{"id":170821,"date":"2025-06-09T17:39:10","date_gmt":"2025-06-09T17:39:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/170821\/"},"modified":"2025-06-09T17:39:10","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T17:39:10","slug":"4-functional-exercises-that-prove-youre-aging-strong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/170821\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Functional Exercises That Prove You’re Aging Strong"},"content":{"rendered":"

Working out isn\u2019t just about looking good. Sure, toned muscles are a major plus when you\u2019re wearing sleeveless tops or summer dresses\u2014but your fitness routine should extend beyond aesthetics and prep your body for the long haul. That\u2019s where functional strength<\/a> comes into play. It\u2019s essential for daily movement\u2014especially as you age. We spoke with a fitness expert who says that if you can ace these four functional moves, your body is built to last.<\/p>\n

What exactly is \u201cfunctional\u201d movement? Well, it mimics real-life actions, boosts core stability and balance, and features compound exercises that fire up more than one muscle group at the same time.<\/p>\n

\u201cFunctional strength is especially important as we age because it helps improve balance, stability, posture, and how your body moves as a whole\u2014to ensure independence, safety and quality of life,\u201d explains Lia Bartha<\/b>, founder of B The Method<\/a> and certified Pilates instructor. \u201cBy adding in functional movement to your routine, you\u2019ll slow and counteract the effects of aging, like loss of muscle mass, joint mobility, balance, and coordination<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Below, Lia shares four functional movements that activate your core and connect key muscle groups.<\/p>\n

\tGlute Bridge<\/p>\n

\"YoungShutterstock<\/p>\n

Lia says successfully performing the glute bridge \u201cshows posterior chain strength, deep core strength, and spinal mobility and stability.\u201d<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Lie flat on your back with bent knees and feet on the floor. Arms should be at your sides, palms facing down.<\/li>\n
  2. Push through your feet to press your hips toward the ceiling.<\/li>\n
  3. Once you reach the top of the bridge, activate your core, glutes, pelvic floor, and hamstrings.<\/li>\n
  4. Use control to lower.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    7 Best Functional Training Exercises To Build Strength All Over<\/a><\/p>\n

    \tBird Dog<\/p>\n

    \"fitShutterstock<\/p>\n

    The bird dog signals coordination, core control, and spinal stability.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Assume all fours with your hands under your shoulders.<\/li>\n
    2. Extend your left arm and right leg.<\/li>\n
    3. Hold for a moment before returning to all fours.<\/li>\n
    4. Repeat on the other side.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      If You Can Jump This High, Your Lower Body Power Is Off the Charts<\/a><\/p>\n

      \tSingle-Leg Standing Balance<\/p>\n

      \"womanShutterstock<\/p>\n

      Being able to balance on one leg<\/a> shows dynamic balance, proprioception, and solid ankle\/hip stability.<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Balance on one foot, keeping your standing leg steady and core engaged.<\/li>\n
      2. Extend the lifted leg in front of you, then to the side, and then behind you. The motion should be smooth and controlled.<\/li>\n
      3. Repeat on the other side.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        The Standing Leg Routine That Doubles as a Strength Test<\/a><\/p>\n

        \tChair Sits<\/p>\n

        \"SeniorShutterstock<\/p>\n

        The chair sit \u201cshows leg strength, balance, core control, and joint integrity of the hips, knees, and ankles,\u201d Lia tells us.<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Sit tall in a chair with your arms crossed.<\/li>\n
        2. Stand up without using your hands for support.<\/li>\n
        3. Slowly sit back down.<\/li>\n
        4. Make sure your knees remain aligned with your hips and feet.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Alexa Mellardo<\/p>\n

          \t\tAlexa is a content strategist, editor, and writer based in Greenwich, Connecticut. She has 11+ years of experience creating content for travel, lifestyle, fitness, wellness, F&B, home, and celeb news publications.\t\t\t\t\tRead more about Alexa <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Working out isn\u2019t just about looking good. Sure, toned muscles are a major plus when you\u2019re wearing sleeveless…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":170822,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4322],"tags":[1152,1154,1630,105,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-170821","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-aging","9":"tag-exercise","10":"tag-fitness","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114654633593584772","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170821","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=170821"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170821\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/170822"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=170821"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=170821"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=170821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}