Making Exercise Functional

WHAT AND WHY Exercises that require balance, agility, core strength, muscle coordination and movement through space -- a sharp contrast to the locked-in, single-plane moves of weight machines. For example: medicine ball lunges with a torso twist; bench presses on a stability ball; biceps curls while standing on one leg. The idea: Real life often demands combined efforts.

BEST FOR Intermediate or advanced exercisers seeking variety and useful strength.

DETAILS Functional exercises are showing up everywhere. Some moves are used in group exercise classes. Some trainers add them to conventional workout or sport-specific programs. They can be combined into repeatable circuits of exercises with minimal rest in between to add cardiovascular challenge.

"These exercises train you for everyday movement patterns," said John Philbin, proprietor of Philbin's Family Fitness and Athletic Training Center (www.philbinsatc.com) in Gaithersburg, whose trainers use the techniques with both serious athletes and "mom and dad" clients. While a classic strength workout prepares you "to lie on a bench pressing 200 pounds," Philbin said, functional workouts prepare you to use "multiple muscles and joints" to "move through different planes, lift something, grab something and stay balanced." They also improve sports performance, he said.

TRYING IT I stumbled across functional exercises in a Web-based golf-training program (a paid-membership site called www.golf-trainer.com) and collected others in magazines, books and videos devoted to sports, core or all-around workouts. I do circuits of six to eight exercises, my heart rate bouncing between 60 percent and 90 percent of my maximum throughout. The workouts are challenging and time-efficient -- full-body plus cardio work in 30 minutes.

Warning: For exercises with weights, you must start very light. Think of these as calesthenics with light weights, not strength training in motion. Too much weight can damage muscles and joints; stability balls and other unbalanced surfaces can lead to falls if you load up with too much weight. Start with three- or five-pound dumbbells or a light medicine ball until you've mastered the moves, then increase gradually.

LOOK ELSEWHERE IF you seek maximum strength gains and showy muscles. These workouts make you strong and flexible, not big or fast. Also, Philbin warns: Don't try these unless you have a base line of fitness gained through conventional workouts.

WHERE TO FIND IT Books: "Conditioning for Outdoor Fitness" (The Mountaineers Books); "Strength Ball Training" (Human Kinetics); "The Ultimate New York Body Plan" (McGraw-Hill); "Core Performance Training" (Men's Health Books). For videos and products: www.power-systems.com. You'll also find this style of exercise in group classes (often advertised as "core" or "body sculpting" workouts) that use hand weights, stability balls, Bosu balls, exercise bands, medicine balls or body bars.

-- Craig Stoltz