Working Out vs. Training

There’s a serious distinction that needs to be understood between simply working out and the idea of training that we teach here.

When someone says, “I have to go workout.” What do they mean? Is it that they feel a sense of guilt for the Chili’s appetizer sampler they called lunch that day and see the treadmill as an appropriate tool of repentance, or is it that they are fulfilling a commitment they’ve made to themselves to improve their own health/fitness/performance level?

It’s the difference between using your time in a reactionary way and being proactive in the way you approach your fitness?

“Oh no!! I gained 5 lbs this weekend!” or “WHAT?!? I can’t fit into these jeans anymore!” Do not let yourself get into the pattern of waiting until you fall behind, reacting and spinning your wheels in frustration at the gym simply to get back to where you started, get distracted and fall back down again.

Train instead. Find inspiration in your performance. Set yourself a goal in which you’re actively involved. Maybe it’s to develop your long distance endurance, so your primary mode of training is to set progressively longer and longer distance goals. Maybe your goal is power, so you practice moving loads through space with ever increasing speed and efficiency. Very possibly your goal will have something to do with your kids or family; keeping up in a back yard soccer game, toting around a little ‘un that can’t possibly be growing as fast as he/she actually is!

I don’t care what it is. More to the point, it doesn’t really matter so long as you have one. Set yourself a progressive goal and gear your training around it. When you go to the gym or the park, you have a goal set firmly in mind. You’re an athlete. Athletes have to train in order to improve their performance. Once you do improve, once you hit that goal, it should automatically evolve to challenge you again. Shave another 5 seconds off your mile. Lift another 15lbs. Last another inning with the kids.

In this way you keep progressing, you keep improving. Until he retired, when did Magic Johnson ever get worse or lose his conditioning? Never, because he was in training the whole time and probably never just worked out the entire time. Stay ahead of your game. Be proactive. Set your goals and get involved.