Acquiring a routine to stay in shape is a difficult task. Sometimes, only a few sessions are needed for the motivation to be lost. The reason? Soon the exercises seem monotonous and we see that the flaccidity does not retract as quickly as expected. Although there is a hope. It’s called functional training and could hold the key to success in just three steps.
What is functional entreitenement?
If you want to define your arms, we tell you that dumbbell work is obsolete. Functional training takes the witness and is based on working with a purpose. “The goal can be to improve health, walk with less effort or perform more,” says Dori Ruano, cycling world champion and personal trainer.
This discipline is based on alternative techniques to the traditional gym, from multi-joint movements. “Before we worked in isolation a group of muscles such as the biceps, the quadriceps, the abdominals … Now it is known that it is more beneficial to exercise them together”, continues the coach who adds that he also avoids injuries.
The focus in the middle zone
The king of functional training is in the center of the body. The so-called middle zone allows a transfer of force through the kinetic chains. There are several investigations that point to this body area as the most effective formula to put the body to the point. One of them made by Springfield College, indicate that combined with a Swiss ball increases the benefits of this type of training. The reason is that to control the instability of the ball more muscles are strengthened with less effort. Ruano proposes to use this tool to tune up the body in a fun and effective way. And with only three exercises:
1. Squats with ball
· The ball is placed between the wall and our back. The work consists in bending the knees until forming a 90º angle and returning to the initial position. Between 8 and 15 repetitions are necessary, according to the physical state of each one. Next, it is recommended to maintain the posture between 10 and 30 seconds. Perform 3 series resting between 30 and 60 seconds.
· If we want to increase the difficulty, we can add some dumbbells and perform push-ups with arms in a coordinated way.
· By maintaining the static position in 90 degrees (10 -30 seconds) we perform an arm extension and maintain the position during the same time.
2. Abs with ball
The ball is held between the feet and the twins so that the knees and thighs form a 90 ° axis. The exercise is done in three steps: First the position is maintained for ten seconds. From here, move your legs towards the ground and repeat the movement 10 times. Then, recover the static position for another 10 seconds. To achieve results, it is necessary to complete three series with a break of 30 seconds between each series.
3. Plancha with fitball
With your hands resting on the floor and your head facing it, we place your feet on the ball. We must consider the body a rigid board with which we will try to keep the ball immobile between 10 and 30 seconds. Repeat three series.
The difficulty can be increased by elevating the legs alternately and picking up the ball towards the hips and returning it to the starting point.
The expert advises that when performing this exercise, you should not force the lower back; the greatest effort should be concentrated in the abdomen and arms.