It is CONTEST TIME at OPR

All you have to do is:
Participate in our Rehab Clinic and test how strong you are. Details below.
ENTER BY NOVEMBER 30TH 2025

Test your functional strength, weekly!

💪 Functional Strength: The Basics

Functional strength is a type of training that prepares your body for the demands of real life.

So you can:

• stock up on groceries AND carry them safely in from the car
• stoop down by your sofa and fish out the lost earring
• reach for the top shelf boxes of decorations with ease & control

Unlike traditional training, which might isolate a single muscle (like a bicep curl), functional training focuses on exercises that mimic the movements you perform every day, making daily tasks easier, safer, and more efficient.

---

The basic points defining functional strength are:

• Movement Patterns, Not Isolated Muscles: It trains the body to move as a cohesive unit by focusing on fundamental human movement patterns: squatting (sitting down/standing up), hinging (bending to pick something up), pushing (opening a door/getting up off the floor), pulling (lifting groceries/opening a drawer), carrying (a child or bags), and rotating (looking behind you).
• Multi-Joint and Multi-Muscle: Functional exercises, known as compound movements (like a squat or lunge), engage multiple joints and muscle groups simultaneously, reflecting how your body naturally moves.
• Core Stability and Balance: A strong core is the foundation. Functional training emphasizes stability and balance, often using exercises that challenge the body in an unstable environment (e.g., single-leg movements) to improve coordination and prevent falls.
• Multi-Planar Movement: Your daily life doesn’t just involve moving forward and backward (sagittal plane); it also involves side-to-side (frontal plane) and twisting/rotating (transverse plane) movements. Functional training includes all these to prepare you for the unpredictable nature of real-world activities.
• Injury Prevention: By strengthening the stabilizing muscles around your joints and improving movement mechanics, functional training helps correct muscle imbalances and protects you from common injuries during daily tasks.

---

**Ready to enter our Contest?

Here’s what you do:

1️⃣ Follow us on Instagram
2️⃣ Like our post on Instagram here
3️⃣ Complete a Physical Test with our team OR book a physio test – Call us at 647-951-7252 to book now
4️⃣ Post a video of your Physical Test Exercise and tag @vivefitnesslakeshore and @onperformancerehab

**You must be a member of Vive Fitness 24/7 Gyms.

Exercises eligible:
2 minute plank
20 Jumping Jacks
5 Push ups (modified ok)

If you are feeling strong, here is a BONUS exercise to try.
Balance on 1 foot for 30 seconds (for safety, you can be beside wall or sofa)

---

🏃 3 Tips for Improving Functional Strength in Your Everyday Life

You can significantly boost your functional strength without stepping into a gym by consciously adjusting how you perform common activities.

1. Stop “Deadlifting” Your Groceries: When picking up a heavy bag or a child, intentionally practice a proper hip hinge (like a deadlift motion) rather than rounding your back.
   • The Move: Bend at the hips and knees, keep your chest up, and maintain a neutral/flat back. Engage your core as you lift by driving through your heels and squeezing your glutes (buttocks). This teaches you to lift with your powerful leg and hip muscles, not your back, simulating a compound, real-life lift.
2. Practice the Single-Leg Stand (While Brushing Your Teeth): Improving balance and single-leg strength is crucial for walking, climbing stairs, and preventing falls.
   • The Move: When brushing your teeth, stand on one leg for 30–60 seconds, then switch. As you get stronger, try to keep your core engaged and minimize your arm movements, forcing your hips and core to stabilize you. This strengthens the small stabilizing muscles in your feet, ankles, and hips.
3. Use a “Farmer’s Carry” for Luggage and Bags: The farmer’s carry (walking while holding heavy items in each hand) is a highly functional exercise that improves grip strength and core stability.
   • The Move: Instead of carrying one heavy bag on one shoulder, try to carry two lighter bags, one in each hand. Keep your shoulders back and down, stand tall, and walk normally. This challenges your core to stabilize your torso against the unequal or offset weight, mimicking carrying suitcases or weighted bags.

**CONTEST GIVEAWAY!
✨ How strong are you? Test your strength with us. Contest rules below ⬇️

REMEMBER YOU MUST:
1️⃣ Follow us on Instagram
2️⃣ Like our post on Instagram here
3️⃣ Complete a Physical Test with our team OR book a physio test – Call us at 647-951-7252 to book now
4️⃣ Post a video and tag @vivefitnesslakeshore and @onperformancerehab

**You must be a member of Vive Fitness 24/7 Gyms.

GIVEAWAY ($300+ VALUE) ✅

WINNER RECEIVES:
– Protein Gift Basket
– Two 1 hour Physical Therapy Sessions
– Specialized Injury Prevention Program

Contest ends
November 30th

WINNER announced on DECEMBER 15th

**Contest Sponsored by Vive Fitness 24/7 & Ontario Performance Rehab
All members of Vive Fitness gyms are eligible to enter.

Book your Physio Test today‼️🚨

#physiotherapy
#strength
#strengthtraining
#fitness#toronto
#etobicoke#mississauga
#mobility#injury#physio