Well friends and lifters, you have made it to this, the last in my series, of strength training umbrellas. And I saved the hardest to define for last: fitness. I use the term umbrellas to define broad categories, or general goals, that strength trainers tend to go for. These umbrellas can help you make decisions about both overload and modality.
The usual reminders before we dive in… First, you will probably fall under different umbrellas at different times, especially as it pertains to exercise across the lifespan and training for competitive seasons. The umbrella categories represent basic similarities in training goals, however people who fall under the same umbrella may have vastly different routines. As the saying goes, there is more than one way to skin a cat. And lastly, one umbrella isn’t better than any other. Goals are unique to each of us as individuals, so it’s important to move your body in the way that feels right for you.
As I mentioned, I saved the most difficult umbrella for last. We have talked about strength training for health, power, and size and those three umbrellas are relatively straightforward. I mean, of course, there are differences in actual programs under each of these umbrellas. One individual who wants to increase their power might choose to have power focused days during training, while another might spread their power work evenly. Both methods will work just fine for the end goal.
What makes the fitness umbrella so tricky is that the definition tends to be different for each of us. So why in the world did I choose to lump it all together under one umbrella? Why not split them up and go with separate umbrellas? Despite different individual wants, there are enough similarities with lifters who fall in this category.
Generally speaking, lifters here are not necessarily training for one particular goal. That’s not to say they don’t have goals. What I mean is that the goals here tend to be more general. For example, a runner who wants to improve their personal record in a 10K race is going to strength train under the power umbrella. (Remember power is the ability to do work fast.) On the other hand, someone who is just looking to strength training to support running will strength train under the fitness umbrella. They don’t have a specific running goal in mind, so they will work with a general program that will get them off on the right foot (ha, pun!).
Some will train under this umbrella by process of elimination. This can come from two different directions. A person who is an athlete but out of their competitive season may train under the fitness umbrella in order to maintain base strength so that they will be able to train under another umbrella later and closer to competition. Or, sometimes, an individual just has more basic goals that don’t fit neatly under the other umbrellas.
I, myself, tend to train under this umbrella. I have never competed in a sport or at a level where putting on muscle was necessary. (And, truth be told, my genetics allows me to do that fairly easily anyhow.) I am also lucky in that training strictly for health has not been a need, yet. I am relatively young and in good health, with few injuries to worry about. Now, that being said, I always look at my long term (and I mean 10+ years) health as something important. I could train under the power umbrella, but I don’t currently have a power based goal.
So I train under the fitness umbrella. I vary my volume and intensity as I get bored. I tend to enjoy mostly free weight, band, and body weight exercises, although given the right space, I will definitely use larger and more traditional equipment. I do throw power exercises or techniques (like Tabata) in regularly to give my body different stimulus. But, I also love to try new things. Since I am not training for any one sport or event, I have the freedom under the fitness umbrella to change up my strength routine as much as I want.
Training for health tends to be high frequency with lighter intensity. Training for power tends to be higher volume with moderate intensity and training for size is high intensity training. Training under the fitness umbrella can actually be any of these (although not all of them at once). If you find you like the idea of a full body routine, then go high frequency. If you like to lift heavier, then go high intensity.
Most people under the fitness umbrella are, truthfully, trying to reverse engineer their workouts. The other three umbrellas share the feature that you as a lifter are trying to help your body get better at something. Whether it is to rehab an injury or teach your muscles to grow, you are using your strength workouts to achieve those things. With fitness, many individuals here are saying, “I want my body to look like…,”
I’ve said before that there is nothing wrong with that, but genetics will rule the day. I would love to have longer, leaner limbs. But I ain’t built for that. And no amount of high volume donkey kicks will change it. Trust me, I’ve tried. So if you are training with fitness in mind and your overarching goal is based on what you see in the mirror, I’d urge you to have a sub goal or two based on what you can do. For two reasons…
The first reason, is a practical reason. If you have a goal based on what you want to be able to do, it will help you figure out the nitty gritty of your program. For instance, if you want to be able to get stronger, then you are going to focus more on intensity and how much weight you are lifting. If you’d like to be able to keep up with your kids at the playground, then you’ll want to focus more on frequency or volume (being consistent or your number of sets and reps).
The second reason is for your sanity. If your only goal is a body size/shape one, training can become a dangerous downward spiral. Fitness does look different on every body and each of us needs to accept it for our own bodies and individuality before we will see it reflected in society.
As we close this series, it is important to keep in mind that regardless of the number of reps, you should be picking up a weight that is difficult to complete a full set with good form. If you can’t complete a set, the weight is too heavy. If you are breezing through, it’s too light.
And even more basic than that, good form is a must. If you are not using proper form, not only might you be training the wrong muscle, but you might be setting yourself up for injuries. If you have questions, keep in mind that a fitness pro in your area can help you set up your program and coach your form.
Still confused about which umbrella (-ella, ella, eh…. I had to do it once) you fall under? Leave a comment or email me and lemme help!
Until next time, be well, friends!
