Working Out vs Training. What's the Difference?

Have you ever gotten bored or tired from getting the same results in the gym? Or hit a workout so that you can eventually look good?

There is a difference between training to look like this guy, Mat Fraser, 5x CrossFit champion, and working out for the healthy aspect. It depends on what you focus on and want to train for.

Training for a specific discipline is critical, depending on your interests. It allows you to prepare your body for the physical tests ahead. Let's say, for example, you want to compete in an Ironman in the next several months. The workouts that you'll train for are specific to biking, running, or swimming. There also needs to be a focus on strength and endurance in preparing for those legs of the race. The body endures significant stress during an Ironman race and needs to be ready. Which typically consists of a 2.4 mile (3.8km) swim, 112 mile (180km) bike, and a 26.2 mile (42.2km) run. The human body is able to do this because of an amazing system of complex organs and cells that compete with the elements of life for survival. It has taken us hundreds of years, but at this point, we are finding lots of studies that the body can adapt fairly quickly as long as it is exposed to and trained for a certain environment... Up to a point. The body isn't superhuman and has it's limits. But the limits of what the human body can do are always being pushed and surpassed.

To tie in all of that said from above, training is focusing on a specific goal in mind. Your sessions are catered in a way to help progress for that goal and you progress through those sessions. This is especially important for athletes so they are able to improve and reach their peak performance.

There are individuals who decide to workout instead of train. Usually, because there isn't a specific goal in mind or they are going to relieve stress. They could be going just because it's fun! Don't get me wrong; working out is needed and important. It is a great way to stay healthy. However, hundreds of thousands of people work out, and they don't have any direction or structure. A good way to tell if you have been just working out is if you have been going through the same routine and haven't gotten any results, find yourself bored and need something to distract yourself like watching the TV or reading a book, or if you feel like it is something to do so you can mark it off on your checklist. Although exercising looks different for every person, if you want to maximize your results and accomplish that dream physique, then you have to train with a specific program in mind.

Ultimately, the choice is yours. You can kick it up a notch and get a program that best fits your needs or you can keep working out in the way that you'd like. At the end of the day, Naval Ravikant said it best. "The best workout is the one you're actually going to do." Maintaining muscle or endurance is exactly what some people prefer which is a great way to stay fit.

Lastly, if you find yourself training hard to improve and you find yourself on a plateau, it might not be because you aren't working out hard enough. You might even be doing too much! It might be because you aren't recovering properly. Here are some gauges to keep your progress on track: Nutrition, overtraining, & sleep. You cannot short-cut these foundational elements in your training. Nutrition is critical in recovery and is also half the battle. Make sure to dial in your nutrition for optimal recovery. Same with overtraining and sleep. Overtraining can lead to injury, which might cost you months of set-backs...Who wants that, right? Last but not least, sleep. In modern days, most people don't get enough sleep. From a recent survey, more than 33% of adults get less than 7 hours of sleep a night. This has caused more than 6,000 car accidents per year in the US alone and about $30 billion dollars in workplace accidents annually. If not sleeping enough causes this much havoc in our daily lifes, will it affect our training as well?