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 Guest post by Pearlie Davis, a staff writer for GoingCellular.

Four tools to help strengthen and improve your “every day” fitness

In the past few years I’ve seen a huge transition in the fitness industry. More and more people are using functional training, which is any type of exercise that mimics or has a direct relationship to the activities you perform in your daily life. The idea behind functional training is that if you strengthen the muscles you use to do everyday life activities—whether you are a tri-athlete, a homemaker who wants to carry their children without injury, or a factory worker—daily life motions will be easier on your body. For example, if your job requires repeatedly bending over to life heavy objects, your functional training program would be targeted towards helping your achieve that motion easier and more safely through exercises like squats (that target the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back).
Functional training was developed by physical therapists first for rehabilitation purposes to mimic the movement patients’ use at home or at work in order to help them return to work after an injury or surgery. However, smart phone apps for your Android, iPhone, and droid-enabled T-Mobile smart phone put safe, effective functional training in the palm of your hand…

1. Gym Goal Plus ($3.99 – for iPhone)

With over 280 exercises, accompanied by step-by-step animations and instructions, the GymGoal app is a premium functional workout trainer. Browse through the animated exercise database to find out how to do exercises safely and effectively. This app will help you customize your workout to fit your strengthening needs, schedule workouts, track your weight-lifting progress, and track your body measurements.

2. Aerobis – Functional Movement (Free – for Android)

Functional fitness starts with improving your endurance and cardio-vascular health. The Aerobis – Functional Movement app puts safe, effective functional training in the palm of your hand so you can bring it with you anywhere! Start your functional training regime with the safe, mobility and muscle coordination exercises demonstrated with audio and video examples. All you need to do the movements is an exercise band or a resistance band.

3. My Therapy Exercise ($4.99 – for iPhone)

If you’ve been injured at work or at the gym, take the My Therapy Exercise app home and continue your physical rehab. This app provides patients with comprehensive, safe, and informative physical therapy guidance from Robert E. Adams is a licensed physical therapist from California. My Therapy Exercise offers an intuitive app with comprehensive, professional instruction for over 170 stretches, range of motion movements, and strengthening exercises so you can customize your rehab workout. Each exercise is accompanied by audio-visual instruction for safe at home use for patients recovering from injury or illness.

4. Bootcamp Trainer ($1.50 – for Android)

The Boot Camp Trainer app offers functional training in an intense, 9-week cardiovascular exercise program. This app follows the highly effective strengthening and fat-burning style of a cardio-strength boot camp class that you’d take in a gym from a personal trainer. Users get to choose from 3 different boot camp workouts and 27 functional exercises that will help strengthen the whole body and improve your endurance for everyday living.

About The Author

Pearlie Davis is a staff writer for GoingCellular, a popular site that provides cell phone news, commentary, and reviews on popular devices and cell phone plans.

NOTE/UPDATE: FYI, an awesome  Blackberry App for K-Fit is out (Android and ipad coming next). CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO. Oh yeah, we are going to a new level of awesomeness here!