Your metabolic age is an important indicator of how well your body is functioning compared to your actual age. While your chronological age marks the passage of time, your metabolic age reflects how efficiently your metabolism is functioning. 

It’s influenced by factors like your diet, exercise, and overall health. In this article, we’ll explain what metabolic age is, how it’s calculated, and share simple tips to help you improve it for better health.

What is Metabolic Age?

Metabolic age is a comparison between your basal metabolic rate (BMR) and the average BMR of people in your chronological age group. In simpler terms, it tells you whether your metabolism is performing like that of someone younger, older, or right around your actual age.

Your basal metabolic rate represents the number of calories your body needs to perform basic life-sustaining functions while at rest (e.g., breathing, circulating blood, producing cells, and maintaining body temperature). It's essentially your body's baseline energy expenditure, accounting for roughly 60-75% of your total daily calorie burn.

When health professionals or body composition scales calculate your metabolic age, they're measuring your BMR and comparing it against population data. If your BMR is higher than average for your age group, you'll have a lower metabolic age. If it's lower than average, your metabolic age will be higher than your chronological age.

Here's a practical example: 

Let's say you're 45 years old, but your BMR matches the average BMR of a typical 35-year-old. Your metabolic age would be 35. Conversely, if your BMR matches that of a 55-year-old, your metabolic age would reflect that higher number.

The concept emerged from research into body composition and metabolic health, particularly as scientists recognized that chronological age alone doesn't tell the full story of someone's health status. Two people born on the same day can have vastly different metabolic profiles based on their lifestyle choices, genetics, and overall health.

It's worth noting that metabolic age isn't a standardized medical diagnostic tool in the way blood pressure or cholesterol levels are. Different devices and calculations may produce slightly different results because there's no universal formula or database. But, the underlying principle remains consistent: comparing your metabolism to population averages gives you a snapshot of your metabolic health relative to your peers.

What Metabolic Age Really Means for Your Health?

Your metabolic age can serve as a meaningful indicator of your overall health status and future disease risk. 

• Research has consistently shown that metabolic health strongly correlates with longevity, quality of life, and resistance to chronic diseases.

• When your metabolic age is lower than your chronological age, it generally suggests several positive health markers. You likely have more lean muscle mass and less body fat, particularly visceral fat. Higher muscle mass increases your BMR because muscle tissue is metabolically active, meaning it burns calories even when you're sitting on the couch.

• A younger metabolic age also typically indicates better insulin sensitivity, which means your body efficiently processes glucose and maintains stable blood sugar levels. This reduces your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease. Studies have shown that people with better metabolic health tend to have lower inflammation markers, healthier cholesterol profiles, and better blood pressure readings.

• On the flip side, having a metabolic age higher than your actual age should be taken as a warning sign. It often points to excess body fat, insufficient muscle mass, or both. This metabolic inefficiency puts you at elevated risk for a range of health problems, including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and even certain cancers.

Metabolic Age vs. Chronological Age: What's the Difference?

Chronological age is the number of years since you were born. Metabolic age, by contrast, is dynamic and changeable. 

You might be chronologically 50 but metabolically 40 if you've maintained excellent fitness, preserved muscle mass, and kept your body fat in check. Alternatively, a sedentary 30-year-old with poor dietary habits might have the metabolism of someone in their 40s or 50s.

The gap between these two ages reveals something critical: biological aging doesn't proceed at the same rate for everyone.  

One significant advantage of focusing on metabolic age rather than chronological age is that it shifts attention to factors you can control. You can't change when you were born, but you absolutely can influence your metabolic health through daily choices. This perspective empowers you to take ownership of your health trajectory.

How is Metabolic Age Calculated?

The calculation of metabolic age involves several steps and requires specific body composition data. While the exact algorithms vary between devices and calculation methods, the fundamental process follows a similar pattern.

Step 1: Determining Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)

First, your basal metabolic rate (BMR) needs to be determined. BMR is the number of calories your body needs at rest to perform basic functions like breathing and maintaining body temperature.

