5 Smart Ways to Combine Free Weights and a Functional Trainer for Better Results
Integrating free weights with a functional trainer is a smart way to take your home workouts to the next level. This combination lets you enjoy the best of both worlds: building raw strength with free weights and improving functional movement and versatility with a functional trainer.
At MAXUM Fitness, we make it easy to set up your home gym with equipment that lets you mix and match these training styles for top-tier results. Keep reading to learn how you can seamlessly incorporate both into your routine.
1. Compound Movements with Free Weights
Begin your workout with compound exercises using free weights. Movements like squats, deadlifts, and bench presses engage multiple muscle groups, providing a solid foundation for strength development. Utilizing free weights in these exercises promotes functional strength and stability.
2. Isolation and Functional Movements with a Functional Trainer
After completing compound exercises, transition to a functional trainer for isolation exercises and functional movements. Exercises such as cable rows, chest flyes, and woodchoppers can be performed to target specific muscles and improve movement patterns. The adjustable pulleys and various attachments of a functional trainer offer versatility and precision in targeting different muscle groups.
3. Supersetting for Efficiency
To maximize workout efficiency, consider supersetting exercises between free weights and the functional trainer. For example, perform a set of barbell squats followed immediately by cable lunges. This approach maintains workout intensity and reduces rest periods, enhancing cardiovascular conditioning alongside strength gains.
4. Incorporating Core and Stability Work
Both free weights and functional trainers can be utilized to strengthen the core and improve stability. Incorporate exercises like weighted Russian twists with a dumbbell and cable woodchoppers to engage the obliques and transverse abdominis. These movements enhance rotational strength and overall core stability.
5. Progression and Variation
Keep your workouts fresh by mixing up your exercises and gradually increasing resistance. Try adding more weight to your dumbbells or tweaking the resistance on your functional trainer. This approach, known as progressive overload, keeps your muscles challenged, helps you make steady gains, and makes hitting plateaus a thing of the past!
By strategically combining free weights with a functional trainer from MAXUM Fitness, you can build a workout routine that’s both effective and versatile. This approach helps improve strength, stability, and overall functional fitness, while the functional trainer perfectly complements your free weight exercises for a balanced, full-body training experience.
