Functional training may have made the top 10 ways to keep fit in 2015 in a widespread US survey, but Italian giant Technogym is a company that has always thought for itself and was the first in the fitness and training sector to have created a complete and futuristic programme for ‘functional training and movement’ that includes cardiovascular, toning and proprioceptive activities years ahead of the rest in the form of its Vario, Kinesis and ARKE lines.

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The concept of ‘functional movement and training’ is based on rediscovering natural movement through exercises and equipment which offer people the possibility of moving freely and training for muscle strength, balance and flexibility all at the same time. 

Rather than focus on isolating individual muscles, the equipment involves whole kinetic chains, so that exercises can be done which allow people to perform day-to-day activities in a safe, effective way.

I explored this further under the incredibly perceptive eyes of Technogym master trainer Sandra Koeder, quickly gathering along the way that there is so much more potential for learning and gaining new skills than we’re even consciously aware of.

Koeder casually chatted with me and changed the steps, throwing the ball, catching then squatting to let it touch the floor or the outside of either foot, overhead or simply catching and taking a backward lunge before throwing again, back and forth this way.

Cleverly distracted by the chit-chat, alongside constant varied ‘game-like’ moves – we added catches balancing on one leg, making a halo shape with the ball over our heads before throwing back, and even receiving and giving while in a side lunge position, throwing in a twist on release –sure enough within about 10 minutes a film of sweat and an upbeat heart rate were met.

Just like being asked to sit, extend one leg and both arms and simply lift yourself off the chair – I simply couldn’t do it without a bit of a boost.

Standing now, when Koeder invited us to pull on the cables again in a wide squat position, it seemed alright; but then asked to do it again, the second time lifting one heel of one leg off the ground, that was a shockingly different story entirely.

Leaning back on a thick, firm but soft cylinder and being asked to engage the core and lay the entire spine, vertebra by vertebra, down along and then up off it slowly; attempting to balance standing on said cylinder; pushing and pulling weighted cables and pulleys in seemingly random yet strategically unaccustomed planes and dimensions… it was a totally new experience to both myself and my body.

And while it counted as one of Koeder’s lower intensity sessions – she skipped the active rest in between exercises – I learned some fascinating new skills and felt incredibly accomplished by the hour mark.  

“We want to see how your body behaves in certain movements and see how we can expand the bubble, let’s say, so that you experience new things and also succeed in them. At the end we have a lot of fun,” she says.

“I love working with Technogym, they have a huge background that makes sense to me – everything is related to nature.

"For example, the ARKE line pieces we used – it comes from “arche”, meaning “origin” – they promote original movements; push, pull, squat, rotate… 

“What’s great is the versatility of this equipment. You can just as efficiently develop a senior person or someone in rehabilitation on them as you can a professional athlete or hardcore fitness enthusiast. 

“The more you can learn about the body, the more you can understand what’s good for you personally. Most people are confused by what people tell them is good for them.

Just know that the concept of functional training is different door to door so you need to go in and investigate the background of the professional who’s going to train you and see if it suits your needs.”

What: Functional training the Technogym way with Sandra Koeder
Where: Motion Ladies Fitness Center (www.motionfitnesscenter.com) and Get On Track Physiotherapy & Rehabilitation Centre (www.gotdubai.com) . For at-home personal coaching, she can be contacted directly on sk31du@gmail.com or 055 283 5166
Verdict: If you want to learn new fitness skills and techniques grab the Technogym tools and you will surely get a healthy boost.