Exercise vs Training
Im sure if you have ever know or met an athlete of any level they will tell you they were at training today or talk about how they train for their sport. Im also sure when you have hung out with friends who are not athletes and your conversation at some point involved them saying I went to an exercise class, I exercised for like a hour the other day or I have a hard time getting my exercise in.
Whats the difference? Well there is a monumental difference between the two. In this article we talk about the difference between training and exercise. Do not get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with either. I encourage both because we know either is better than sitting on your ass. But there are fundamental differences between someone who trains and someone who exercises.
Fist we must look at the definition of the two terms. A simple definition of training is “ the action of teaching a person or animal a particular skill or type of behaviour.”(Oxford language dictionary) The standard definition of exercise is “an activity requiring physical effort, carried out to sustain or improve health and fitness.” (Oxford language dictionary). These two definitions show us that based on definition alone there is a difference. Next we must look at intent based on those definitions. What is your intent? What are your goals? Why are you doing anything at all? Intent has a lot to do with whether you are training or exercising.
Lets talk exercise first. When you are simply just exercising normally your intent is to either have fun participating in a say Zumba class while getting your physical activity requirements in. Exercise makes you healthy. It makes you feel better mentally and physically and gives you a sense of achievement. To be quite honest. This is most people. Most people fall into this category. And like I said there is nothing wrong with this. This is a great way to approach you health and well being.
As we know various organizations have recommendations on how much “exercise” you should get on a weekly basis. As a fitness professional I can tell you most if not all the recommendations are false. They are not enough. They give you a bare minimum amount which most people take at face value too much. “I got my 30 minutes of walking and jogging in yesterday so I’m good.” Unfortunately its not so simple.
You can get your 30 minutes in but if you do not eat right, get enough sleep and reduce stress, 30 minutes is nothing. This is where “exercise” fails most people. Because it is so generic it is not all encompassing of health and well being. It is a small part. And because organizations such as Health Canada throw out recommendations all willy nilly without explaining that 30 minutes means nothing without proper diet, sleep and other mental health and stress reducing measures most people will go by day to day trying to get in the minimum while skimping out on the other areas.
This is where “exercise” is flawed in my opinion. It gives us a false sense of security. For some it allows us to slack off in other areas because we feel like we got it in. There is very little intent. The goals are limited and some people do it just because, which does not give you a motivational factor to continue. For these reasons you can see why most people fail with generic exercise routines. They do it for a few weeks or months and fall off. Like I said and will continue to say there is nothing wrong with simply exercising. Many people become fit, strong and live healthy long life from simply exercising. But for the majority that’s not the case.
Now let's look at training. Training is as defined above the action of teaching a person a particular skill or type of behaviour. This to me is a key component to health and wellness. Like I have said fitness and health is all encompassing. You can work out like a complete animal in the gym but if you are not eating right, getting enough sleep, reducing stress, stretching, taking personal time and many more, those hours in the gym going hard are often wasted and can lead to injury burnout and many other chronic conditions.
When someone trains there is a clear goal. One of the key aspects of training is that the individual has set a specific purpose or intention for that session and has clear and concise long term and short term health and fitness goals. For example, as I write this piece I have finished completing my rehab for an Achilles tendon surgery I had in 2020. I am now training again for specific goals. Im in the gym daily and sometimes twice a day preparing for my long term goal of returning to professional mixed martial arts competition. My short term goal however is bringing my body weight down, sharpening my skills to pre surgery level and increase my general strength and conditioning. While this seems like a lofty amount of goals in reality it provides clarity. I know what to look forward to in the short term and long term and I can structure my training sessions to reach this goal.
How can I do this? Well when you are training you have a specific goal for that session. I don’t wander in mindlessly into the gym expecting to just get a good workout in. Here is another great example. The past few weeks I have struggled very much with my grappling and Brazilian jujitsu. Since the surgery and the pandemic I have struggled to get in regular grappling training. So my timing, execution and skills are not sharp. I was getting swept , caught in submissions and my energy was fading very quickly. So when I walk into the gym for Brazilian jujitsu training I’m not simply walking in to get a good session in. I pick one of the areas I’m struggling with so for example this week I picked execution. Executing moves, sweeps, and transitions was my goal. Thankfully I was able to meet them.
When you train, there is intent behind every training session. You have small micro goals within each session you try to achieve in order to build yourself towards those short and long term goals. This is the fundamental difference between Training and exercising. This applies to all areas of fitness not just sport. If your training for weight loss when you put together your weekly routine and you say ok today I’m training to burn as many calories as I can within an hour using a circuit style workout and limiting my rest times. This approach has clear intent and directly prepares you for your short term and long term weight loss goals.
Training also as in its definition includes behaviour. When you have clear goals and visions training helps shape your day to day behaviours. All of a sudden you're eating habits, sleep, stretching frequency, rest and recovery and water intake all become part of the journey. You begin to do things outside of the gym to increase your performance in the gym and help you reach your goals faster. A classic example would be a 30 or 40 day challenge that many people participate in. Often these challenges have an exercise component and diet and nutrition component. They are often geared to weight loss and give the person a clear goal. Because the goal and intent are set each session becomes a step closer. This is why people like to participate in these. It gives them a goal, a community and lets them train!
As an athlete myself there has been a shift in my mindset over the last 2 years. I was always focused solely on training. Goals were set. However there is a downfall to too much training. Being too hyper focused on your goals for a period of time longer than a few months can really lead to so some unhealthy behaviours. Some of those include overtraining and mental burnout. This is why over the last 2 years I’ve shifted the way I train clients and the way I train myself. Even though we have goals and we're focused on getting to them relentlessly sometimes the body just wants to exercise. Sometimes the mind just wants to play. If you love to train then I encourage you to slot an exercise session in once every week or 2. Go play a pickup game of basketball with your friends. Take a dance class. Go for a swim or bike ride. Cross train is the correct term. Use other modalities to still keep you on track but keep things exciting and avoid overtraining and mental burnout. If those things don’t interest you and you still want to workout go to the gym but workout with no real intention. Do exercises that make you feel good and you are good at. Have fun. Keep the intensity low and just enjoy the time. Simply exercising is a great way to keep you on track to your training goals. They work hand in hand.
To sum this piece up I want you to Train! I want you to pick specific long term and short term goals. Put together a plan of action and go train! But remember training is all encompassing. Account for your sleep, diet, stress etc. Try not to live day to day just to meet basic exercise goals and requirements. Give yourself a sense of purpose when it comes to your health. Like I said there is nothing wrong with simply exercising. But if you truly want to be the best version of yourself training is the way to go!
