Sweating it: Forget lifting weights, here's a better idea

There are gyms around us with little to no equipment, no weight-training machines, no treadmills or cross trainers — just an empty floor and a few weights scattered around. And this is how it went at one of such places.

Everyone had gathered on one side of the floor and were waiting for permission to exercise. Then, a few highly-attractive trainers came forth and distributed everyone into pairs, and finally, after some confusion, allowed them to enter the hallowed empty space. After that, for 45 minutes, in this empty space, participants were put through the most grueling challenges and by the end of it, all that was left were gasps for breath. Welcome to the world of functional training.

Businesses now offer fitness as if it’s a commodity, asking people to pay a certain amount and get fitness in return. We enter into this agreement almost as if we are haggling for an item that’s available off the shelf. Some people even say, ‘I can’t afford to be fit, it’s too expensive.’ So somewhere, an industry has us convinced that the only way we can be fit is if we pay the price in currency.

Thousands still visit traditional gyms. They are filled with men doing bicep curls, staring at themselves in mirrors, making faces. But only a few stay on. In fact, many leave within a month. Which is why functional training surprises one so much. It makes the entire tedious task of gymming exciting. It’s short bursts of intense exercise mixed with rapid breaks, making your body go through immense amount of endurance. And it’s extremely addictive.

It also focuses a lot on your core muscles, and takes its inspiration from daily activities. Imagine the man working on your garden, or the woman carrying bricks at the nearby construction site, and imagine doing their work but with a few weights and doing the same tasks at a brisk pace. It’s not mundane like sitting on a machine, and moving the weights around, but it’s building core strength. While all this shouldn’t detract gym regulars — they have their own motivation to persevere. But for newbies who have tried and failed at gymming, maybe functional training is the answer.

And don’t be put off by high prices some fitness centers in your cities may charge. CrossFit, which is another name of functional training, is quite prevalent and cheap.