The first thing you notice when you walk through any gym is that there are mirrors everywhere. Where there’s a wall, there’s a mirror. What do you think this tells you? Most people that go to the gym are simply going to look good. Performance and function in the training world take a back seat to being ripped and looking good.

It’s easy to confuse the meaning of functional fitness. The true meaning of the term is the capability of people to improve their performance in their chosen activities and daily lives. Functional fitness allows improves endurance, strength, and the overall ability of people to move.

Looking better is another bi-product of functional training. The key to getting started is setting simple goals and trying to break them. It could be as simple as doing the maximum amount of push-ups you can do (even if that maximum is one or less than one), and trying to do more the next time around.

Now, where does one start on their quest for a more performance-based training protocol? Here are a few things you can do:

1. Do sprints on hills and interval training instead of standard gym cardio machines

2. Instead of isolating your muscles while exercising, do full-body exercises like pull-ups and squats

3. Try new full-body training techniques, like kettlebell exercises

This is obviously a very general list, but the most important thing to remember is if you train with a purpose and that purpose is to be stronger and last longer, you will look better. This way, instead of focusing on something material, you strive for a goal that’s much more worthwhile. What’s the point of looking strong without actually being strong? Setting a goal for yourself of a lower body fat percentage and then hitting is fun, but there’s nothing like setting a performance-based goal and achieving it.

I set a goal for myself to lower my body fat by 2% in a month. I worked out and ate right, and even with some slip-ups along the way, I hit my mark. This was great, but it was almost like it wasn’t enough or there was something missing. Months later, I read about the kettlebell US Secret Service Snatch test. The test was developed when the trainees for the secret service were given ten minutes to perform as many snatches as they could with a 53lb kettlebell with 200 being their ultimate goal.

A kettlebell snatch involves swinging a kettlebell from between your legs to above your head in one fluid motion. Just a reps will cause most people to start sweating, and accomplishing the test could require months of practice and hard work. Even so, I promise that if you can do it, you will not only feel accomplished, you’ll being extremely functionally fit.

The point of this story is to illustrate that performance training is a far more efficient way of training. You get stronger and look the part. It’s win-win. Just remember the next time you go to workout, start with performance and the rest will follow.