Copyright 2005 William Mackie
The Art of Multifunctional Training People often complain about
how they just do not have enough time to spend working out in a
gym. It seems every year the lives of many Americans become more
hectic and they have less time to devote to bettering their
health. As a certified personal trainer I often hear people
stating that they just have to spend too much time working out
to get the results they desire. They tell me how they have to
rush to the gym before or after working out, in some cases
change into workout clothes or work clothes, then they have to
workout, shower and then rush to work or home to tend to their
families. Working out can defiantly be a time consuming process.
However it does not have to be. When a prospective client
approaches me and asks how I can help them get a great workout
with results, but without the time commitment; I just smile and
introduce them to Multifunctional Training. Multifunctional
Training, which also consists of many core training components,
is the concept of working multiple muscle groups in a single
exercise. Multifunctional Training is a great way to work
multiple groups, which allows for a shorter workout time,
because time is no longer spent working one muscle group at a
time. While, single muscle isolation is great for body builders
or those who are trying to build or shape a particular muscle
most people do not need to spend time isolating a muscle with
multiple exercises. With Multifunctional Training you can hit
multiple muscle groups in a just a few exercises.
Multifunctional Training is also a great way to build balance
and coordination, an especially important aspect of training for
athletes. Athletes can gain explosiveness using multifunctional
training, increasing the weight as they become more comfortable.
Many multifunctional exercises replicate the movements used in a
game by many sports. Equipment such as the bosu, stability ball,
balance bar, dumbbells, and medicine balls can all be used
during multifunctional training. Because a person is performing
exercises that target more than one muscle, the core area
(abdominal and lower back muscles) are often engaged as well,
during multifunctional training. If a person adds an unstable
surface such as a bosu, stability ball or foam roller,
stabilizer muscles are also engaged which replicates performance
in sports by athletes.
An example of a multifunctional workout would be dumbbell flies
performed on a stability ball with a crunch motion. In this
exercise the chest and deltoid muscles are engaged with the
dumbbell flies, as well as the abdominal muscles when performing
the crunch. Another example is a squat with an over head press
using a medicine ball or dumbbells. Holding the chosen weight
close to the chest a squat is performed, then at the top of the
motion and overhead is done using the selected weight. This
exercise will work all the major leg muscles, the core, as well
as the anterior deltoids.
With Multifunctional Training a strength training workout time
of normally one to one and a half hour can be reduced to about
forty five to thirty minutes. If you wish to learn how to
transform your workout into a more effective fat burning and
muscle training process with out the time consumption, let a
professional help design you a program you can do on your own.
|
