What is functional strength and how does playing squash help?

Functional strength helps us get through our day-to-day life. Find out why it is so good for you… and your squash game.

Lunging and swinging a racket requires functional strength. This means playing squash is a form of functional strength training in itself. Chasing that little black ball around the court not only gives you an impressive cardiovascular workout, but the constant rallies build muscular strength in your lower body whilst improving flexibility in your core and back with thanks to movements such as lunging, reaching and turning.

The way you land on each leg when you lunge on the squash court will determine whether or not you will get hurt. If you keep the middle of your knee in line with the middle of your foot on impact, there is a good chance you’ll be safe. However, if your knee collapses inwards, you increase your risk of getting injured.

Functional strength forces us to use our stabilizing muscles (which keeps our knees from collapsing inwards). It is also proven to improve strength and balance much more than isolated exercises (such as using weight machines in a gym). We also know that functional strength exercises help improve joint control. This is important because improved joint control means better balance, we avoid injury and will ultimately maximise our participation and performance.

If you really want to improve your squash and take it to the next level, give SquashFit a go.