Functional Trainers Boost Muscle Strength & Exercise Variety!

The Benefits of Using a Functional Training Machine

In today’s fast paced life and work environment, it is common place to be so busy using technology and gadgets designed to make our lives easier that we quickly become one with the desk… literally.

As our society moves towards convenience, it is quite the norm for many people to spend countless hours tapping away at a laptop, phone or smart gadget to help complete the tasks necessary to earn a paycheck. Some of us spend 40, 50 and even 60 plus hours a week in seated, crouched and contorted positions with limited movement throughout the day. All of a sudden that safe office job doesn’t seem so safe!

What’s the remedy you ask? Getting your body moving again and incorporating resistance exercise into your fitness routine. Functional trainer machines are one way to add strength training and exercise variety.

What Is Functional Strength Training and How Can It Work for Me?

Functional strength training is simply exercising your body in a manner that helps you to meet the requirements of daily life and athletic function.

Incorporating functional strength training into your daily workout regimen involves activities and movements that engage multiple muscles (or muscle groups) of the body and taking these muscles through different planes of motion similar to that of every day movement. So while sitting at your desk all day might be making you tons of money, it’s really limiting your body’s movement similar to how a single use machine (say a selectorized shoulder press machine) is causing you to do a repeated motion through one defined plane… over and over again. For both cases, very boring and simply not allowing your body to experience the same movement variety!

While you’re pressed for time these days, making every minute count in your daily exercise regimen is critical. Functional strength training can include movements for the upper body, lower body and core while allowing you to work through different movement patterns according to the exercise and equipment being used. In short, train your body how your body moves, in life and on the field! Adding functional training exercises to your routine can provide plenty of training variety for the average Joe, weekend warrior or athlete!

Muscle D Fitness Multi-Functional Trainer

What Are Functional Trainers and How Do They Provide Exercise Variety?

Functional trainers are no longer a craze and have become a familiar sight in home gyms and health clubs. These space saving machines are adorned with cables, pulleys, handles and weight stacks and are designed to give you access to exercises for different areas of the body while allowing you to switch from upper to lower body exercises quickly.

These cable machines introduce a user to movement patterns in multiple planes and can be used to train many major muscle groups on the body. Since functional trainers incorporate the use of handles attached to cables, the user can determine the path of motion within the limits of the machine, cable position and exercise. Cable resistance can also provide continuous resistance through the available cable path depending on the movement being performed.

The amount of exercises you can perform using a functional trainer is amazing! These compact cable machines provide exercise variety that is hard to match with single movement equipment or machines (i.e. flat bench press, seated chest press machine, seated bicep curl machine) and having the ability to place such a multifunctional piece of equipment in a room in your home or a section of your health club can maximize the training options available within its footprint.

Functional Trainer Exercise Examples

Select exercises for major muscle groups on your body with easy set up! Line up the pulleys to start a chest press movement, then adjust the pulley heights to the bottom and perform a bicep curl, adjust the pulleys to a mid position on the pulley column and start a mid row exercise to engage the back! Easy as 1, 2, 3!

Raise one pulley up high on the cable column and practice the starting movement of your golf swing or perform a single arm tricep press down! It’s easy and simple to move freely with a functional trainer. Best of all, having different exercise options can help keep your training from feeling like you are doing the same thing over and over again!

Functional Trainer Accessories

Throw in optional accessories such as cable attachments, stability balls, and multi-angle benches and the number of exercises you can perform jumps off the charts! The attachments and accessories appropriate for your setup will depend on the functional trainer, exercise and type of training you plan to perform.

Where Can I Find Functional Trainers for My Home or Club?

If it’s time to push away from the desk and get back into life with movement or if you’re a club owner looking to add exercise variety within a concentrated area, consider whether a functional trainer fits your goals and available space. With so much power packed into a small space saving punch, adding a piece of equipment that can breathe life back into your home or club can be a smart investment when it matches the way you plan to train.

Arsenal M1 Selectorized Functional Trainer

Recommended Functional Trainers and Categories

When comparing functional trainers, consider your available space, exercise needs, adjustment options, cable configuration, resistance system and intended training environment. Here are several functional training systems to consider:

• Spirit Fitness Dual Selectorized Functional Trainer – A dual-stack functional trainer option for buyers comparing cable-based strength training equipment for a home or facility.
• BodyCraft XFT Strength Training System – A functional strength training system to consider when comparing versatile resistance equipment and exercise options.
• Body-Solid Pro Club Line S2FT Functional Trainer – A functional trainer option for buyers comparing cable-based equipment for varied resistance exercises.
• Legend Fitness 953 Dual Stack Functional Trainer – Another dual-stack functional trainer option for home, strength-training and fitness-facility applications.

For more choices, browse the complete selection of functional training equipment. You can also compare cable attachments to expand the exercise options available with a compatible functional trainer.

With so much information available today, it can be overwhelming when searching for the right piece of fitness equipment. Why not let IRON COMPANY® bring you an assortment of functional fitness trainers to review right to your fingertips! Compare the available functional trainers and their current specifications to find a machine that fits your training needs, available space and intended application.

If you’re ready to take the next step and want some assistance to decide which functional fitness equipment machine is right for your residence or facility, contact an IRON COMPANY fitness equipment professional right away! Call 888-758-7527 or email [email protected] today!

About the Author: IRON COMPANY Editorial Team

The IRON COMPANY Editorial Team creates and maintains buyer-focused content for gym equipment, gym flooring, cardio equipment, strength training equipment, free weights, and related fitness facility solutions. Our content is developed to help residential, commercial, government, military, school, institutional, and facility buyers compare products, understand key specifications, avoid common buying mistakes, and make more informed purchasing decisions. When appropriate, content is reviewed against manufacturer information, product specifications, IRON COMPANY category knowledge, and current purchasing considerations before publication.