Gyms… group classes… workout videos…HIIT, 30 minutes on the treadmill then end with a few sets of sit ups…
Great workouts, calories burnt and clothes drenched in sweat.
Pretty common regardless if you’re in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Melaka or anywhere else in the world right?
But…
Why is it that… nothing much had changed when looking in the mirror or looking down the waist even after weeks or months of grinds perhaps?
The words “workout” and “training” are often thrown around when some form of physical exercise is done in gyms or parks at some intensity level to fulfill outcomes such as calorie burn, fatigue, muscle pump or working up a sweat.
But is there an actual differentiation between the usage of the word “training” by some individuals over the majority who are just so used to saying “working out”?
Could it be more than just a personal language preference?
The answer is a big YES and here are the three key differentiators you need to take note of if 2022 was going to be the year that you finally experience a breakthrough in your pursuit of better fitness, strength, endurance or movement.
1. Fun vs. Science
Just imagine being able to get your hands on 10 different fitness equipments in all shapes and sizes while exploring 15 different exercises in a HIIT group class, or maybe rocking a spin bike to the latest K-pop beats…
That’s what workouts are for. It’s curated to make fitness fun and approachable which is crucial for most people to not only get into it, but to keep it going as a way of life.
On the contrary, a session deemed as “training”, might just leave you with less than 5 exercises in an one hour session! Why is that?
In trainings, variety no longer takes the front seat as outcomes such as muscular growth, strength or power gain requires certain exercise science principles to dictate what needs to be done in a given time.
This entirely different approach could take someone who’s used to the constant fast paced HIIT training… out of the game!
In fact, many of our personal training clients had to be coachable enough to let go of what they’re used to and adopt a new perspective towards their time spent in the gym!
2. Randomised vs. Structured
Any great workout programme can be crafted by just about any fitness instructors that have the basic knowledge and experience in equipment usage and exercise vocabulary.
Burpees, squat jumps, mountain climbers, high knees… Three rounds of 40 seconds each.
Sounds familiar? In fact, if you chop and change the order of the exercises, it is still going to be a challenging and fun workout, given that your fitness instructor is there to cheer you on.
But when it comes to training, a well thought out programme is always going to be stringently based on variables such as sets and reps ranges, rest period, exercise selection and sequence, load (weight) and tempo which are all heavily determined by an individual’s fitness goal, training age, physical and health condition and training splits.
At times, our personal training clients might even be told to take a mandatory 2 days off just because a well structured program could be quite taxing on the central nervous system, that anything excess, will do more harm than good!
3. Maintenance vs. Results
Through working out, you are bound to experience positive changes in body shape and performance which is a lot more prominent for newcomers to fitness. We call it the “newbie gain”.
But the human body being a super efficient adaptation mechanism will bring about the biggest enemy of all time to any fitness enthusiasts out there who wish to strive for more, it is the curse of “plateau”.
There will be nothing more that you can achieve other than constantly in a maintenance mode. And that’s when you should start “training” instead of “working out”. Just like a result oriented athlete—they train for a competition, they don’t workout for it because striving for more is the name of the game.
With a great training program devised by an experienced and skilled personal trainer will allow you to see a series of predictable growth in a timely and controlled manner.
Now, that’s when you will be more motivated to pay even more attention to every pull, push, every meal and every hour you clock in for your sleep.
Conclusion:
As Einstein once said,
Repeating the same thing expecting different results is insanity.
You now have the full awareness of what can be done instead so that you won’t be left feeling frustrated time after time and potentially harm your body as accumulated amounts of stress from excessive workouts can lead to injuries, muscle loss and hormonal imbalance.
Now you have the ability to identify what serves you best in your fitness journey, so take the necessary action to make it a good one.
Should you require a personalized training program to fit the complexity of your goal, training experience, struggles and requirements, our team of elite personal trainers are here to help.
Or if you’ve already founded a training program and would like to get our feedbacks, we will be more than happy to do so.