There are several ways to measure or estimate BMR. The gold standard is indirect calorimetry, which measures oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production to precisely calculate energy expenditure. However, this method requires specialized equipment and is typically only available in research or clinical settings.

Step 2: Using Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA)

More commonly, bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) devices estimate your body composition by sending a weak electrical current through your body. Since muscle and fat conduct electricity differently, the device can estimate your percentages of muscle mass, body fat, bone density, and water content. Many modern smart scales and body composition analyzers, such as InBody devices, use this technology to provide BIA-based estimates.

Step 3: Calculating BMR Using Mathematical Formulas

Once your body composition is known, mathematical formulas calculate your BMR. Several equations exist for this purpose, including the Harris-Benedict equation, the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, and the Katch-McArdle formula. These formulas consider variables like weight, height, age, sex, and lean body mass.

For example, the revised Harris-Benedict equation calculates BMR as:

• For men:
  BMR = 88.362 + (13.397 × weight in kg) + (4.799 × height in cm) - (5.677 × age in years)
  
  
  

• For women:
  BMR = 447.593 + (9.247 × weight in kg) + (3.098 × height in cm) - (4.330 × age in years)

The Katch-McArdle formula, which incorporates lean body mass, often provides more accurate results:

• BMR = 370 + (21.6 × lean body mass in kg)

Step 4: Comparing BMR with Age Group Databases

Once your BMR is calculated, it’s compared against a database of average BMR values for different age groups. This database typically includes BMR data collected from thousands or millions of people across various ages. The comparison reveals where your metabolism falls on the spectrum.

If your BMR equals the average BMR for 35-year-olds, your metabolic age is 35, regardless of whether you’re actually 25, 35, or 45. The device or software essentially asks: “What age group does this person’s metabolism most closely resemble?”

It’s important to understand that different manufacturers may use different reference databases and proprietary algorithms.  

Also, some limitations exist with metabolic age calculations. They don't account for factors like hormonal variations, certain medical conditions, medications, or genetic variations that affect metabolism. Two people with identical body compositions might still have different actual metabolic rates due to thyroid function, mitochondrial efficiency, or other physiological differences that the calculation doesn't capture.

How to Improve Your Metabolic Age?

If your metabolic age is higher than you'd like, the good news is that you have significant power to improve it. The strategies that lower metabolic age are the same ones that improve overall health:

Build and Preserve Muscle Mass

Increasing your lean muscle mass is perhaps the most effective way to lower your metabolic age. Muscle tissue burns significantly more calories at rest than fat tissue does. Estimates suggest muscle burns roughly 6 calories per pound per day compared to just 2 calories per pound for fat.

Resistance training should be a cornerstone of your fitness routine. Aim for at least two to three strength training sessions per week, targeting all major muscle groups.  

As you age, you naturally lose muscle mass in a process called sarcopenia, which can start as early as your 30s and accelerate after 50. Counteracting this requires consistent effort, but the metabolic payoff is substantial. Progressive overload, gradually increasing the weight, reps, or difficulty of your exercises, ensures continued muscle growth.

Optimize Your Nutrition

What you eat profoundly affects your body composition and metabolic health. Prioritize protein intake, as protein supports muscle maintenance and growth. Most adults should aim for roughly 0.8 to 1.2 grams of protein per pound of body weight, with higher amounts beneficial if you're actively trying to build muscle or lose fat.

Avoid excessive calorie restriction, which can actually slow your metabolism. Severe dieting triggers adaptive thermogenesis, where your body becomes more efficient (burns fewer calories) to conserve energy. Instead, aim for moderate calorie deficits if you need to lose weight, typically 300-500 calories below your maintenance level.

Focus on whole, minimally processed foods that provide nutrients without excess calories from added sugars and unhealthy fats. Adequate protein, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates provide the building blocks your body needs for optimal metabolic function.

Don't skip meals or go extremely low-calorie for extended periods. Consistent, adequate nutrition supports metabolic health better than dramatic restriction followed by overeating.

