If I told you I went for walk around my neighborhood with my dog, how would you describe that? Would you call it a “workout”?
Probably not but for some people, it might be intense enough that it is a workout.
Like for my Dad.
He has heart trouble and some other medical problems. After going through a surgical procedure to save his life not too long ago, he went through some in-home rehab.
And the goals of rehab?
To get out of a chair and to and from the car. After that, he was told, he could go to the local Walmart and walk for his “rehab”.
Well, getting from his car to the front door of Walmart was his marathon. He was exhausted and had to call an ambulance.
Now, was that a “workout”? I’ll bet my Dad would say it was.
So…….
What’s A Workout Anyway?
The word “workout” is used so often, so casually, it’s become almost meaningless.
“Hey – I’m going to drop by the gym to get in a workout. Wanna’ go?”
“Did you workout today?”
“Wow – you look great. I bet you workout!”
Does “workout” mean the same thing as “exercise”?
Is a yoga class a workout? Well, people don’t refer to yoga that way. I’ve never heard someone say, “Hey – I’m headed over for my yoga workout? Wanna’ go?”
Why is that?
Yoga can be very intense and difficult to perform yet we refer to it as a “class”.
Maybe the reason we use the word “class” is because there’s an instructor. We’re learning how to perform certain movements.
And there’s Crossfit which has “classes” but no one says, “Hey – I’m going to my Crossfit class? Wanna’ go?” And while there’s some initial instruction in a Crossfit class, it’s not the focus as in yoga.
What if you follow along with a Jane Fonda DVD or Tony Horton of P90X fame? You have an instructor every time. You’re in a “class” but P90X and Jane Fonda and other “workout” DVDs don’t call themselves “classes”.
Why is that?
If you spend 60 minutes in a pool swimming, would you call that a “workout”? What about a 45 minute run? Or a step aerobics class?
And how about going to the gym and lifting weights? Would you call that an “workout”? Yeah, on that one you probably would.
So, a “workout” is some type of exercise but not all exercise is a ‘workout”.
Why is that?
These are things that keep me up at night and solidify my image as a true nerd.
The Skinny On Workouts
Let’s get the dictionary definition of workout.
work•out (ˈwɜrkˌaʊt)
- A session of exercise or practice to improve fitness, as for athletic competition; a strenuous test of ability and endurance.
- A structured regime of vigorous physical exercise.
A “workout” is a structured, vigorous physical exercise session to improve fitness.
Here’s the thing.
What most people need is a plan to improve their overall health and fitness. The plan might include “workouts” but may also include other things like a long, low intensity walk or some stretching and mobility work.
A comprehensive plan to improve your health and fitness and achieve a desired objective is referred to as “training”.
A lot of people want to be healthier and more fit but fail to execute. And they fail to execute because they don’t understand the need for a plan nor have one.
Your workouts will workout better if you have a plan.
Plan, Plan, Plan
My background in physical therapy and sports taught me the importance of a plan.
See, when you’re injured and you don’t have a strategy for your recovery, you just go do stuff, look it up in Google, try this and that, your progress is often slow and filled with stops and starts.
What works better is to figure out what’s wrong, what you want to return to, what you can and can’t do now, and then develop an organized approach to go from where you are presently to where you want to be.
Getting healthier and more fit isn’t any different really. You’re not “injured” but you probably have some limitation or something you want to change.
Yes, being more active is helpful. But, activity is not exercise nor a workout. Walking around the block, for most people, is activity and maybe a little exercise. It makes your heart and lungs and joints in your legs work a bit but beyond that, it’s not much else. Activity is movement but it may or may not stress you. You rarely break a sweat. It’s good for you but it’s not enough to keep you healthy and fit.
The US Department of Health and Human Services has caught on to the idea that to achieve substantial health benefits, you have to work hard; vigorously exercise.
Yet most people don’t.
The reason? Because vigorous exercise without a purpose, plan, metrics, and variability, creates a disconnect. The effort is too great for too little in return. The expectation is that something special will happen in that one session when in reality, something special happens from weeks of sessions all connected to deliver a particular result.
What you need is training.
Training is everything exercise is not.
Why You Should Stop “Working Out” and Start Training
- Training is on purpose. You have a goal. You want something specific out of it beyond “look better”.
- Training has metrics. Specific assessments of your abilities and records of what you’ve done. Things like strength, flexibility, balance. You measure your abilities, train, re-measure.
- Training has consistent variability. Instead of going to the gym and doing the same routine over and over, training challenges your body; goes after your weak links and puts you through routines that make your brain and body work.
- Training requires focus. It breaks you down and builds you back up. You’re in the moment with whatever it is you’re doing and focusing on doing it right.
- Training is comprehensive. It might include “workouts” but also restorative and regenerative activities. It includes planned periods of rest and recovery.
Is exercise good for you? Sure. But training is better.
To get more out of your workouts, try planning first.
What’s your training look like these days?
