What’s the difference between exercise and training I hear you ask
Same thing no?
Or for some of you this may mean that one applies to a sport rather than for health
Some may take it closer towards a definition of a more goal driven meaning
I’m reading a great book, first written a fair while ago…but that has stood the test of time
Updated regularly so it’s still current in its ideas & content
And even though the title is ‘Practical Programming for Strength Training’ By Mark Rippetoe & Andy Baker,
It applies to every aspect of personal training… from fat loss, to sports performance, to body composition change, to motivation and mindset
And of course to strength
I should have read this book when i started as there are so many take homes
But I want to start (yes there will be others i’m sure) with the premise of the book, which is training
And the main difference it identifies from exercise
Training is something a personal trainer provides.. Hence the name & hence why I am writing about it!
Or group training provides (again hence the name)
Training is the continued application of planned further stresses to your body over time (more weight, more reps, faster times, further distance) with the outcome of adaptation to those stresses ( build muscle, lose fat, improved motor recruitment of muscles) & subsequent improvement the targeted response (stronger, fitter, faster)
Here is a direct quote (don’t sue me)
So there you have the books definition
And this is the way, the service I provide differs from a bootcamp, spin class, legs tums and bums right along to zumba
And to be fair for SOME people…anything that gets you moving is good…so i am NOT belittling these things .. not even zumba….. althooouuuggh
However, the training aspect here is in my opinion what gets better and longer lasting results
It instils a drive towards a goal
Provides better motivation
Is measurable, so you can see and monitor progress and make adjustments when required
You become more of an expert or at least more knowledgeable in the task at hand, more of a vested interest therefore more adherence, more drive again better outcome
Exercise is great, it provides that buzz, it might be a bit more fun / random / different…. and I have no problem with this being PART of a training regime
But to JUST do exercise
With nothing to measure progress
Just as a form of burning calories
For immediate feelings, sweating, stresses, having done something… ‘Punching the physical clock’ to coin a phrase in the book
Doesn’t result in long term change
Exercising becomes easier as you practise those sessions, and therefore you become more efficient…and guess what..
You burn less calories as you don’t have to work as hard… but because you don’t really have a measure (other than ‘out of breathiness’) you aren’t progressively moving forward
‘’But I’m not an athlete / i don’t want to get stronger / i don’t care about being fitter… just feeling better’’
Cool…i get this, not everyone enjoys seeing what kind of heavy weight they can lift from the floor or how many times they can move something overhead or any other warped measure of ‘fitness’!
This is not a dig at doing exercise classes, or at you for enjoying the sessions you take at the gym
This is just a heads up, that at some point if you want better results
If you want to progress beyond a plateau
If you want to make some longer lasting changes
Then you need to start thinking in terms of training rather than exercise
Getting some process goals rather than outcome based goals
If you are working on the process:
I want to hit the gym 3 times a week for a month and squat
I want to increase my squat to 100kg
I want to hit 3 sets of 10 reps with 100kg in the squat
Then there will most definitely be an improvement over that period of time
Rather than:
‘I’m going to go to as many classes as possible before my holiday to lose ‘some’ weight’
It may seem like a bit of an over complicated, specific for gymshark vest wearing /’beast mode’ or sweaty Instagram selfie gym goers
But it’s applicable to each and everyone looking to make a change
And if you still do the things you enjoy, the exercises you like, the ones that got you started
Then the outcome will be a better one
The post Training V Exercise – when is a workout one and not the other? appeared first on My Fitness Pro.