TRAINING FOR HEALTH VS PERFORMANCE
Most people pursue fitness for a multitude of reasons. Whether they are looking to improve their strength, range of motion, make tasks in their life easier, or just to feel better, they can better themselves with the pursuit of improving their health. This becomes crucial even as we age. Maintaining some level of fitness as we age is one of the best ways we can keep harmful age outcomes from occurring. However, that form of exercise is different from training for athletic performance. “Training” and “exercise” are words that are often used interchangeably, but they mean very different things. While exercise is a more encompassing term, it refers to a more general pool of movements and modalities. Whereas “training” refers to more specific planning, purposes, and movements to reach a desired goal. Let’s discuss how and what each one is and how they fit your goals.
The Strength Training Example
Let’s use strength training as an example. If you were to start doing resistance exercises of any form, the goal would ultimately be to get physically stronger, improve range of motion, and increase your work capacity. This could be done with just a few sessions a week of about 30-45 minutes at a time. You would pick exercises that target the upper and lower body as well as core musculature. You would also need to follow some sort of exercise plan. When a coach or trainer makes a plan for you, they will design something that aligns with your goals. If you want to improve your strength output, then they will design the program to build towards increasing the number on the barbell or using heavier implements. They may also add movements that challenge your range of motion with pauses and holds in certain positions. The point here is that this type of exercise is non-specific in nature and can be done at any time. There’s no specific end time or point where you stop necessarily. It is something you do as part of your life to keep you feeling better and confident.
How is This Different from “Training”?
Training is when a coach or trainer designs a plan that is driven by building towards a specific outcome or performance standard. The way this is done is through a style of program planning called periodization. This process includes using exercise variations that follow a plan from general qualities to specific movement patterns in a sport or performance setting. For example, someone may use squatting, bench pressing, and deadlifting to get stronger, although a powerlifter who competes in those movements will use them in a training plan to prepare for a competition. Their coach will design a training plan to prepare them to lift as much weight as they possibly can on competition day. Lifting as much as possible is like sprinting at max speed; it is not sustainable for long periods of time, and if you try to, there is a risk of injury. This is not intended to scare anyone; it's a reminder that performance is not necessarily a health standard but more of a temporary high point achieved by pushing our physical limits. That is why a coach will plan for you to hit these training peaks only a few times every couple months or so. It is all about the design of the program and executing it at the right time.
Follow Your “Why”
The pursuit of any of your fitness goals should follow your purpose, your “why”. If that goal is to be more fit, feel better, make life feel easier then pursuing a good exercise routine will help you tremendously, but if you want to reach a specific goal or outcome then consider a training plan or using a periodization model. In either situation, you can book an assessment with one of our coaches here at PFP and get started!