CLEVELAND -- When it comes to exercise, for many of us just finding the time to do it is a challenge.

But you might be surprised to learn that if you're relying on machines to get you fit, you might be wasting your time, reported NewsChannel5's Lee Jordan.

Sleek machine engineered to make working your individual muscle groups a little easier have been standards in the fitness industry for decades.

But sitting down to get your workout might not be giving you the workout you think it is.

The leg extension machine is a good example.

"Machines like this are very important if you're in a rehab situation and need to work specific muscle groups or joint; it's an easy way to get started if you're going machine to machine, get into habit. But what we're moving to is called functional training," said Nate Turner, of Peak Performance.

Turner was Lance Armstrong's strength and conditioning coach, and now trains athletes at Peak Performance in Broadview Heights.

He knows a lot about functional training, which he said is training that involves multiple muscle groups, lots of joints, keeps you on your feet, and has a lot more to do with how we live our daily lives.

Even the Cleveland Gladiators arena football team is using functional training concepts, which employ simple devices such as resistance bands, free weights and balance balls.

The dumbbell chest press could replace several machines for the chest and back.

Key values to keep in mind for functional training stress that you keep moving through your workout and stay on your feet. Mix things up to have more fun.

It can also make a big difference to go for shorter, more intense workouts, as opposed to longer, slower workouts.

"If I put you on elliptical or treadmill for 20 minutes, vary intensity to work really hard then recover, you'll burn calories during the workout, but after workout, for as long as 24 hours, your metabolism is struggling to get back to normal and you'll burn a lot of calories from fat during that period that a slower workout on a treadmill won't ask you to burn," Turner said.

For more information, go to www.peakperformancecenter.com.