Incorporate Cardiovascular Exercise

While cardio doesn't build muscle like resistance training does, it supports overall metabolic health, improves insulin sensitivity, and helps with fat loss. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) appears particularly effective for metabolic benefits, alternating short bursts of intense effort with recovery periods.

Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week, as recommended by major health organizations. This supports cardiovascular health, helps maintain a healthy weight, and improves your body's ability to process nutrients efficiently.

Prioritize Quality Sleep

Sleep deprivation wreaks havoc on metabolism. Poor sleep disrupts hormones like leptin and ghrelin that regulate hunger, increases cortisol (which promotes fat storage), and reduces insulin sensitivity. Chronic sleep debt is associated with weight gain, increased body fat, and muscle loss.

Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night. Establish consistent sleep and wake times, create a dark and cool sleeping environment, and limit screen time before bed. Think of sleep as a non-negotiable pillar of metabolic health, not a luxury.

Manage Stress Effectively

Chronic stress elevates cortisol, which promotes abdominal fat accumulation and can break down muscle tissue. High cortisol also impairs insulin sensitivity and can increase appetite and cravings for high-calorie foods.

Incorporate stress management techniques that work for you, meditation, yoga, deep breathing exercises, time in nature, or engaging hobbies. The specific method matters less than finding sustainable practices that genuinely reduce your stress levels.

Stay Hydrated and Limit Alcohol

Proper hydration supports all metabolic processes. Even mild dehydration can reduce metabolic rate slightly. Water also helps with appetite regulation and supports exercise performance.

Alcohol, meanwhile, can interfere with muscle protein synthesis, adds empty calories, and can disrupt sleep and recovery. Moderation or elimination of alcohol often leads to improvements in body composition and metabolic markers.

Be Patient and Consistent

Improving metabolic age doesn't happen overnight. Significant changes in body composition typically take weeks to months of consistent effort. Focus on building sustainable habits rather than seeking quick fixes. Small, consistent improvements compound over time into dramatic transformations.

Track your progress not just through metabolic age measurements but also through how you feel, your energy levels, exercise performance, and how your clothes fit. These subjective markers often improve before the numbers change significantly.

Key Takeaways

• Metabolic age compares your basal metabolic rate (BMR) to the average BMR of people in your chronological age group, showing whether your metabolism functions like someone younger or older.

• Understanding what metabolic age means provides actionable insights into your overall health, including body composition, muscle mass, and disease risk factors.

• Building and preserving muscle mass through resistance training is the most effective way to lower your metabolic age, as muscle burns significantly more calories at rest than fat.

• Your metabolic age is dynamic and responsive to lifestyle changes like nutrition, exercise, sleep quality, and stress management, unlike your fixed chronological age.

• A metabolic age higher than your actual age serves as a warning sign for potential health issues, while a lower metabolic age typically indicates favorable body composition and better metabolic health.

• Consistency in healthy habits matters more than quick fixes when improving metabolic age, as significant changes in body composition and metabolic function take weeks to months of sustained effort.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does metabolic age mean?

Metabolic age compares your basal metabolic rate (BMR) to the average BMR of people in your chronological age group. It indicates whether your metabolism functions like someone younger, older, or the same as your actual age based on body composition and energy expenditure.

How can I lower my metabolic age?

You can lower your metabolic age by building muscle through resistance training, eating adequate protein, incorporating cardio exercise, getting 7-9 hours of quality sleep, managing stress effectively, and maintaining a healthy body composition with less body fat and more lean muscle mass.

What is the difference between metabolic age and chronological age?

Chronological age is simply the number of years since you were born, which advances steadily and cannot be changed. Metabolic age is a functional measure of how efficiently your body burns energy, which can be improved or worsened based on lifestyle choices and health habits.

Is metabolic age an accurate indicator of health?

Metabolic age provides useful insight into metabolic health and body composition, but it's not a standardized medical diagnostic tool. Different devices may give varying results, and it should be considered alongside other health markers like blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels.

Can you reverse your metabolic age?

