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Functional strength training is a term used in the fitness industry to describe exercises that enable the body to better perform a specific function. Many athletes practice functional strength training exercises to condition their bodies, increase muscle memory, and enhance their performance by improve skills related to their sport such as throwing, catching, sprinting, or squatting. Here are a few common functional strength training movements for sports athletes.

3 Functional Strength Training Exercises

While functional strength training exercises generally benefit athletes the most, casual fitness enthusiasts can also benefit from the increased strength, functionality, and range of motion provided by the following movements.

1. Weighted Carries

   Carrying weighted plates or even medicine balls at home or at the gym is great for correcting posture, enhancing balance, and strengthening the core and grip strength. This exercise is often performed by football and basketball players to train their body to move and pivot quickly while handling an object.

2. Get–Ups

   To increase general mobility as well as hip, core, and shoulder stability, lay down on the ground and hold a weight straight above you. Then, slowly get up with the weight still extended above. Start with minimal weight, and then gradually increase as you get used to the movement.

3. Traditional Weightlifting

   Even classic bodybuilding exercises can facilitate blood flow and flexibility that increases your athletic prowess and trains the body’s primal movements like pushing, pulling, squatting, bending, and lunging. Exercises like bench press, squats, and deadlifts with moderate weight and low intensity can do wonders for your coordination, mobility, and range of motion either on the field or in everyday life.

Preventing Injury During Functional Strength Training

While the above functional strength training options are ideal for optimizing your strength and mobility, they must be performed carefully and properly to avoid serious injury. Improper lifting, twisting, or bending can result in strained muscles, ligament tears, or joint sprains. However, should an injury occur, you can rest easy knowing that the team of sports injury specialists and physicians at Orthopaedic Associates of St. Augustine is here for you.

Advanced Functional Strength Training and Sports Injury Treatments

At Orthopaedic Associates of St. Augustine, our team specializes in advanced orthopaedic treatment plans and surgical intervention options to help you regain mobility and get back to your sports activities and daily routines free of pain. If you’ve experienced any type of orthopaedic sports injury, please give us a call at 904-825-0540 or request an appointment online.

Sina Kasraeian, MD 
Board Certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and has extensive training in arthroscopy and sports medicine reconstructive procedures.