Every company is required by the law to provide employees with worker’s compensation in case he or she meets and accident while at work. This compensation helps the employee with the medical and rehabilitation fees and provides benefits to his or her dependents in case he or she dies due to the accident.

Accidents in the workplace are unavoidable, especially if most of the employees are not physically fit, resulting to an increase in the amount of compensation the company has to pay. According to a study conducted in 2003 by Alberta Injury and Illness Statistics in Canada, almost 50% of all lost time WCB claims account for sprains, strains, and tears. Moreover, they indicated that the trunk is the most commonly injured body part, with over 33% of lost time claims, and 70% of trunk injuries were due to sprains, strains, or tears affecting the back. To decrease WCB claims as well as accidents in the workplace, experts advise the implementation of functional conditioning programs.

What Is Functional Fitness?

Functional conditioning consists of strengthening, endurance, and flexibility exercises and it focuses on improving the way an individual performs his or her daily tasks in order to be physically fit and to prevent accidents and injuries. It helps employees perform their job and other daily functions well and it addresses job-related difficulties.

How Is It Different from Gym Exercises?

It is different from the usual exercises performed using gym equipment because it is geared towards training the body to perform real-life activities using real-life positions and movements. Your muscles may be toned and your figure may be perfect but there is no assurance that you can perform your function well.  In body building training, a specific group of muscles are trained, which means that they are treated as isolated parts whereas in functional conditioning, a holistic approach is taken and all the muscles groups are integrated.

What Are the Necessary Exercise Tools for Functional Fitness?

An advantage of functional conditioning program over body building training is that the former does not need any expensive gym tool or machine. You can use simple, multi-purpose tools you can find in your house or workplace such as kettlebells, gymnastic rings, skipping ropes, and medicine balls.

What Are the Benefits of Functional Fitness Programs?

Since it trains the muscles based on a person’s day-to-day activitites, employees who undergo functional conditoning programs perform more efficiently at work and they become less prone to accidents and injuries. It improves the employees’ balance, endurance, and flexibility and it strengthens the core muscles so the employee will not experience pain or difficulty when bending, twisting, or reaching. By strengtening the back muscles, back injuries, which occur very often especially to empoyees who have uncomfortable sitting positions, can be prevented.

The program can be modified depending on the age, needs, and health condition of a person so it is suitable for almost every employee. Functional conditioning decreases WCB claims, increases employee productivity, secures the safety of employees, and improves their overall health.