What is the difference between male fitness and muscle gain

In fact, the essence of the two is the relationship between inclusion and being included. Muscle building is only a subdivision of the many goals of male fitness. The core differences are all in goal orientation, execution logic and evaluation standards, which are not the same thing at all.

I have been in the gym for almost 5 years, and I have seen too many novices who confuse the two. They shout that they want to gain muscle as soon as they apply for the membership. After practicing for two weeks, they feel it is too painful and they lie down. In fact, they just want to lose a beer belly, and there is no reason to torment themselves with the standards of gaining muscle. Just like the 32-year-old salesman who came for consultation last week, he usually has a ring of fat around his waist from socializing, and he often suffers from shoulder and neck pain that makes him unable to lift his arms. The plan for him is to do aerobic and core stabilization training three times a week, and occasionally do some light weight strength to maintain muscle mass. After more than a month of training, his shoulder and neck pain has basically disappeared, his waistline has shrunk by 4 cm, and he can't even tighten his stomach when wearing a shirt. Do you think he is doing fitness? Of course it is, but it has nothing to do with muscle gain. He doesn't need to pursue how much his arm circumference increases or how much bench press weight he can increase. Once he feels comfortable and his health problems improve, he will reach the standard.

If the goal is to gain muscle, the requirements are completely reversed. My amateur bodybuilder grew up, and now I have to use a food scale to weigh my meals every day during the preparation period. I am 180cm tall and need to eat enough 180 grams of protein every day. Even the grams of rice must be calculated according to raw weight. During training, the eccentricity of each set of bench presses must be controlled for 3 seconds, and the one and a half minutes between sets is stuck on the clock. Occasionally we go out to eat hot pot, and can only boil chicken breasts and vegetables, and dare not even touch a bite of sesame paste. For him, the only goal of fitness is to gain lean body mass, and his body fat rate in off-season must be controlled within 15%. Arm circumference, chest muscle thickness, and latissimus dorsi width are all hard indicators, and they are barely up to standard.

Of course, there have always been different voices in the fitness circle. Many muscle enthusiasts think that "fitness without muscle training is just nonsense", but this is actually too absolute. The retired uncles in my community hang on the horizontal bar for ten minutes and do Tai Chi for half an hour every morning. Their blood pressure and blood lipids, which were previously high, are very stable. They are much better than when they were young and socializing every day. Can you say that this is not serious fitness? It's just that everyone's demands are different. There is no distinction between high and low.

To put it bluntly, the difference between the two is like buying a car. Ordinary fitness is to buy a household scooter. It can drive, save fuel, and sit comfortably. There is no need to pursue acceleration from 100 kilometers to 100 kilometers or high horsepower. To gain muscle is to play with performance cars. You have to change accessories, adjust parameters, and consume less fuel. What you want is fast speed and strong push-back feeling. Both are cars, but their uses and requirements are completely different.

Anyway, many friends around me have now figured it out. There is no need to force yourself to build big muscles. If you enjoy the process of weightlifting and like a figure with strong lines, then concentrate on practicing according to the logic of muscle building. If you just want to improve your sub-health and dress better, you can usually go for a run or do a few push-ups when you have time. Moving is better than sitting. You really don’t need to be hijacked by the rhetoric of "you need to build muscle for fitness".