Working out vs. Training
I used to workout and I got pretty good results. I had a nice lean body and was more or less able to eat whatever I wanted. My friends would say that I looked good and I didn’t have any fear taking off my shirt.
Now I train and I get great results. My body is a work in progress. I can’t eat what I like anymore and I don’t listen to people when they comment of how I look. I take my shirt off to change and my girlfriend gets more out of the way I look than I do.
What are the differences between working out and training?
Purpose:
People who workout are trying to improve their appearance or some characteristic of their body. It could be to lose a few pounds, to lower cholesterol or normalize their blood pressure. In most cases there is an end point and once the individual reaches it, they can enter their maintenance phase and don’t need to workout as much.
People who train are primarily trying to improve their performance. They are pursuing something, a number or reps, a weight, a time, but they are after something that is slightly more objective than “looking good”.
Drive:
Most people who workout do so fairly consistently. They do more or less the same thing every week e.g. cycling class on Monday and Wednesday, upper body weights on Tuesday, lower body weights on Thursday and whole body on Saturday. They do more or less the same exercises during these workouts and rarely change things up because they are happy to be improving.
People who train cycle through their exercises and change their programs when things stop working. They are not content with simply improving, they need to be improving as fast as their potential allows them.
Intensity:
People who workout do so primarily with moderate intensity. After their workouts they are glowing and look like they are full of energy. They’ll be able to laugh and joke right after and will probably have a shower before going home.
People who train look close to death after they finish. They will have given everything they have to their training and will likely be gasping for air, soaked with sweat and generally feel worse than they did when they started. They’ll be consuming a protein shake while trying to recoup enough energy to change and go home. Their energy level will be low for a while and they are not going to be joking or laughing.
Passion:
People who workout feel less strongly about what they are doing. More often than not it is about feeling good in the moment and having fun. While working out may be an aspect of their identify, it does not define who they are. They workout based on their schedules. They’ll tell you that they workout and will often try to convince others to do the same. They may even invite others to workout with them.
People who train ARE their training. Their training takes over many areas of their life and is often the focal point of everything they do - training sessions determine when they eat, sleep, work and socialize. They’ll make you wait until after they have finished training and won’t try to convince you to train with them - if you aren’t already doing it you aren’t anyone they would want to train with.
Satisfaction:
People who workout get a lot of satisfaction from working out. Good enough is good enough. They won’t talk about achieving their potential because they feel they already are.
People who train tend to have fleeting moments of satisfaction. They may experience a high or bliss right after competition or achieving one of their goals, but soon thereafter they find themselves raising the bar and starting towards an even higher goal. They will never be happy with their performance and this is why they continue to train.
February 16th, 2008 21:22
You wrote: “People who train are primarily trying to improve their performance.”
A broad statement. I’d imagine if we polled a variety of athletes who “trained”…. we’d get a more specific reply.
For instance… a competitive weightlifter would want to increase strength. A professional bodybuilder would want to increase muscle mass. A professional athlete would want to improve the results in their specific sport. I’d imagine a very very small minority simply train for the sake of training — without attempting to accomplish a goal.
Are you every going to share with your audience what your “purpose” is?
“Working out” is sufficient for 95% of the population. A very small percentage of people are required to train.
February 17th, 2008 08:46
Hi Tony,
I’m training to increase my strength, my speed and my muscle mass. Increasing muscle mass is the only one that isn’t a performance goal simply because I don’t perform. However, adding muscle mass is a very slow process when you don’t attack it with the training mindset.
I agree that 95% of the population could get away with working out. Trouble is only about 30% do. From what I have learned from watching and talking with these people it is evident that most of them make small progress because of a lack of intensity, drive or passion.
February 17th, 2008 17:11
Hey Pat,
You are increasing your strength and your speed… no doubt. But what is your motivation? Your purpose? Your goals? People who have committed themselves to “train” — as opposed to working out — typically have those. For example, to be a better football player (to earn a scholarship, to get drafted higher and make more cash), to win a tournament or race or competition, etc. And we seem to agree that there is a very small percentage of people who would qualify for “training”.
I’d imagine there’s a VERY small fraction that “train” (peak optimal health/performance)… just for the sake of training. And we seem to agree that it’s fair to say that only 5% of the population have made professional or personal choices that warrant “training”.
Either way… it wouldn’t be fair to compare anybody that’s training against those that are working out. To each (ie. motivation) their own.
And I guess that’s my problem with your premise (or at least as I understand it)…. you’re comparing people who train to those that “work out”… and saying that those that workout are “making small progress because they have a lack of intensity”.