Yes, metabolic age is changeable and responsive to lifestyle interventions. By increasing lean muscle mass, improving nutrition, exercising regularly, and adopting healthy sleep and stress management habits, you can effectively lower your metabolic age over time with consistent effort.

What causes a high metabolic age?

A high metabolic age typically results from excess body fat, insufficient muscle mass, sedentary lifestyle, poor nutrition, inadequate sleep, and chronic stress. These factors reduce your basal metabolic rate, making your metabolism function like someone older than your actual age.

Tackling a fitness challenge, whether it’s a marathon, a HYROX competition, or an obstacle course race, takes more than sheer determination; it requires smart preparation. From designing your training and nutrition plan to building mental resilience, the right prep can make the difference between struggling through the event and crushing it with confidence.

Here’s how to get ready for your next fitness challenge, step by step.

1. Choose the Right Fitness Challenge

The first step is choosing a challenge that aligns with your fitness level, goals, and interests. Popular options include:

• Running-based challenges like 5Ks, 10Ks, and half or full marathons. These events test endurance, pacing, and mental stamina.

• Functional fitness challenges such as HYROX competitions, CrossFit events, or obstacle course races. These tests combine strength, speed, endurance, and agility.

When selecting your challenge, consider your motivation: Why do you want to do this? Are you aiming to push your endurance, build functional strength, or simply have fun while testing your limits? Knowing your “why” will help you stay focused through the ups and downs of training.

2. Establish Your Baseline With Body Composition Analysis

Before you jump into intense workouts, it’s important to know where you’re starting. Tracking your body composition provides a clear picture of how your fat and muscle mass change as you train. 

One of the easiest ways to do this is by hopping on a body composition scale each week. In addition to weight, these scales measure body fat percentage and muscle mass, giving you a better snapshot of how your training is impacting your body.

3. Design Your Training Plan

Designing an effective training plan is about combining running and functional fitness to prepare your body for the specific demands of your challenge. Whether you’re tackling a marathon or a HYROX-style functional fitness event, training should be balanced, structured, and tailored to your goals.

For running-focused challenges, incorporate a mix of workouts, including:

• Interval Training: short bursts of high-intensity running followed by recovery periods to improve speed and cardiovascular capacity

• Tempo Runs: sustained, moderate-intensity runs that teach your body to maintain a strong pace over distance

• Long-Distance Endurance Runs: gradually increase mileage to build stamina and mental resilience

For HYROX and other fitness challenges, your training should mimic the movements you’ll face on event day. Include strength-training exercises like:

• Pushes and Pulls: bench presses, push-ups, rows, and pull-ups

• Squats and Lunges

• Carries: farmer’s carries, sandbag carries, and weighted walks

• Rowing and Sled Pushes

When building out your weekly schedule, balance high-intensity sessions with recovery days. Incorporate mobility work, stretching, and prehab exercises to reduce the risk of injury and improve overall movement quality.

4. Dial in Your Diet

Nutrition is just as important as your workouts. Your diet fuels training, aids recovery, and supports performance. 

Aim for a balanced intake of protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats to support energy, recovery, and muscle repair. A common guideline for active adults is:

• Protein: 1.1 to 1.7 grams per kilogram of body weight per day to repair and build muscle

• Carbohydrates: 5 to 7 grams per kilogram of body weight per day to fuel endurance and replenish glycogen stores

• Fats: approximately 30% of total daily calories for energy and inflammation reduction

Adjust these ratios based on your training intensity and challenge type—higher carb intake on long run days or heavy functional workouts, and slightly higher protein on strength-focused days.

And don’t forget to stay hydrated throughout training and during the event. A general guideline is to aim for half your body weight in ounces of water per day (e.g., a 150-pound person should drink about 75 ounces daily), and increase intake based on sweat loss, workout intensity, and environmental conditions.

For longer or high-intensity sessions, supplement plain water with electrolytes—sodium, potassium, and magnesium—to prevent cramping and maintain energy. Additionally, monitor your urine color: pale yellow indicates good hydration, while darker urine signals the need for more fluids.

