slosh Tubes and Clubbells.

Slosh Tubes are long, 1/2 filled with water, pipes. Simply described, when the water “sloshes” to one side, you are forced to activate you core muscles to stablize. Clubbells are also very excellent tools to help work your core.  Check out this post for more on them. If you have both, then we have a great 12 week program for you called K-Element. Further, if you need directions to make your very own – like those colorful ones I have in the pic above - then download (for free) the Low Cost Gym.

We aren’t going to stop here!

A really cheap way to challenge those neural muscular connections and core muscles is to exercise in sand. Yep, working out in sand is an excellent way to add resistence and to put you off balance a little. Trail runs are also great for this, as you have to jump over logs and roots, while ducking under branches.  These tips are not the same as having some great, core-activating pieces of equipment, however, they can be a great addition to your program.

Most folks can find trails somewhere nearby. As for sand, if you don’t live by the beach, you can still usually find sand at your local school in either the playground or over by a beach volleyball court. Imagine doing Burpees, Bear Walks, Medicine Ball Get-up Stand-up Slams, etc in the middle of a sand pit.  Talk about adding resistance!

The point here is that you don’t have to spend a fortune to get the results you want. Just be a little creative.

Anybody else have any tips in this regard?  Leave a comment on this post and share.

My various Slosh Tubes and Clubbells have been locked away in my pole barn all winter. Thanks to Michigan weather, I had several months where exercising outdoors was simply prohibitive. I suppose I could have done some Rocky Balboa type training in the deep snow, but I am just not that intense I guess.

We actually did a couple bootcamp style workouts the last few weekends and for some reason I stuck with K-Bootcamp, where the only piece of equipment is a Medicine Ball (well, and some cones). But now it is time. We need to dust off the tubes and bats and get ready for some serious workouts. By the way, don’t get me wrong – K-Bootcamp is a killer program, so be prepared if you haven’t tried it before.

However, to highlight my babies, I think I’ll just pull out the old K-Element 12 program to begin the punishment. My friend Aaron, the inspiration behind the Aaron Robert’s workout just commented on a recent post about creating his very own Clubbell and Slosh Tube. I don’t want to speak for him, but it is truly an enlightening experience. Transcending really.

So if you haven’t pulled the trigger, just take a few bucks with you (not much really) to your local sports store for the bats, and then the home improvement store for the Slosh Tubes pieces and cement for the Clubbells. A little work and some patience, and boom – you have a whole new fitness arsenal!

Don’t forget The Low Cost Gym for directions on building your own.  And please share with us your experience with either of these wonderful, core-building, pieces of fitness equipment. Just leave a comment on the post.

How do I combat this? Well essentially I combat it in two ways. First, I provide many levels of workouts and programs to help those new to fitness or who need to start slowly. Secondly, I write many posts such as this one to help guide folks.

With that all said, it is easy for any of us who are pushing ourselves week after week to go a little too hard and overtrain. Just in case you wondered….overtraining is BAD!  Yep, BAD!

To avoid overtraining, the biggest rules are to start slow and listen to your body. Your body has a way to help steer you in the right direction.  Here are a few tips to help you be in tune with your body and avoid the nasty overtraining problems.

 Now, here is a list of the main categories of “core” muscles:

• Rectus Abdomins – the superficial layer of the abdominals (or better known as the six-pack). This muscle runs from the ribs to the pelvis and is responsible for trunk flexion (as in crunches). This muscle provides stability to the spine and pelvis when working with the other core muscles.
• Multifudus – the group of muscles that run between the vertebra in the spine providing extension and rotation to each spinal segment.
• Transverse Abdominis – the deepest muscle layer of the abdominals. It’s a belt or brace that runs horizontal attaching to the spine, giving a narrow or slim appearance to your waist. Considered to be one of the most important muscles in spinal stabilization.
• Internal and External Obliques – the intermediate layer of the abdominals. These muscles run oblique from the pelvis (or hips) to the spine and are most effective in trunk rotation.
• Gluteus Maximus/Medius and Minimus – the hip muscles located on your buttock that also support and stabilize the hips and spine.
• Pelvic Floor Muscles – the muscles that run from the pubic bone in the front to the tail bone in the back. They provide support for the organs in the pelvis. These are the internal muscles used to stop the flow of urination.
• Scapular Stabilizers – also referred to as the rotator cuff, located on the back and around the shoulder blade. These muscles are important in shoulder movement, providing a smooth integration between the shoulder joint, shoulder blade and clavicle.

As you can see, we are not talking about doing ab exercises here. We are talking about building a central pillar of strength. Not just strength folks, but also the development of lightning fast neural-muscular connections so your brain can activate ALL the needed muscles instantly for any movement. There are two words to summarize this type of condition.  Yep….you called it: Functional Fitness!