Training vs Working Out
Exercise and training are synonymous to most people.
The problem is that not understanding the difference between the two could be the difference between achieving and not achieving your fitness goals.
The difference is found in the intention. If you have a specific goal, it’s crucial that you know the difference between exercise and training so that you can apply them accordingly to your fitness endeavours.
In the following post I break down the differences between the two and how you can use training to reach your fitness goals.
What is Exercise?
Exercise is activity performed for the effect it produces today - right now. Each workout is performed for the purpose of producing a stress that meets the immediate needs of the exerciser. For most, the purpose of exercise is to break a sweat and burn calories for the larger goal of improving general health.
What’s is training?
Training is physical activity performed for the purpose of satisfying a long-term performance goal. Training isn’t limited to certain occupations or sports. Bodybuilders train, powerlifters train and hikers train as well.
Training has a clear end goal that requires certain metabolic changes that, over time, yield a specific type of accumulated physiological adaptation. For example, if my end goal is to win a bodybuilding show, my training would involve executing a hypertrophy training program along with an appropriate diet to lose fat and maintain or grow muscle mass.
What’s the difference between the two?
The key difference between exercise and training is found within the intention in which it proceeds. An intense workout without a clear end goal is just exercise - not training.
This difference matters because most people begin exercising with the intention of reaching a fitness goal. For example, gaining muscle, losing weight, being able to run a certain distance, etc. However, without a sustainable plan to get you there, you will likely end up running in circles and not reaching your goal because your workouts are not done with intention.
How does this apply to you?
If your goal is to be generally active and healthy, then exercise will likely be good enough for you. The specific way of exercising in this case can be highly varied. For example, you can bike, hike, walk, run, lift weights, etc. All that matters is that you get moving for a couple of hours each week to maintain general health and wellness.
If you have a specific goal like building muscle, improving strength, or climbing a mountain - you need to be training. You need to design and follow a specific plan that accounts for your current state and where you want to be.