5. Track Your Progress and Adjust Your Plan

Tracking your progress is essential for making your training as effective as possible. You can see what’s working, identify areas for improvement, and adjust your plan to keep making gains.

Wearable fitness trackers can monitor heart rate, steps, calories burned, and running metrics like pace and distance. These devices are especially useful for tracking endurance, monitoring intensity during functional workouts, and ensuring you’re hitting your training targets. Many also allow you to track sleep, which is crucial for recovery and performance.

It’s also helpful to keep a log of your workouts (either handwritten or in an app). Track exercises, sets, reps, weights, and training volume over time to make it easier to spot plateaus or imbalances, adjust intensity, and plan progressive overload.

6. Mental Preparation and Motivation

Preparing for a fitness challenge isn’t just physical; your mind plays a huge role in how well you perform. Mental preparation can help you stay focused, overcome fatigue, and push through difficult moments during training and on challenge day.

One of the most powerful tools for mental preparation is visualization. Spend a few minutes each day imagining yourself completing the challenge successfully. Picture each stage of the event, from the starting line to crossing the finish, and envision how your body moves efficiently through each task. This mental rehearsal can build confidence, reduce anxiety, and prime your body for peak performance.

7. Crush Your Fitness Challenge

After weeks of training, the final week before your fitness challenge is all about fine-tuning your preparation, tapering your workouts, and dialing in your nutrition so you can perform at your best.

In the last five to seven days before your event, reduce your training volume while keeping intensity moderate. Shorter workouts, lighter weights, and decreased mileage help your muscles recover and ensure your energy stores are fully replenished. Focus on mobility, stretching, and gentle cardio to stay loose without overtaxing your body.

On challenge day, your mental state can make a huge difference. Use visualization techniques from training, focus on pacing yourself, and celebrate small milestones throughout the event. Music playlists can keep energy high, while cheering sections or training partners provide extra motivation when fatigue sets in. 

Remind yourself why you signed up and the hard work you’ve already put in—confidence and positivity can carry you through the toughest moments. You got this!

While many chase six-pack abs or sculpted arms, real strength comes from building muscles that help you thrive in your everyday life. We call this stealth muscle: the kind that works behind the scenes, improving your daily movement, strength, and longevity.

The way you build stealth muscle? Functional fitness. This type of training focuses on optimizing your body for real-world activities — lifting, bending, squatting, and reaching — so you can move better, feel stronger, and reduce your risk of injury.

What Is Functional Fitness?

Functional fitness is all about preparing your body to handle everyday tasks and movements. Rather than focusing on isolated exercises for aesthetic goals (think: endless biceps curls), functional fitness involves exercises that mimic real-world activities—like lifting groceries (deadlifts), bending to tie your shoes (lunges), or carrying a suitcase (farmer’s carry). 

The 4 Pillars of Functional Fitness

Functional training focuses on four key aspects of fitness, each of which plays a crucial role in creating a well-rounded and effective workout routine.

• Mobility: Mobility refers to the ability to move your joints through their full range of motion without experiencing discomfort.

• Stability: Stability is about maintaining control and balance during movement, particularly in your core and joints.

• Movement involves the coordinated actions of the body’s muscles and joints to perform tasks, such as walking, reaching, or lifting.

• Strength: Functional strength is the ability of a muscle or group of muscles to generate force for tasks that include lifting, pushing, or pulling.

How Does Functional Fitness Differ from Other Forms of Exercise?

While other forms of exercise can also improve fitness, they may not always prioritize functional movement patterns. Here’s how functional fitness compares to popular workout styles.

CrossFit

Functional fitness and CrossFit both involve compound movements, such as squats, deadlifts, and presses that mimic real-life actions, and both aim to improve strength, endurance, and overall fitness. However, CrossFit often focuses on high-intensity, time-based workouts with a competitive edge, pushing individuals to perform at maximum effort for a set duration. 

HIIT

HIIT (high-intensity interval training) and functional fitness both utilize full-body movements and aim to enhance cardiovascular health, strength, and endurance. The key difference is that HIIT is centered around high-intensity bursts of activity with short rest periods, focusing on maximizing calorie burn and improving fitness in a time-efficient way. 

