Training vs. Exercise
By Ed Feliciano | Personal Trainer NYC | Performance Coach
One of the biggest misconceptions I have to address with newer clients is what good training actually looks like.
Somewhere along the way, people started to believe that workouts have to look flashy or novel in order to get results. Maybe it’s what they see on social media, new exercises every day, a different “challenge” each week. Or maybe it’s from past experiences with a trainer who focused more on entertainment than progression.
But here’s the truth: novelty doesn’t equal progress.
And doing “random stuff” isn’t the same thing as training.
Exercise vs. Training
Exercise is great. It makes you feel good, gets your heart rate up, and supports your overall health. You move, you sweat, you burn calories, you leave feeling better than when you started. There’s nothing wrong with that and in fact, it’s often the first step for most people.
Training, though, is something else entirely.
Training provides structure and direction. It’s about applying the right amount of stress, not too much, not too little and doing it consistently enough to cause an adaptation.
This is where the SAID principle comes in:
Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands.
In simple terms, your body only adapts to what you consistently ask it to do. Nobody gains muscle, strength, or athleticism by accident. The outcome you get is a reflection of the stress you apply and the way you recover from it.
What Training Really Targets
Good training is layered and intentional. It can improve multiple fitness qualities over time, including:
Strength
Muscle hypertrophy
Aerobic and anaerobic capacity
Mobility and stability
Flexibility
Agility
Coordination
Body composition
Each one of these is trainable, if you approach it with structure. Random workouts can’t deliver that.
The Method
When I work with a new client, I don’t just throw them into workouts. We start with an assessment, what I call The Method.
Before we touch a single weight, I want to understand your baseline:
Body composition measurement — to see where you’re starting from.
Joint range of motion tests — to identify limitations and opportunities for mobility.
Bruce protocol for VO₂ max — to measure cardiovascular fitness.
Grip strength tests — as a simple but powerful indicator of overall strength and vitality.
This gives us data. Data gives us direction.
And direction is what turns “exercise” into “training.”
Once we have that baseline, we can build a plan that fits you, not an Instagram trend or someone else’s program.
Movement Patterns: The Foundation
Ian King was one of the first to introduce the concept of an exercise taxonomy, a framework for categorizing movement. I still build from that idea today, because it ensures we’re training all parts of the body in a balanced way.
Here are the primary movement patterns every good program should cover:
Knee Dominant — Squats, lunges
Hip Dominant (Hinge) — Deadlifts, hip thrusts
Horizontal Push — Bench press, push-ups
Horizontal Pull — Rows, TRX pulls
Vertical Push — Overhead press
Vertical Pull — Pull-ups, lat pulldowns
Locomotion — Carries, loaded walks
Core Stability — Planks, anti-rotation, trunk work
Some coaches might add breathing or rotation as additional patterns, and I’d agree those matter too, but the point is: structure creates balance.
When you train patterns, you can track progress, build strength where you’re weak, and ensure no area is being neglected.
That’s what training is.
Let’s Make Training Simple Again
Fitness doesn’t have to be complicated. It just has to be consistent and intentional.
Training isn’t about chasing fatigue or doing something new every day, it’s about creating a plan that compounds.
Once you understand that, everything changes: your body, your performance, your mindset.
Let’s make training simple again.
Ready to Train Smarter, Not Harder?
If you’re a busy professional looking to perform at your best without burning out, I can help you design a program that fits your schedule and delivers real results.
Learn more or request a consultation at edfeliciano.com.