Working Out and Training – What’s the Difference?

For many people, working out is something they have to do and not necessarily something they want to do. It’s often a task people feel is important, so they spend hours each week mindlessly “working out” on the treadmill watching the news or comedy show reruns.

On the flip side, there are many who think training is only for the serious athlete or someone getting ready to run a triathlon.

Because we want you to succeed with your health and wellness goals, we look at working out and training and what’s the difference.

Defining Working Out

If you’re wondering if you’re simply working out, take a look at this checklist and ask yourself if this is you:

• Your weekly workouts have no structure.
• You have a predictable exercise routine, but you don’t really feel like you’re getting anywhere.
• There is no goal. In other words, you aren’t working toward anything specific. It may even be that your goal is far-reaching such working out to “get fit,” “lose weight,” or “burn calories.”
• Your workouts are so mind-numbing that you have to use television to fight the boredom.
• While you know you need to workout, you dread it and treat it as an obligation or something to mark off your to-do list.

Defining Training

First, training isn’t just for competitive athletes. It’s for every one of us who works out to achieve a specific goal. These goals can be anything. Consider the following goals:

• Build strength.
• Lose fat.
• Lift a certain weight.
• Enhance competitive performance.
• Train to climb a mountain.
• Add specific exercises to avoid injury.
• Lose 10 pounds.
• Enhance overall wellness.

When you train, you go about working out in a more structured way. Each exercise has a purpose whether it’s strength, cardio or flexibility. And, each exercise helps you achieve your ultimate goal.

You’ll find that training sessions are more effective overall because they have a purpose. If you’re doing these things, you are most likely training:

• You have a specific goal that you work progressively towards. For example, you gradually increase frequency and intensity.
• Your workout sessions are structured and orderly so that they help you meet your goal.
• You are engaged completely during your workouts and don’t need mindless distractions.

Exercise Works

Whether you’re training or working out, one of the most important things is that you’re doing it. Physical activity of any sort makes you move your body and burn calories. It’s the training that helps you move forward in an orderly, structured manner to meet your goal.

While working out is fine, if you want to step it up, you want to explore your training options. Why?

Training, like working out, is physical activity. But, you train because you have a long-term goal, and you want to meet it. No one can define that goal for you as it’s yours to decide, but a personal trainer can help you meet that goal through the process of training instead of simply working out.

Final Thoughts

So, now that you know the difference between working out and training, you can set the right course for your personal goals. Know that at Apex Personal Training, we are here for you and will help you meet your goals.

We’ll leave you with a thought from Mark Verstegen, founder and president of EXOS, a human performance company, “We all have the same 24 hours a day. The quality of how we choose to use them determines our results.”

Ready to start training for life’s big goals? Contact us today!