Functional Fitness and Training Your Body for Real Life
- Brainz Magazine
- Aug 20
- 5 min read
Written by Victoria Marr, Co-Founder of Sleek Technique
Well known as the creators of the Sleek Technique method and establishing it as the first online dance fitness business in the UK, Victoria and Flik have a wealth of expertise in the health and fitness industry. Seamlessly blending the benefits of ballet with mainstream fitness they help women across the globe achieve their fitness goals.
Before the days of Instagram and weekly wellness trends, there was functional fitness. It isn’t a trend; it’s a philosophy that has been around for generations. Simply put, functional fitness is exercise that mimics the movements we use in daily life and prepares our bodies to function better day to day. Unlike many traditional gym training methods that often isolate muscles or focus on aesthetics, functional fitness uses movements that translate directly into how we live. Think lifting groceries, climbing stairs, or playing with your kids, functional training prepares your body to do it all more efficiently and with less risk of injury.
What is functional fitness?
Functional fitness educates your body in movement patterns: push, pull, hinge, squat, rotate, and carry. One session could string together bodyweight exercises, kettlebell swings, work with resistance bands, and balance drills. Overall, what you are aiming for is a strong body that moves well and doesn’t get injured in real life.
The benefits
Improved everyday strength
You’ll find that you are able to exert more strength with less effort, like moving a heavy load of shopping or furniture. It feels easier and smoother because your body is trained to work as an integrated system, rather than a couple of muscles hoping for assistance from nearby counterparts.
Better balance and coordination
Many functional exercises challenge stability, which improves proprioception and reduces the risk of falls, especially important as we age.
Injury prevention
Functional fitness strengthens stabilizing muscles and joints by mimicking natural movements and reinforcing proper mechanics, reducing the likelihood of strain.
Enhanced mobility and flexibility
Functional exercises generally include a wide range of motion, which improves joint health and reduces stiffness.
Holistic conditioning
Rather than focusing on aesthetics alone, this style of training builds endurance, agility, and power—helping you feel better, not just look better.
Sleek technique: Where elegance meets function
As someone who has come from a professional dance background, I have always had a love for movement and fitness. But my artist brain gets bored with repetitive farmer carries, squats, and lunges. Offstage, as a busy working mum, my reasons for staying in shape quickly changed, but my need to keep moving in a more creative way never did. Creating Sleek Technique was our way to satisfy both those requirements. Sleek in action is a great example of both artistic and functional fitness. It combines the conditioning of ballet with elements of modern fitness to bring a unique approach to strength and functional movement training. Our workouts are online, so women everywhere, regardless of location, can work out alongside us and achieve the same freedom, ease of movement, and feeling of gracefulness in the way they move their bodies. Sleek is an elegant form of functional fitness in action, and women in over 75 countries around the world now Sleek with us to stay fit and strong in a creative way.
How and why this form of fitness is effective
Balance and core strength
Ballet-inspired movements place emphasis on length and correct spinal alignment, as well as strength (particularly in our core) and stability, all of which directly transfer to the balance and coordination necessary in daily life.
Posture and joint health
With its emphasis on lengthening through the spine and controlled mobility, Sleek Ballet Fitness helps counteract the postural strains of sitting and screen time, making standing taller, walking, and carrying yourself with ease feel natural again.
Functional patterns with grace
In a barre or ballet fitness class, you work on multiple planes of motion, improving hip mobility and joint stability. These moves mirror the functional fitness principle of training patterns, not parts—only with a Sleek, dance-like flow.
Low-impact but highly effective
While challenging, ballet fitness is a low-impact workout. Think of the benefits of high-intensity exercise without the disadvantageous impact on your knees. This also leads to more longevity.
Fusing ballet artistry with fitness functionality, Sleek Ballet Fitness is not only sculpting lean lines—it is crafting a body that is strong, supple, and balanced for life.
How to incorporate functional fitness into your training
You don’t need to overhaul your entire workout routine, just infuse it with intentional, functional moves. Here are a few ways we integrate functional fitness into our Sleek Ballet Bootcamp Workouts:
Start with bodyweight basics
Along with pliés, fondues, and arabesques, we mix in exercises like squats, lunges, and planks. These are foundational functional moves that teach your body to move efficiently and under control.
Add multi-planar movements
Life doesn’t happen in a straight line. Add in some functional movements, such as rotations, lateral lunges, or diagonal reaches, to ready the body for real-world motion.
Train with props
Add some weights, resistance bands, or medicine balls. These items are great because they also duplicate uneven loads on the body.
Mix stability and strength
Perform exercises on one leg or using unstable surfaces to enhance balance while engaging core strength.
Think in patterns, not parts
Rather than an "arm day" or a "leg day," think in terms of movement patterns and make sure you mix it up. Include push, pull, hinge, squat, and rotate.
Make it progressive
Begin simply and increase complexity gradually, adding weight, instability, or speed challenges as your body adapts.
The takeaway
Functional fitness has nothing to do with looking perfect in the mirror and everything to do with creating a body that works for you, not just within the four walls of the gym, but everywhere else too. Whether you are an athlete, a parent, or just want to live in a body that feels as young as you do, functional training and solutions like Sleek Ballet Fitness are a beautiful way to achieve strong, supple well-being. If you are interested in moving your body in a functional yet artistic way, you can trial all of the workouts and programs by Sleek Technique HERE.
Read more from Victoria Marr
Victoria Marr, Co-Founder of Sleek Technique
After 20 years at the top of the professional dance world, Victoria and Flik brought their combined expertise in dance and fitness together and pioneered the first online dance fitness business in the UK. Laying the groundwork for many others to follow, they continue to bring creative, effective fitness to women everywhere regardless of location.