Pilates

Pilates and functional fitness both prioritize core strength, flexibility, and body control to improve posture and movement quality. However, Pilates tends to focus more on low-impact, controlled movements that emphasize balance and alignment. 

Bodybuilding

Bodybuilding and functional fitness both rely on resistance-training exercises like squats, presses, and deadlifts. However, bodybuilding focuses on isolating specific muscle groups to build muscle mass for aesthetic purposes.

What Are the Benefits of Functional Fitness?

By focusing on exercises that mimic real-life movements, functional fitness training provides a wide range of benefits. These include:

1. Improved Mobility and Flexibility

Functional fitness workouts promote joint mobility and flexibility, which are essential for maintaining ease of movement throughout daily life. Whether it’s bending down to tie your shoes or reaching for something on a high shelf, having good mobility helps you move freely and comfortably without stiffness or pain. This can be especially important as we age, helping to maintain independence and reduce the risk of falls.

2. Better Balance and Coordination

By integrating multi-joint movements that involve both the upper and lower body, functional fitness improves balance and agility. Exercises like lunges, squats, and rotational movements train your body to move as a unit, enhancing your ability to stay stable and coordinated during daily tasks, from walking to carrying groceries or playing sports.

3. Enhanced Strength for Everyday Activities

As previously mentioned, functional fitness focuses on building strength in movements that we perform daily, such as lifting, squatting, and reaching. This makes them easier to perform without added risk of strain or fatigue.

4. Reduced Risk of Injury

By improving overall movement patterns and enhancing stability, functional fitness helps reduce the risk of injury. It strengthens the muscles and joints that are responsible for supporting proper posture and alignment, which in turn lowers the likelihood of injury in both active and sedentary environments. It also emphasizes injury prevention through balanced muscle development and proper technique.

5. Improved Posture and Core Strength

A strong core is the foundation of functional fitness, and strengthening the core helps improve posture and reduce back pain. Core exercises in functional fitness train the muscles to support the spine and maintain proper alignment, leading to better posture, less discomfort, and improved athletic performance.

6. Better Mental Health

Fitness doesn't just benefit the body—it also has positive effects on mental health. Regular exercise releases endorphins, which can help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. Plus, the sense of accomplishment and improved confidence that comes with mastering functional movements can boost mental well-being.

7. Sustainable Fitness

One of the standout benefits of functional fitness is that it’s sustainable. It’s not about extreme lifting or pushing your body to the limit—it's about gradual progress and consistency. Because the focus is on movements that support everyday tasks, functional fitness is something you can continue practicing long-term, without burning out or risking injury.

Is Functional Training Right For You?

Functional training is incredibly versatile and can be adapted to suit people of all ages, fitness levels, and goals. But how do you know if it’s the right fit for you? You might want to consider giving it a try if any of the following apply to you:

• If you’ve ever struggled with tasks like carrying groceries, lifting heavy boxes, or bending down without discomfort

• You’re new to exercise or getting back into it after a break

• You’re recovering from an injury or looking to prevent one

• You're looking for something that will keep you active for the long haul — without the risk of burnout or injury

• If you get bored easily or enjoy a varied workout

• If you’re looking for results beyond aesthetics

What Are the Best Functional Fitness Exercises?

The best functional exercises to incorporate into your routine are those that focus on key movement patterns that mimic real-life actions. These include:

Push

Push exercises help build upper-body strength, specifically in the chest, shoulders, and triceps, and improve pushing movements like opening doors, pushing carts, or pushing yourself up from the floor.

• Push-Ups: Start in a plank position with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Lower your body to the floor, keeping your elbows at a 45-degree angle. Push yourself back up to the starting position, focusing on engaging your core and keeping your body in a straight line.

Pull

Pull exercises strengthen the upper body, particularly the back, biceps, and shoulders. These exercises improve posture, enhance pulling movements like opening a heavy drawer, and assist with lifting and carrying tasks.

