The biggest difference between the clearly fit people and the not-so-fit ones isn’t effort. It’s how deliberate they are.
If you’ve gone to the same gym for a while, you see the same people over and over. There’s usually a group that’s always on the bikes or stairmasters. Easy to recognize because… they never really change.
Some people are there to work out. The fittest people are there to train.
And I’m not trying to shame anyone who gets their ass to the gym regularly. That alone is commendable. I’ve spent plenty of years just “working out” myself before I understood the difference.
Training is actually easier in many ways. I don’t leave the gym completely smashed like I used to. I know exactly what exercises I’m doing, how heavy I need to go to progress from the last session, how long to rest, and when to stop. It’s specific. It’s targeted.
Since I started training instead of just working out, I’ve gotten better results in less time. Huge win-win. I feel better day to day because I’m not grinding myself into dust every session just to feel like I did something.
This applies perfectly to guitar and music.
If you pick up the instrument and play for an hour, that’s fun and good for the soul. But it won’t produce anywhere near the same results as practicing with a clear plan and a specific goal.
Playing is activity. Practicing is training.
You can — and SHOULD — play for fun every day. But you’ll have way more fun doing that after a productive practice session, because you’ll actually be able to do more on the instrument.
If you want my help turning your playing into real progress instead of random activity, check out The Practice Room Pro here: