In the late 1990s, when gyms cropped up in and around Pune, the focus was on cardio exercise using gym machines. Today, however, functional fitness is a top fitness trend among young and old gym customers alike. But why has functional fitness become the preferred fitness mode? 

First, because this form of exercise takes into account your body’s natural movements and prioritizes helping you to stay fit by training your muscles to do specific activities. For example, squats are a functional fitness exercise because they train your muscles to sit and get back up off a chair. This is a movement that is repeated in several daily chores we do, so training your muscles in this manner is an indispensable component of functional workouts. 

Second, functional fitness typically consists of compound exercises (i.e. exercises that use muscle groups). This is more effective than using gym machines, which often use only one muscle. For example, a leg extension machine targets the quadriceps muscles in your legs, but you are unlikely to do this movement in your daily life. While using this machine to strengthen your quadriceps has value if your goal is to specifically strengthen this muscle, doing squats (which deploy multiple muscles in your legs) is a more efficient exercise if your goal is to develop strength and it also trains your body to do this movement easily.