Functional strength training is important for every person, no matter your age. I often tell the story of my 79 year old mom. She has a water softener that requires lifting 40 pound bags of salt occasionally. She always had to ask me or someone else to do it. After participating in a functional training program for a few months, she was able to do it herself. She was able to confidently lift the bag out of the trunk, raise it to chest level, and empty the bag into the softener. Loading salt in the water softener and putting your carry-on into the bin above you are critical tasks that depend on functional strength training.
As we launch our new strength training cycle in July 2025, we will be focusing on the deadlift, squat, and shoulder press. These lifts are also part of the CrossFit Total because they are critical elements of functional strength training and provide the greatest return on time spent doing strength training.
The deadlift prepares your hips and core so that your back doesn’t “go out” when you pick up a child. The squat reinforces important sit-to-stand pattern that will keep your knees and hips healthy and pain free. The shoulder press builds upper body strength and enables you to put a box on the top shelf without causing shoulder pain. These are functional strength training in action – moving better inside the gym so that you thrive outside it.
Why Fit Augusta Does Functional Strength Training Better
- Hands-on Coaching: Our coaches guide you through every rep and every set so progress comes faster.
- Data-Driven Results: Tracking your progress providing a smart plan puts you in the driver’s seat.
- Scalable and Adaptable: Whether you’re fresh out of our Fundamentals Program or a seasoned veteran, we meet you where you are.
- Community Support – We are stronger together by celebrating every milestone and every victory.
- Real-world focus – Our strength training program is about preparing you for real life.
How the Big Three Extend Functional Life
- Deadlift → Safer Everyday Lifting. Whether it’s bags of salt, dog food, or a sleeping toddler, hinge mechanics are required. This is the power of the deadlift and is critical for living a long active life. This is the essence of functional strength training.
- Back Squat → Effortless Standing and Sitting. We need strong glutes, quads, and hamstrings to quickly rise out of chairs, toilets, and car seats with ease and without pain. If you lose your squat, you lose your independence. Squats are the heart of functional strength training.
- Shoulder Press → Confident Overhead Reach. Racking bikes on the roof, painting a ceiling, or reaching a heavy object to a high shelf are all activities that depend on your ability to press overhead. Strong shoulder joints also help protect you from injury when you have to grab something suddenly.
Why Start Functional Strength Training Now?
Muscle mass naturally declines after age 30, bone density after 35. Left unchecked, the combo spikes fall risk and chronic pain. Compound barbell work—especially the deadlift, squat, and press—reverses that slide by stimulating muscle protein synthesis and mineral deposition in bones. Multiple studies link regular functional strength training to better insulin sensitivity, higher resting metabolic rate, and improved cognitive function. In short, nothing else gives you more “health bang” for each minute spent exercising.
Our next strength cycle will coach you from baseline testing through weekly progressions that build numbers gradually. You’ll feel stronger in week two, see it on paper in week four, and show it off when you retest your lifts in the final week.
Deadlifts, squats, and presses aren’t about gym bragging rights; they’re insurance for everyday life. Master them now through functional strength training, and future-you gets decades of pain-free movement.
Ready to prove how powerful you can be? Book a free, zero-pressure No-Sweat Intro and talk about how to get started:
