Functional Fitness at Home: What Equipment You Need

Functional fitness is designed to prepare you for the things you do and situations you face every day. And by investing in functional fitness equipment for your home gym, you can improve your overall strength, balance and mobility, to make your life easier, more comfortable and more enjoyable.

In this guide we’ll take a closer look at how to enjoy functional fitness at home: what it is, why you should do it, the equipment you’ll need and the tips and techniques you should know.

What is functional fitness?

Functional fitness is training that is designed to improve your overall strength, balance and mobility – the type of fitness that you can use for everyday activities.

Functional fitness exercises mimic actions like lifting, pushing, pulling, squatting, bending and twisting, which are often combined into compound movements.

On the face of it, professional bodybuilders and strongmen should look quite similar: both groups of athletes spend endless hours in the gym building muscle, and as a result, both groups of athletes are incredibly powerful.

But they look very different. And in terms of training, the main reason is that bodybuilders focus on aesthetics, while strongmen focus on ‘functional strength’.

But functional fitness shouldn’t be restricted to strongmen. In fact, the best exercise is functional, usable.

Advantages of home functional training

Traditional exercise is often designed to isolate specific muscles, to help them grow and build endurance.

But ask yourself: when was the last time you completed a perfect bicep curl in your day-to-day life?

Functional training, on the other hand, is more likely to engage and move multiple muscles at once, and in the process it simulates everyday movements, like picking up a heavy grocery bag.

As a result, every time you do your weekly shop, those bags feel lighter and lighter.

You don’t need fancy equipment for functional fitness – depending on your goals, home gym basics like kettlebells and resistance bands might be more than enough.

On top of this simplicity and cost-efficiency, functional training can easily be personalised to your unique needs, and you’ll rarely need a training partner to spot you, making it ideal for home workouts.

Essential functional training equipment

If you’re looking to set up your home gym for functional training, what equipment should you invest in? A few key items include:

• Kettlebells: These weights are ideal for dynamic compound movements like swings, snatches and core rotations, which build strength, power and coordination.
• Dumbbells: Perfect for functional exercises like farmer’s carries, or to add difficulty to bodyweight exercises like lunges and squats.
• Resistance bands: Ideal for home gyms with limited space, these lightweight and portable pieces of equipment are ideal for enhancing strength, flexibility and mobility.
• Weighted balls: Build functional fitness, particularly core strength, through explosive movements like slams, throws and rotational exercises.
• Functional trainers: If you’re looking to invest more seriously in your home gym, a functional trainer uses a series of adjustable pulleys and cables to both replicate everyday movements and isolate muscles.

Home gym functional fitness space considerations

While you don’t necessarily need large equipment for functional training, you do need enough space to complete the compound exercises that define this type of workout.

Aim for a clear area of at least 3m x 3m so you have room for exercises like lunges, burpees and kettlebell swings. Wall-mounted storage racks or hooks can help to maximise room and keep your space organised.

Consider investing in rubber flooring or mats to absorb the impact of dropped weights, to protect your floors and reduce noise. Make sure the ceiling is high enough to accommodate overhead movements.

Aim for a space that is well lit and ventilated. Add a mirror to check your form (and admire your good work).

Sample functional training exercises

Functional training is exercise that mirrors daily activities. Examples of such exercises include:

• Squats: Build lower body and core strength. Add weights as you become stronger.
• Deadlifts: Strengthen the muscles in your legs, glutes and lower back, to gain strength for lifting objects safely off the ground.
• Push-ups: Develop upper body strength and core stability.
• Lunges: Improve leg strength, balance and mobility. Hold a kettlebell to increase the difficulty level.
• Planks: Strengthen your core for better posture and stability.
• Kettlebell swings: Build power, hip mobility and cardio endurance.
• Farmer’s carries: Enhance arm and grip strength, core stability and endurance.
• Medicine ball slams: Build explosive power while strengthening your core.
• Step-ups: Mimic climbing movements to strengthen legs and increase your flexibility.
• Pull-ups: Develop arm, shoulder and upper back strength.
• Rotational twists: Improve core strength and mobility.

Functional training tips

Functional training tends to feature complex compound movements. These are very effective at building usable strength and fitness, but they also bring risk, particularly when done alone in a home gym.

Here are a few tips that can help you minimise that risk and make your functional training sessions safer and more effective.

• Focus on form: Practice proper technique – YouTube is a terrific resource – to maximise functional training benefits and prevent injuries.
• Personalise your training: Focus on exercises that mimic the actions that you do in your day-to-day life.
• Warm up properly: Perform dynamic stretches and mobility drills to prepare your body for movement.
• Start with bodyweight: Stick to bodyweight as you master the basics of technique.
• Progress gradually: Increase intensity, weight and complexity very gradually as your technique, strength and coordination improve.
• Vary your workouts: Never skip leg day. Use a variety of equipment and exercises to target different muscle groups and keep your training interesting.
• Don’t neglect recovery: Set aside 5-10 minutes for stretching or foam rolling at the end of every functional training session.

GymQuip: your functional fitness experts

At GymQuip we’ve spent the last three decades helping people reach their fitness goals through functional training. We’re ready to provide all the advice, encouragement and equipment you need to create the ultimate functional fitness space in your home.

One of Australia’s largest fitness showrooms, at GymQuip we offer a complete range of functional fitness equipment: kettlebells, dumbbells, resistance bands, weighted balls, functional trainers and more. We offer an even larger range of home gym equipment through our online store, which we can deliver to your door anywhere in Australia.

And if you find one of our products cheaper elsewhere, we’ll beat that price by 5%!

Not sure what equipment you should choose? Get in touch and our friendly team will be happy to help!