Functional exercises are useful to the things you want to do. And unless you’re a pro athlete, you’re probably working out to get better at the activities of daily life. Think of all the movements you make all day long: carrying groceries, picking stuff up off the floor, getting boxes down from high shelves, standing on one foot to put your pants on, walking up the stairs, getting in and out of the car. These movements require balance, strength, and mobility. The best thing you can do is to include functional exercises in your routine to train these life skills.

If you neglect to train these movements with deliberate and specific exercises, your muscles with become weak and tight and everything will feel harder than it should. You’ll end up tired, run-down, or even worse, injured. If you want to reduce your risk of injury while feeling more energized every day, do these 9 functional exercises:

Functional Exercise #1: Dead Lift

If you want to be able to pick up boxes and bags without hurting your back, dead lifts are must in your workout. You can do these with a barbell, dumbbells, or kettlebells.

Functional Exercise #2: Overhead Press

If you want to maintain the ability reach shelves, you’ve got to practice.

Functional Exercise #3: Step Up

This exercise is key for strong glutes and fall prevention. Strengthening your legs with steps up will make walking up stairs less taxing.

Functional Exercise #4: Squat Jump

While it may seem like jumping is not a movement you preform daily, you need to practice because the landing portion is what’s important. Your ability absorb impact with your muscles and not your joints is what will keep your ankles, knees, hips, and back heathy for decades.

Functional Exercise #5: Standing Dumbbell Chop

The ability to rotate is a functional movement you’ll lose with age…if you don’t practice. Activities like golf and tennis and everyday tasks like driving require rotation.

Functional Exercise #6: Box Squat

If you don’t want to ask for assistance getting out of a chair (or off the toilet!), do not skip this one.

Functional Exercise #7: 3-Point Row

This exercise, like the deadlift, improves grip strength (comes in handy when you need to open a jar). It also strengthens underused back muscles and improves posture. Equally important, you’re working muscles attached to the spine, which increases bone density.

Functional Exercise #8: Single-Leg RDL

This is a great exercise for working on balance. As you get stronger exercising on one leg, daily tasks like getting dressed and putting on your shoes, will be less strenuous and less risky for you.

Functional Exercise #9: All 4’s to Stand

You already know a test of healthy aging is to be able to successfully get up off the floor without assistance. Practice this skill so you never lose it. You’ll be able to get up and down to garden, do housework, play with grandkids. And if you do happen to trip and fall, you won’t have to wait for help to get back up on your feet.

 

You can see the carryover these 9 exercises have to your daily life. If you’re looking for a routine that will help you have less pain and more energy, this is the one for you! I’ve programed these 9 functional exercises into two workouts (less than an hour each). Follow along with the videos here and here for 2-4 days per week for 6 weeks.