It’s extremely important to make sure that your training program is matched to your sports and athletic goals.
Fitness buffs and other individuals who are working out in order to improve their health (these individuals are generally “exercising” as opposed to “training”) simply don’t require the same degree of preparation or focus on their training.
This has nothing to do with athletic ability or even personal drive. For many fitness exercisers, their goals – such as weight loss, or perhaps to get themselves healthier to aid in fighting a disease like cancer – may provide them with a very high level of motivation.
And some exercise buffs have spectacular levels of fitness. Even so, their training programs are probably different than the training programs used by athletes. For one thing, athletes are much more likely to require professional coaching input when developing their personal training programs.
A fitness exerciser looking to lose weight can simply go to the gym and do their cardio and resistance workouts without having to worry quite as much about overall program structure. So long as they train with proper form and don’t overdo it, they’re likely to meet with some degree of success.
Even if their success is at a level less than it could be, the exerciser will probably still be happy with seeing some results.
On the other hand, the athlete in training must make sure that they are focusing on areas of performance that are likely to be successful against the opponent or opponents in the next athletic competition, as well as training their own individual strengths and weaknesses.
In many cases these items can most accurately be identified and trained on with the assistance of a professionally-trained coach.
For an athlete, whether a training program is successful or not is not simply matter of whether their level of fitness has improved. Athletes are training for performance, and their success will be measured in competition.
In addition, athletes looking to break through training “plateaus” are likely to need more expertise from a coach, because simply “training more” or “training harder” could easily lead to overtraining or even an injury.
An experienced coach or physical therapist will have spent time helping athletes identify the various factors contributing to the training plateau, and help their athletes identify the best way to break through.
An athlete’s “training” program is more than just the exercises and drills and workouts that he or she does to improve their fitness. Training is a larger process, and also includes planned and targeted recovery.
Recovery might involve different levels of activity, and may involve rehabilitative exercises if you are nursing or trying to come back from an injury. Again, the assistance of a professional physical therapist can be invaluable in keeping the athlete healthy.
If you believe you are currently stuck at a level of performance and want to break through to the next level of competition, then seek assistance from one of our experienced trainers. CORE1 can help you reach your potential.