Exercise Vs. Training
In today’s fitness world there are many options to choose from. There are programs that are awesome, pathetic, and everything in between. Decades ago most cities and towns only offered “Big Box Gyms” as an option. Over the last decade there has been an explosion of personal training, studios, functional fitness gyms, yoga studios, cycle studios, and sport specific facilities. This has helped cultivate a competitive market, and at the same time it has confused many customers as to what their goal is with fitness.
We will first attempt to define exercise and training. Ask 10 different fitness professionals and you will get 10 different answers. For our sake we will define exercise as planned physical activity performed for various reasons. Each individual may have a different reason for exercising that may include, but not limited to : weight loss, increased energy, increased immune function, improved overall health (Decreased Blood Pressure/Decreased Cholesterol/Decreased Stress/Decreased body fat), or just to look better naked.
We will define training as planned physical activity to improve a performance of some aspect. Your performance may improve your Spartan Race finish position, half marathon time, powerlifting total, clean and jerk, and your snatch. Others may choose to train to improve their performance in team sports of their choosing.
The Million Dollar Question
Should I be exercising or training?
The answer to this question is different for every individual. Exercising and Training do not have to be mutually exclusive. However the answer to this question is an important one in order to find success in your chosen program. If you want your performance to continually to improve and you are only exercising then you will typically reach the point of diminishing returns and become flustered. If you only want to exercise for any of the previous mentioned reasons then haphazardly jumping into group fitness classes that are pushing performance may increase your risk of injury.
At RISE and CrossFit Pineville we are driven to offer programs that are adaptable to individuals who are interested in exercising, training, or anything in between. Our trainers are trained to help every individual member “Find their pace”. The greatest thing we can offer to every client is the understanding of how to approach a single exercise, an entire workout, a week or month of classes to achieve the desired results. We take great pride in not offering a “One Size Fits All Routine”.
Dr. Warren
