Greetings Wellness Warriors! Last month I wrote about a couple of confusing terms in the world of wellness. Today, I am back with another post hoping to properly define and reduce confusion around some fitness terms.
There are loads of blogs and sites and YouTube channels out there dedicated to fitness content. And since that is my area of expertise, I am looking to get back to it in the next year, too. #thanks2020 But some of these sites talk about training, some talk about exercise, and some talk about both. It can be difficult to parse which program might be right for you or what advice to follow.
Generally speaking training refers to any type of movement that is meant to target shorter term goals. Shorter term goals are typically something that you would want to accomplish within the next year. These goals are also usually more specific than longer term goals.
Because of the nature of shorter term goals, we usually associate them with athletes. Athletes, particularly those involved in high level sport, work in terms of a competitive calendar. In other words a runner who competes in marathons bases training off their competition schedule.
Most marathons take place in the fall (The Boston Marathon being a big exception). So these athletes spend the winter and early part of the spring working on rehabbing injuries if necessary, working towards a good strength base, and correcting any gait issues. In the spring, they work on increasing their mileage and improvements to their cardiovascular capacity. During the summer their goals are to maintain, if not increase mileage, and work on increasing their aerobic and anaerobic power.
In the biz, we call this training periodization. The athlete has a specific goal in mind that they want to accomplish within a time frame (or competitive season). In the case of our runner, maybe it’s setting a new PR. They move in different ways (running, obviously, strength training, stretching, cross training activities, etc.), but each single workout session has the ultimate goal of helping them achieve that personal record.
On the other end of the spectrum is exercise. Exercise generally refers to any type of movement that is meant for longer term goals or to maintain physical health. Just because the goals are longer term doesn’t mean that they aren’t specific, it just means that they aren’t something someone is going to achieve (and then stop working on, or take a scheduled rest from) in a finite period of time.
An individual who wants to decrease their reliance on medication for high blood pressure would fall under this category. Movement, especially movement that is cardiovascular in nature, has been proven as a good method for helping control blood pressure. Although, newer research suggests that strength training and other types of movement can be equally beneficial.
The goal of this individual might be to reduce the dosage of their medication. But it will take the body awhile to adjust from a physiological standpoint. There is no hard end point for a goal like this, unlike our marathon runner who competes on a certain date. However, this person is still working, via movement, towards this goal.
Additionally, this type of exercise goal does not require certain types of movement be done at certain times or in certain orders. Again, unlike our marathon runner who needs to manage a complex training schedule. This individual can pick and choose the types of movement that appeal to them, and will therefore keep them exercising regularly. As long as movement occurs very regularly, they body should be able to achieve the goal with time.
Now, I have given two fairly extreme examples to illustrate my broader point. If you have a very definite goal that you want to accomplish in a short time, you are looking more towards training type programs. And you should be searching using that term. If your goal is broader or you don’t have a hard end date, you are talking more about exercise or general fitness type programs. And again, you should be searching using those terms.
It is also important to understand that these are not mutually exclusive. Training for something specific does not mean you should ignore your long term physical health. In fact, especially when you are training at a high level, injuries are a thing. And those will affect your physical body long after you cross a finish line. In the same vein, you can be trying to manage your long term health and want a jolt of motivation. Maybe training for a 5K would do that.
Regardless of where you fall on the spectrum or what your individual goals are, training is movement that is directed towards a very specific goal and exercise is movement that helps maintain the long term health of your physical body.
What are your current movement goals? Tell us in the comments and until next time, be well friends!
