Training For Performance vs. Longevity

One of the conversations that has come up time and time again over my 10 years as a coach has been the difference between what it means to train for sport and performance vs health and longevity. 

As someone who has been both an athlete training for sport as well as an individual training for health, and a coach who has programmed for high level athletes and general fitness enthusiasts,  I can speak from experience when I say the necessary action steps to attain each goal varies greatly.

So what is the confusion around these concepts?

To understand this better, it is important to understand the difference between performance and health. 

The distinction between these are often collapsed, and that lies at the root of the problem. 

When we see an individual with a high level of fitness we often correlate that with a high level of health.  

I’ll use an example in the functional fitness world; someone who has a low Fran time ( a CrossFit benchmark workout), is often seen as healthier than someone with a slower Fran time. 

However, this is often not the case.

Training for performance often means pushing the body to its maximal capacity, and this comes with inherent risks. 

While an athlete may look healthy (ie. they have a body composition they desire), what’s happening on the inside can be a different story. 

I can personally attest to this as an athlete myself who felt aches and pains, had poor HRV (heart variability) scores, low testosterone, and other bloodwork markers that showed a different story from years of pushing my body to the max.

Now I’m not suggesting one is right or wrong or that one is better than the other, but it is important that if you are training for performance, that you are choosing to because of specific goals you have, not because you believe you need to train like an athlete to be healthy. 

And this is often where people get mixed up. 

I’ve seen it countless times where individuals attempt to train like competitive athletes…

Initially they make great progress, but without the resources or knowledge of how to recover properly, within a few months they have dropped off due to physical burnout, mental burnout or both. 

If you take a look at the graphic below, you can gain an understanding of the timeline of physical expression between an athlete and an individual training for health.

The bottom line: it’s important to ask yourself why do I exercise? 

If you want to make it to the CrossFit Games, then go for it!

But make sure to inform yourself about what it really takes to train at that level, and the potential ramifications. 

If you just want to be healthy so you have the ability to live with mental clarity, free of aches and pains, and able to participate in recreational activities you enjoy, then you likely don’t need to crush yourself with hard metcons 5x a week. :-)

In fact, that is likely holding you back from the results you are looking for. 

In the end, how you train is up to you, just make sure you’re making an informed choice that is aligned with your why.