Absolutely. And there’s simply NOTHING wrong with that. Their motivations and priorities are COMPLETELY different than those that have made a choice to “train”.
“Good health” and “self image” are completely different from “optimal health”. I mean… “optimal health” - besides people whose career necessitates it - for what purpose? “Quality of life”? “Longevity”? That could be a whole different philosophical argument altogether.
“Good health” is a fantastic goal in itself
And that could be achieved through moderate exercise and a good diet. Physical health is great…. but there’s also a helluva lot more to life than that 
Happy mental health bro’
February 18th, 2008 05:31
Hi Tony,
I’m not clear how someone could have any problem with this piece as it is a comparison of behaviours and objectives between two different groups and, based on my observation as a trainer, strength coach, fitness instructor and fitness enthusiast that people who approach their workouts with more intensity get better / faster results. I’ve been in both groups and these were the differences I notices when the switch flipped.
I’m not making a value judgment on either group, I’m stating my observations and my understandings about the topic.
Mental health, well that’s something completely different
.
February 18th, 2008 15:46
As I said, I have accepted that I *may* have misinterpreted the blog entry
April 18th, 2008 16:14
Pat,
When you say that training leaves you with no energy, wouldn’t you have more oxygen pumped into your body and give you even more energy than the “workout people” the next day or even in a few hours?
April 19th, 2008 09:23
Hi Tom,
Intense exercise leaves your body drained. Regardless of your level of fitness, you’re not likely to have much energy right after. Glycogen stores are depleted, the muscles need to recover and there’s probably a big oxygen debt to fill. After an intense training session pretty much everyone has more energy you.
Once recovered, people who train would generally have a greater capacity for work than those who do not workout as intensely.
As I understand it, the amount of oxygen that is pumped through the body is determined by immediate need. A fitter person will be able to move more O2 than an unfit person and therefore be able to perform more work but when each individual requires the same amount of oxygen, the body will deliver the same amount of oxygen regardless of fitness level.
Thanks,
Pat
September 27th, 2008 15:55
“People who workout are trying to improve their appearance or some characteristic of their body.”
Every athletic characteristic pertaining to those who train is also a “characteristic of the body”. E.g. strength, endurance, flexibility, etc…
“People who train are primarily trying to improve their performance. They are pursuing something, a number or reps, a weight, a time, but they are after something that is slightly more objective than “looking good”.”
No they aren’t. What about physique athletes? They’re pursuing a very objective, specific goal. In fact, appearance is far more objective than things like strength or endurance.
Can you tell by merely looking at someone that they’ve improved their flexibility? Chances are, you can’t.
Can you tell by merely looking at someone that they’ve gone up 15% in one of their lifts? Chances are, you can’t.
Can you tell by merely looking at someone that they’ve added 15% more muscle mass than they had before? Yes, you sure can.
Appearance is the single most objective training goal out there and that’s why it makes for a fantastic goal for people who are serious about training.
I see far more people out there who set vague goals for themselves centered around “getting stronger”, “feeling better”, “improving endurance” rather than simply coming right out and saying that they need to improve their appearance. “I need to lose 5% BF, lose 3 inches off the waist and put an inch or two on my arms and chest”. Now *that’s* a specific, trainable goal.
“Most people who workout do so fairly consistently.”
No, they don’t. Most people who workout are fairly inconsistent, because it doesn’t mean anything to them if they have to postpone or reschedule a workout for another day. You have it backwards here.
People who train are the ones who have a set schedule and adhere to it religiously. That schedule may very well change as their program evolves, but so long as they’re on any given program, they will make every effort to stick to it.
The bodybuilder knows that if he misses leg day, his whole week is ruined. The bubbly workout lady has no such thoughts upon skipping a day.
October 5th, 2008 06:16
Hi Allerious,
I understand and appreciate the valid points you are making. I believe we actually agree completely on them.
Athletes and individuals who are working towards peck performance do not measure themselves in subjective ways - they are pursuing a specific attainable goal, one that is objective in nature and which could be understood and pursued by others - you pointed it out with your comparison between the vague goals and the specific goals. The vague can be interpreted differently by all people, the specific ones will remain the same for all people. Even physique set very specific goals like “adding 5 pounds of lean mass”, “improving symmetry” or “dropping 0.5% body fat for the next contest”. Yes, they want to look better but the goals they set are measurable by anyone. People who work out tend not to be so specific and therefore tend not to be so driven.
As we point out, people who train do so with commitment and consistency. Those who work out tend to have a less consistent approach; they aren’t going to loose sleep over missing a workout the way someone who trains would. In fact, those who train create their life schedule around their training. Everyone else creates their workout schedule around their life.