Listen to your joints: A revolutionary fitness philosophy challenges Czech norms

People in Czechia are devoting more and more time to fitness. Gym visits are on an upward trend and surveys suggest that Czechs work out more than most Europeans, ranking in the top ten EU nations for regular exercise. Yet Czechs are also becoming more overweight; around a fifth of the population suffer from obesity and 45 percent of men are overweight.

As more people exercise, there's one crucial question: are we doing it right? In an age of homemade influencers and self-appointed experts, it can be hard to know whether the exercises and fitness routines you see recommended online really work – or whether they’re actually healthy for your specific body.

A new fitness method, pioneered in North America and now a global phenomenon, aims to solve this uncertainty. Functional Range Systems started small in Czechia, but now the number of practitioners is booming. Expats.cz spoke with Patrik Schröder, one of the original Czech exponents of the methodology, to find out more.

The principle of the Functional Range Systems (FRS) approach is revolutionary yet deceptively simple, and it has profound implications for how we view our bodies. The fundamental shift in perspective is about how we conceive of our muscles and their role in the body.