Do you want to be fit, or athletic?

Fitness vs. Athleticism: Aligning Your Training with Your Goals

When individuals express a desire to "get in shape," their objectives can vary widely. For some, it's about enhancing overall health and well-being. For others, it's about excelling in specific sports or physical activities. There is a ton of overlap between being fit and being athletic, but the training approaches for each can be distinct.

Defining the Objectives (...in super generic buckets)

• General Fitness: Examples: maintaining good health, cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility, and a favorable body composition. The emphasis is on overall well-being and longevity.​

• Athletic Performance: Tends to focus on optimizing abilities required for specific sports, activities, or physical tasks; such as speed, power, agility, endurance, and skill proficiency. The goal is often to achieve peak performance.​

Key Differences in Training Approaches

1. Purpose and Intensity

• Fitness Training: Mostly emphasizes a balanced routine that includes cardiovascular exercises, strength training, and flexibility work. The intensity can vary, but is mostly moderate, aiming for consistency and sustainability.​

• Athletic Training: Involves high-intensity, movement-specific drills designed to enhance performance metrics like explosive power and agility. Training is often periodized to peak at certain times, or to allow for compensation and recovery from more intense phases of training.​

  
  

  Expert Insight: Les C. Whitley, M.S., highlights that "fitness is centered around conditioning the body," whereas training for sports performance involves tailored exercises that mimic the movements of a particular sport. ​TOA Tennessee Orthopaedic Alliance

  
  

2. Volume and Recovery

• Fitness Training: Typically involves moderate volume with adequate rest between sessions to promote recovery and prevent overtraining.​

• Athletic Training: May include higher volume and intensity, necessitating structured recovery protocols. Emphasis is placed on rest, nutrition, and techniques like active recovery to optimize performance.​

  
  

  We feel there is a ton of overlap here and that the general fitness population can greatly benefit from more athletic based training.

  
  

  Research Finding: A study published in Sports Medicine - Open indicates that integrated neuromuscular training significantly improves balance, lower-body explosive power, and maximal strength in young athletes, underscoring the importance of recovery in high-intensity training. ​SpringerOpen

  
  

3. Skill and Specificity

• Fitness Training: Focuses on general exercises that improve overall health, fitness, and longevity without targeting specific athletic skills.​

• Athletic Training: Incorporates more specific drills and exercises to enhance skills directly related to performance.​

  
  

  Expert Insight: According to an article from Olympia Fitness, "Athletes must understand the difference between exercise and training," emphasizing that training is purpose-driven with specific performance goals. ​Olympia Fitness + Performance

4. Risk and Reward

• Fitness Training: Prioritizes safety and injury prevention, with gradual progression to ensure long-term adherence.​

• Athletic Training: Involves calculated risks, pushing the body's limits to achieve peak ability.​

  
  

  Research Finding: A systematic review in BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation concludes that functional training can significantly improve physical and technical performance in athletes, highlighting the benefits of targeted training interventions. ​BioMed Central+1Frontiers+1

Bridging Fitness and Athletic Training

It's important to recognize that general fitness and athletic training are not mutually exclusive. Many individuals begin with general fitness routines and gradually incorporate sport-specific training as their goals evolve. Aligning your training regimen with your personal objectives ensures that you achieve desired outcomes effectively and safely.​

The Crossover Zone

It's also worth noting: you can be both fit and athletic. This is a sweet spot that we think you should be striving for. Many people start training for fitness and develop athletic goals along the way—signing up for races, entering competitions, or chasing a PR. The key is aligning your training with your goal. You don’t have to train like a pro athlete if your goal is generall health...but you won’t reach your peak performance just doing casual workouts.

Final Thoughts

Whether your aim is to enhance overall health or to excel in a specific sport, tailoring your training approach can be helpful...but the best results might come from incorporating aspects of both fitness and athletic training session. There are distinctions between general fitness and athletic training to understand. This understanding allows you to design a program that aligns with your goals, optimizes performance, and promotes long-term well-being.

REACH OUT IF YOU'RE CURIOUS TO LEARN MORE AND DISCUSS WHAT MIGHT BE BEST FOR YOU!