What is the difference between men’s fitness and muscle building?

In fact, the relationship between the two is to include and be included. Muscle building is a subdivided direction among the many goals of male fitness. However, when it comes to the actual implementation logic, the differences between the two are far greater than their commonalities. Many novices confuse this and often fail to achieve the desired results after practicing for more than half a year.

A while ago, a post-00s boy came to my gym. The first thing he said when he entered the gym was that he wanted to keep fit. When I asked him carefully, I found out that his demands were to wear a denim jacket during the season without sagging his shoulders, and to be able to pass the 1000-meter physical test at school. These are the most typical male fitness needs. There is no need to touch any five-point training, comprehensive strength training three times a week and two jogs. After exercise, he should eat fried skewers and stay up late to watch football without feeling guilty. He can reach the standard in a month and a half. If he opens his mouth, he needs to train his chest muscles to be able to hold a cup and deadlift twice his body weight. That is pure muscle gain, and the rules from training to diet must be more than ten times more.

Nowadays, the fitness circle actually has different opinions on the boundary between the two. Some veterans who have been training for five or six years feel that there is no need to cut too far. As long as resistance training is done, it is essentially stimulating muscle growth. It is nothing more than a question of growth efficiency.； There are also many professional coaches who hold objections. They feel that the boundaries must be explained clearly to novices in advance, and they are afraid that they will follow the training without clear goals. Two years ago, I met a boy who originally just wanted to lose some belly fat. He followed a muscle-building blogger and added carbohydrates and protein. In three months, he gained more than ten kilograms in weight, and his body fat soared to 22%. His belly was not smaller but rounder. He spent a lot of money unjustly.

To use an inappropriate analogy, men's fitness is like buying a family car for daily transportation. It is enough to drive, be fuel-efficient, and have few minor problems. It can also be used for occasional driving in the suburbs.； Building muscle means modifying the car to play with performance. You have to modify the chassis, adjust the engine, and add surrounds. Every parameter has to be tight. The time, energy, and cost invested are not of the same order of magnitude.

I also encountered this pitfall when I first started working out. I followed the muscle-building plan of professional players without knowing anything. I had to rest for 90 seconds between sets. I ate 180g of protein every day by counting the grams. I drank whey protein until I felt nauseous. In three months, my arm circumference did not increase by two centimeters. During the physical examination, the uric acid was high at first. It was only later that I realized that I didn’t want to compete in the first place. I just wanted to wear a slim-fitting shirt to look good. There was no need to suffer this. After adjusting to a normal fitness routine, I practiced four times a week. If I wanted to eat hot pot, I would invite friends to eat. After my body fat dropped by 4 points, I felt more energetic when getting dressed than before when I was cramming in protein to gain weight.

In fact, to put it bluntly, there is no one who is more advanced than anyone else. It all depends on what you want. There is no need to think that only training to gain muscle is serious fitness, and don’t think that just moving around is just a blind exercise. A plan that can match your needs is the most suitable.