02 Nov Functional trainers cater to people’s specific strength needs

If you are looking to improve how you feel and perform during the course of everyday activities, or sport specific movements, a great piece of exercise equipment to consider using is a functional trainer.
Simply put, functional training is any type of exercise that has a direct relationship to the activities you perform in your daily life.
From distance runners, to baseball players, to carpenters, to homemakers, functional training can help you strengthen muscles for the specific demands you put on them on a daily basis.
Functional training traces its roots in rehabilitation, when physical therapists developed exercises to mimic what patients did at home or work in order to return to their lives or jobs after an injury or surgery.
Functional trainers usually don’t cost as much as traditional home gyms, and oftentimes require less space. Functional trainers have weight stacks on their base, but the weights are moved by a cable system that comes with different shaped handles.
The functional trainer provides an extremely wide-ranging number of options for exercises a person can do because the cable doesn’t have to follow a fixed plane. As a result, more sports specific routines can be implemented.
People of any age or background can benefit from functional trainers.
An exercise ball can even be used during a workout on a functional trainer, by sitting on it and pulling the cable handle toward you at a variety of angles.
Functional trainers can be a little harder to use at first because they don’t move on a fixed plane, like traditional home gyms. This can make it a little tougher to know if you’re doing exercises correctly and some people aren’t sure if they’re following the right motions. It’s important that they ask questions when contemplating buying a functional trainer and have correct information and training on how to use them.
Here are three of the top functional trainers:
* Torque Fitness F7 Fold Away Strength Trainer – This is a dual weight stack gym that offers true independent functional training packaged in a small fold-away footprint. With two adjustable swivel pulleys – each with 30 positions – and two different widths, the F7 accommodates users of all sizes in performing unlimited exercises. (Sale Price: $3,599)
* Life Fitness G7 Dual Adjustable Gym (With Bench) – Inspired by the brand’s popular health club model, the Life Fitness G7 dual adjustable pulley home gym offers you the ultimate in exercise options and customization. The Life Fitness G7 offers exclusive features that allow you to build your own training workouts, track your progress and follow-along with our own certified personal trainer while she guides you through 2 training routines. With these personalized features, it’s easy for any level of use (MSRP: $3,499; AtHomeFitness.com sale price $3,149)
* Hoist V6 Personal Pulley Gym – The personal pulley that is engineered with the innovative excellence that the fitness industry has come to expect from HOIST®. This gym provides a complete range of functional training exercises designed to obtain maximum results and achieve a strong and versatile body. The V6 is engineered to build multiple muscle groups through smooth, rhythmic, and continuous movements that support the body as it moves. (Sale Price: $2,899)
At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.com