Training for fitness or training for performance?
I used to think that training to perform at your best will also make you look and feel fit all the time.
Well, this is not quite true.
An extreme example to what I am going to talk about in this post can be found in the bodybuilders. The sport of bodybuilding has a really tough lifestyle. The athletes have to balloon in size most of the year and then trim down dramatically during competition. Most of the year they just look like really fat people. Do you have any idea what it takes in terms of nutrition, exercise and ability to combat with emotional swings in order to be a successful bodybuilder?
It turns out that elite endurance athletes, who train and taper to compete in a way similar to bodybuilders, face similar challenges: they don't have to bulk up and then trim down to compete but instead, they have to build up and then go fast. They are not happy all the times and they certainly do not look fit and trimmed all the times.
Elite endurance athletes may put on more weight during winter and they may hit periods with emotional or physical breakdowns. Athletes who train for fitness do not go through these challenges. Fitness athletes may push themselves hard on a workout, they may win a race, they may feel strong on one day or a little weak on another. But they don't need to push through, they can take as many days off as they need, they can afford to eat less throughout the day in order to maintain a lean body that may look good on jeans or skirts or spandex in the gym.
Both worlds, whether training for fitness or performance, have their pros and cons. I am not trying to support one or the other. From one hand, the performance athletes are not the healthiest since they demand so much from their bodies. From the other hand, fitness athletes lack the opportunity to reach their potential and optimal physical ability.
No matter where you belong, you are bound to experience different things.
Remember that the more risk you take the more exciting the roads might be.
The choice is yours.
Well, this is not quite true.
 |
| At the 2011 Intercollegiate National Cross Country Championships |
An extreme example to what I am going to talk about in this post can be found in the bodybuilders. The sport of bodybuilding has a really tough lifestyle. The athletes have to balloon in size most of the year and then trim down dramatically during competition. Most of the year they just look like really fat people. Do you have any idea what it takes in terms of nutrition, exercise and ability to combat with emotional swings in order to be a successful bodybuilder?
It turns out that elite endurance athletes, who train and taper to compete in a way similar to bodybuilders, face similar challenges: they don't have to bulk up and then trim down to compete but instead, they have to build up and then go fast. They are not happy all the times and they certainly do not look fit and trimmed all the times.
 |
Both worlds, whether training for fitness or performance, have their pros and cons. I am not trying to support one or the other. From one hand, the performance athletes are not the healthiest since they demand so much from their bodies. From the other hand, fitness athletes lack the opportunity to reach their potential and optimal physical ability.
No matter where you belong, you are bound to experience different things.
Remember that the more risk you take the more exciting the roads might be.
The choice is yours.
Comments
Post a Comment