• Dumbbell Rows: With a dumbbell in each hand, bend at the hips while keeping your back flat. Pull the dumbbells toward your torso while squeezing your shoulder blades together, then lower back down.

Squat

Squats build strength in your legs, hips, and glutes, which are essential for tasks like standing up from a chair, climbing stairs, or lifting objects off the floor.

• Squat: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. (Optional: Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell at chest height with both hands.) Push your hips back and bend your knees, lowering your body as if you're sitting in a chair. Keep your chest up and knees behind your toes. Stand back up.

Lunge

Lunges target the legs, glutes, and core, and help improve balance and stability. They mimic movements like walking, climbing stairs, and picking things up off the ground while maintaining balance.

• Forward Lunge: Step one foot forward and lower your hips until both knees are at 90-degree angles. Keep your chest up and core engaged. Push through the heel of your front foot to return to standing. Alternate legs with each repetition.

Hinge

The hip hinge is crucial for building strength in the posterior chain—especially the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back. It’s essential for activities like picking up heavy objects, bending over to tie shoes, or lifting items off the floor.

• Romanian Deadlifts: With a barbell or dumbbells in hand, stand tall with your feet hip-width apart. Hinge at the hips, pushing your glutes back as you lower the weight towards the ground, keeping your knees slightly bent. Engage your glutes and hamstrings to return to standing.

Rotation

Rotational exercises improve the flexibility and strength of your core, helping with movements like twisting to reach for something, rotating your torso during sports, or carrying heavy objects while turning.

• Russian Twists: Sit on the ground with your knees bent and feet flat. Lean back slightly and hold a weight or medicine ball with both hands. Rotate your torso to one side, then to the other, while keeping your core engaged and feet lifted (optional).

How Do You Put Together a Functional Fitness Routine?

Creating a functional fitness routine is about designing workouts that help you improve strength, mobility, and coordination for everyday movements.

1. Start With Your Goals

Before you start planning your routine, think about your fitness goals. Are you an older adult who wants to build balance and stability? Or a runner that needs a routine to help with injury prevention? Your goals will guide the structure of your training program, helping you prioritize certain exercises or movements.

2. Focus on the 5 Key Movement Patterns

To create a balanced functional fitness routine, aim to include exercises that target these five key movement patterns (see above for a detailed explanation):

• Push

• Pull

• Squat

• Hinge

• Rotation

3. Include Mobility and Stability Work

In addition to strength training, mobility and stability are crucial components of a functional fitness routine. You can include mobility work in your warm-up (like dynamic stretches or foam rolling) and stability work in your cool-down or as part of specific exercises (like planks or single-leg stands).

4. Add Variety

Include exercises that train in multiple planes of motion (e.g., forward, backward, side to side) and incorporate different movement types, such as low-impact bodyweight exercises or more dynamic exercises like jumping or sprinting.

5. Structure Your Routine

Here’s a simple framework for structuring your functional fitness routine:

• Warm-Up (5 to 10 minutes): Focus on dynamic stretches or mobility drills (e.g., leg swings, hip rotations, or shoulder circles).

• Main Workout (20 to 40 minutes): Include a combination of strength, stability, and mobility exercises. For example:

  • Start with a full-body compound exercise (e.g., squats or deadlifts).

  • Add in a pushing or pulling exercise (e.g., push-ups or rows).

  • Finish with a rotational movement and core exercise (e.g., Russian twists or planks).

• Cool-Down (5 to 10 minutes): Focus on stretching or foam rolling to help with recovery and improve flexibility.

6. Be Consistent

The key to any successful fitness routine is consistency. Try to aim for at least two to four sessions a week, depending on your goals and fitness level. Consistency, combined with progressive overload (gradually increasing intensity or weight), will lead to noticeable improvements in strength, mobility, and overall functional ability.

7. Listen to Your Body

Finally, always listen to your body. Functional fitness should be challenging but not painful. If you feel discomfort during a movement, it may indicate that you're using improper form or pushing yourself too hard. Make adjustments, take rest days when needed, and ensure you're progressing at a pace that feels right for you.