When you work out at the gym, how do you train? Are you training for strength, size, endurance, or a combination of all three? Do you focus on cardio, or is your workout mostly heavy lifting? Do you skimp out on your stretching to get right to the good stuff?

The truth is that if you're not doing a well-rounded workout, you'll never be as fit as you could be. Your goal should be to develop strength, endurance, and stamina that is functional, meaning it's useful outside the gym as well. The best way to do that is through functional training.

What is functional training? Essentially, it is training for a purpose — in this case, training to help you be more well-rounded and effective in every aspect of your life.

Think about it. The exercises you perform in the gym may help you when it comes to lifting boxes, but what about chasing your kids around the park or climbing stairs? If you only focus on one aspect of your fitness, the other parts will decline.

Functional training focuses all four pillars of fitness:

• Cardiovascular endurance
• Muscular strength
• Muscular endurance
• Flexibility

The movements used in functional training workouts aren't designed to help you pack on the muscle or develop a lean, sleek physique. They will make you stronger and help you burn fat, but their goal is a bit different: they're there to help you move through your life more efficiently.

All of the movements enhance the mobility and flexibility of your joints as they build strength and stamina. They hit your cardiovascular system and make your heart and lungs work more efficiently. And they focus on muscular endurance as much as they focus on strength. You're never working just one plane of motion (think the direct "up and down" of a bench press), but instead working your muscles from as many angles as possible.

This is done to ensure that you have the muscular and cardiovascular capacity for any type of physical activity. Functional training will help you be as effective at cleaning your garage as you are at lifting boxes or deadlifting a barbell. It develops the muscles you use in your everyday activities, helping you to be a more effective athlete and person overall.

The beauty of functional training is that you'll never get bored of it. The movements change from week to week or even workout to workout, and you hit your muscles in a brand new way every time. This not only leads to better overall muscular performance, but it also prevents attrition and boredom — the worst enemy of any workout. You'll find that it's a highly effective way to not just get in shape, but to help you move more efficiently through your life.

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