Training vs. Exercise - What’s the Difference? And Why Does it Matter?
When it comes to fitness, it’s common to hear different terms thrown around. Workouts, exercise, training, all are different ways to describe what you do in the gym, outside, at home, or whatever you’re doing to stay active. We’ve all heard that you should be exercising on a regular basis for a whole host of health reasons, yet when it comes down to actual tactics, you may read articles, or follow coaches who talk about training sessions.
They sound like the same thing right? Well, they aren’t.
Training is different from exercise, and it’s important to differentiate between the two, and make sure you approach things with the right intentions. Exercise can be any form of movement. A run, a hike, lifting weights, Crossfit, going for a swim, anything that keeps you moving and gets your heart rate up can be considered exercise. While just about any exercise is going to be beneficial in some way, simply “exercising” usually gets you mediocre results at best. That’s like heading out on a cross-country road trip with no map. Eventually you’ll reach the other side of the country, but it may take a lot longer than it should. The word training on the other hand is often used by athletes.
People might say they are training for a race, training for a game, or whatever the case may be, but in reality all of us should be training when it comes to our exercise. Training means you have a plan to follow - this is your roadmap. Is your goal to sweat, or improve? Here’s the thing, just about anyone can figure out a way to move around and sweat, and technically this could be called exercise. But, what are you going to do in your next workout? How about next month’s workouts, or even next week? If you can’t answer that question, you’re probably just exercising, when in reality, you should be training with a specific plan designed to suit your goals.
That right there is the difference - training is planned, and designed to help you improve and make progress over time. There is a rhyme and reason to things, and you know that if you follow the plan, you should be able to see measurable and mostly predictable improvements. With a random exercise session, you have no idea what’s going on, and it’s very hard to see if you’re actually improving. You may feel good, but that doesn’t mean anything. If you’ve been a regular at a gym, you’ve probably seen those people doing the exact same workouts week after week, month after month. They seemingly use the same weight every week, and they never really change how they look, despite being consistent with their exercise.
The people who do random workouts or repeat workouts with no specific plans to improve are exercising, not training. Now, have you ever seen the person who makes a dramatic change in a few months? They probably have a notebook, or a plan on their phone, or something they are following. They enter the gym with intention, execute the plan, most likely do a good job with nutrition and recovery, and those people make progress. It’s in your best interest to have a solid training plan. Work with a coach, find a good plan to follow, or do a lot of research and create your own. Whichever option you choose, having a set training plan is going to give you significantly better results than just walking into the gym a few times a week and doing what’s comfortable, and what you feel like doing at the time.
Most of us tend to prefer things that are easy and familiar, and if you only do that, you’re never going to improve. It’s not fun to work on our weaknesses, so more often than not, we’ll avoid them. A good training plan will make sure your workouts are well-rounded, and designed to help you improve week after week. It will give you what you need, not what you want. If you prefer just doing what feels good, with no real plan, and getting your sweat on just to say you’ve exercised, there’s nothing wrong with that! You’re probably getting some health benefits.
But if you want to see measurable changes and improvements in strength, performance, and body composition, it’s in your best interest to find and follow a well-designed training program. If you’re unsure of where to start, our team specializes in creating custom training programs specifically tailored to you.
Head over here to check out our services and get in touch!