THe most functional exercise

In order to discuss what the most functional exercise is we must first properly define what functional exercise means.

​If you asked 10 random people what functional exercise means you'd likely get 10 different answers. We can pretty much all agree what exercise is, but throw the word functional in there and people go 1,000 different directions with it. 

Mayo Clinic defines functional training or functional exercise as something that trains your muscles to work together and prepares them for daily tasks by simulating common movements you might do at home, at work, or in sports.

I have always thought of functional exercise as something that mimics movements or behaviors you are doing in multiple times throughout the day in your normal life. Yes, exercises that are sport-specific are functional for those types of athletes, but would those be the MOST functional exercise? No. 

In order to be the most functional, I believe it needs to apply to the most general population and average daily life.

When I asked "In your opinion, what is the most functional exercise?" on the Iron Rx PT Facebook and Instagram stories I got a range of responses:

Turkish Get-ups
Deadlifts
Walking
Squats
Burpees
and more...

Solid arguments can be made for why each of these would be considered as functional, but what is the MOST functional?

I believe the squatting movement pattern is the most functional pattern, but specifically box squats are the most functional exercise, in my opinion. 

Why?

Think about how many times you stand up and sit down throughout the course of a day, even if its just a Netflix and chill day. You stand up out of bed, you get on and off the couch, on and off the toilet, in and out of different chairs. Well, standing up and sitting down is a squat pattern and if you're sitting down onto or standing up off of a surface, you just did a box squat. Therefore, you're performing hundreds of box squats each day. 

The only other exercise that may be arguably more functional would be walking, but guess what, if you can't stand up you won't be able to walk. When's the last time you walked without standing up first?

Prior to starting Iron Rx, I did physical therapy in the hospital setting for a few years and it was astounding how many people had trouble simply standing up. Being able to stand up and sit down without assistance was almost always a goal we worked towards with patients.  I'm not just talking about elderly folks or people with injuries either. If you cant stand up, then you're going to be missing out on a lot that life has to offer. 

Don't want to miss out on all the amazing things life has to offer? Make sure you're doing some form of squats in your training to keep those legs and hips strong. Better yet, keep box squats in your regular rotation!