Back when kickboxing was the all rage, it might have been useful for fending off criminals, but today’s fitness seekers want functional fitness, for benefits “you use in everyday life,” says Pilates instructor Allison Zang, owner and instructor for Absolute Pilates, Mechanicsburg and Lemoyne (www.absolutepilates.co).
“People have turned to things that are going to work on their balance, their posture, their core strength, so they’re not only getting exercise but benefitting all day long,” says Zang. “They feel better, they feel taller, they feel thinner, they sleep better, and they’re happier.”
Explore your options to discover what you love, say fitness professionals. Here’s what’s new in workouts, all designed for functional fitness to help us find our best selves.
1. Appointment Fitness
It’s no secret that working out with friends provides the peer pressure to blast you out of bed for that 6 a.m. jog. But today’s groups also become “fitness family,” boosting each other toward personal goals, says Jim Launer, director of sports performance and fitness operations, Spooky Nook Sports, Manheim (www.spookynooksports.com).
“Finding a group of like-minded individuals who have similar fitness goals and doing it together makes things way more interesting and way more fun, and most importantly, it holds people accountable,” says Launer.
Even the simple act of making an appointment, instead of the vague note to self about stopping by the gym after work, is a powerful motivator, says Zang. “You feel like you’re letting someone down if you back out on your appointment.”
2. Barre
Pilates is famous for strengthening cores, and now many clients are turning to ballet-style barre classes for a lower-body workout, says Zang. Light weights also sculpt the arms, while a tough floor workout attacks the abs and glutes.
“We’ve seen a lot of growth in our barre classes to complement regular Pilates,” Zang says.
2. Boot Camp
Fitness seekers are bored with machines, says Launer. They’re getting back to basics in high-intensity workouts and boot camps- with sprints, broad jumps, pushups, and medicine ball slams- because “sitting down and doing an exercise is not how the body was meant to function.”
“It’s getting out of your comfort zone and remembering what it’s like to push yourself and get pushed,” Launer says.
Be sure to find an instructor who can work with people of different fitness levels and help them achieve results, says Jeremy Gruver, owner of Gruver Fitness, Dover (www.facebook.com/GruverFitnessOutdoorBootCamp).
“It still challenges them, but we can’t have clients get injured,” says Gruver. “We have to keep them healthy, period.” And don’t worry if your work isn’t as intense as the next guy’s. “Everybody’s working so hard that they don’t care what the other guy’s doing.”
Gruver’s boot camps run outdoors year-round, away from the fluorescent lights of the office and the gym.
3. 5K Ramp-Up
Spurred by the popularity of 5Ks for every cause imaginable, running has seen “the biggest explosion in the last three to five years, more than anything out there,” says Gruver. And 5Ks are
accessible because many welcome walkers and walk-joggers, he says.
“It’s not about winning your age category and winning the race. For some people, what the race is raising money for is what means the most for them.”
Don’t prepare by simply running as far as you can on day one, because all you’ll do is “putter and fail.” Position yourself for success with the Couch to 5K or another goal-setting app. “All you need is a good pair of shoes,” Gruver says.
5. CoreAlign
Posture. Core strength. Flexibility. They’re at the heart of functional fitness, powering everyday tasks from carrying groceries to playing with the kids.
In Pilates studios, CoreAlign machines are complementing traditional Pilates exercises and equipment, says Zang. Looking like a ladder with a Nordic track base, CoreAlign offers hundreds of ways to focus on posture and control.
“Because CoreAlign has that ladder, everything is focused on proper alignment, good balance, even distribution of weight – all the things that everyone should have in everyday life, which most of us don’t have because we either spend a large majority of the day sitting at a desk or standing with bad posture,” she says.
6. Boutique Fitness
With the blossoming of specialty studios and trainers, today’s fitness-seekers can “build their own fitness package,” says Gruver. Take Zumba one day, barre another, and boot camp the next. Even people with gym memberships augment their workouts with boutique experiences, seeking out highly qualified trainers who specialize in single areas.
