Training vs Exercise

Training is more specific, you need a goal, some fitness or strength based feat you wish to achieve. Whether it be break through a grade or run a 10k under a certain time, we need to be training for a purpose; we need to be challenging ourselves and we need to be progressing. Firstly, we need to outline what it is we want to achieve as that will entirely determine what actions we take. Writing very specific targets down is key, improvement is the obvious goal so be more specific, not just I want to get better at climbing or break through to the next grade, what does that means for you? I want to be able to weight my feet better; I want to be better at route reading and figure out climbs faster; I want to be stronger on slopers etc. Goal setting is the key to effective training. Using the smart goal setting strategy is useful by asking yourself is my goal Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relative and Timely. If it’s not attainable what’s the point in training? And if it’s not relative or means enough to you then you aren’t going to persevere or try hard enough. Training is hard, you need to provide your body with enough physical stimulus so it adapts, becomes stronger and you achieve your goal. The other key when training is being able to track progress, like I said, training is hard. It takes a lot of effort and it hurts. Seeing progress is one of the best feelings you can have, it provides motivation and reinforces belief in yourself that you can do what you set out to achieve. Believe in yourself and proving you can go through adversity to achieve a goal is one of the most valuable things in life. So make sure you are tracking progress and celebrating all the little wins along the way, whether its completing a challenging training session or just getting out of bed 30 minutes earlier celebrate completing every challenge. To summarise: training is about choosing something you wish to achieve, figuring out where you are now then working out what action steps are needed in order to achieve it while celebrating the process. Simple really. Progressive overload.

Exercise is crucial to life, everyone should exercise daily, whether it’s going for a walk or smashing some weights around in a gym exercise has a lot of benefits and is crucial in keeping you fit, healthy and happy. The purpose of exercise is that’s it’s good for you, causing positive stress on the body and mind improves quality of life. It doesn’t have to be so specific, unlike training you don’t have to worry about it being time sensitive, it doesn’t have to be measurable and we don’t have to track progress. It should be fun and enjoyable. Good exercise should be varied incorporating as many movements and activities as possible in order to keep the body well balanced. Yoga, swimming running or gym classes are all great exercise but it doesn’t have to involve you going to a gym, swimming pool or pulling on your running shoes. Anything that gets your heart pumping could be classed as exercise - gardening, dancing, even walking around shopping can all be good exercise. One important aspect is that it needs to be able to be consistent; if you don’t enjoy it you probably aren’t going to continue doing it. Consistency is key, so find a few types of exercise you enjoy so you can keep things varied whilst also having fun. Make sure you are still feeling challenged, remembering the body adapts to positive stimulus and can become fitter and stronger over time. To summarise: exercise is good for you both physically and mentally, it doesn’t have to be super rigid and you don’t have to be killing yourself in the gym every day but it should still be challenging. Find a few types of exercises you enjoy and try doing something daily to keep your body fit, happy and healthy.