Why Does the Gym Trainer Ask Me to Focus on Physical Fitness First?

Why Does the Gym Trainer Ask Me to Focus on Physical Fitness First?

“You have good strength, but your physical fitness is poor.” What exactly is physical fitness?

I had a female trainee who, after three months of training with me, went back to her previous coach for a session. That coach didn’t realize how much she had improved. He had no idea that this girl, who weighed just over 50 kilograms, could already squat and deadlift over 70 kilograms.

He asked her to warm up on the treadmill for five minutes. After a few steps, she thought, “How have I been warming up lately? Are you seriously giving me this treadmill?” and said she didn’t want to run. Later, during a few sets of squats, the coach was clearly surprised by her progress. Anyone who’s been to a gym knows that even if a coach compliments you, there’s always a “but” coming. The coach said, “You have good strength, but your physical fitness is poor.” She came back to me complaining, “I just didn’t want to run, and he said my fitness was bad.”

I’m sure you’ve encountered similar situations: “Your *** is good, but your physical fitness is poor.” The term “physical fitness” sounds quite sophisticated, but when people talk about it, they often measure it solely by how well you can run long distances. This clearly doesn’t align with the true meaning of “physical fitness.” So, what exactly is physical fitness?

At our place, we call it “dynamic fitness,” so we need to at least roughly explain what it means.

Physical fitness, as the name suggests, refers to the basic physical abilities of the human body.

Is lifting heavy objects from the ground physical fitness? Carrying heavy objects upstairs? Carrying a girl (or guy) for a mile? Jumping over obstacles? Running fast? Running far? Bending over to touch your toes? Jumping high? Knocking out a bad guy with one punch?

So, I ask, aren’t barbell squats, overhead presses, HIIT, and CrossFit all forms of physical fitness? Aren’t Usain Bolt (sprinting) and Lü Xiaojun (weightlifting) examples of physical fitness?

These are all manifestations of physical fitness.

There are many ways to classify physical fitness. My preferred method divides it into five categories: strength, endurance, flexibility, speed, and agility.

The five-category method is great because anyone with a basic understanding of exercise can grasp most of it. For example, weightlifting is clearly about strength; long-distance running is about endurance; bending backward is about flexibility; running fast is about speed; and excelling in ball sports requires agility. There are subcategories and overlaps within these five, but we won’t delve into that today.

Back to the original question: What does it mean when someone says, “You have good strength, but your physical fitness is poor”?

Strength is a crucial component of physical fitness (I’d even argue it’s the most important). Saying this is like saying, “You play the violin well, but your musical performance is poor.” It’s not a logical fallacy; it’s a cognitive issue. If an average person said this, I’d understand, which is why I’m writing this article. But this was a gym trainer! How can a gym trainer not know what physical fitness is? Well, maybe he was just using the term “physical fitness” to sound sophisticated and impress people.

When talking about physical fitness, we must also discuss athletic performance. The term “athletic performance” probably excites male readers: “I want to play basketball better,” “I want to run faster,” etc. Female readers might feel a bit disappointed: “I don’t do any sports except gym workouts, and even that’s just for a better figure.” So, let me address the female readers first.

In the comments on my previous articles, many women expressed that having a functional body is more important than having a good-looking one. I must say, this is a positive trend. However, most women still prioritize body shape, if not as the sole goal, when considering fitness.

I know you may never have loved any sport or engaged in physical labor, but I also know that there are always some physical activities in life that are unavoidable (and no, I’m not talking about that kind of activity, though you can think of it if you want). When facing these unavoidable tasks, the importance of physical fitness is self-evident.

One of our male trainees, a fairly strong guy, injured his back lifting a battery in college and was bedridden for two months. While lifting a battery is a specific example, lumbar injuries are common among ordinary people. You might avoid lifting batteries or carrying water buckets, but you can’t avoid tying your shoelaces, right? Building a strong (I’m replacing “strong” with “healthy” because everyone needs health) body and incorporating proper movement patterns into your daily life over decades—doesn’t that sound good?

Isn’t it great to go out for a day of sightseeing without feeling tired? Isn’t it good to be able to run fast in case of danger? More broadly, isn’t it good to have the independence to handle things yourself when no one else is around to help? Take me, for example. My wife has the strength to move everything in the house, and she occasionally taps me on the head. What can I say? It’s not fun thinking about training with her. I used to enjoy tickling her, but now, unless I catch her off guard, I can’t mess with her anymore. Well, now you know—I’m a henpecked husband.

I want to tell all the women who don’t love sports or engage in physical labor that physical fitness is very beneficial for you. It helps when traveling, facing difficulties, or even dealing with the opposite sex. Moreover, it boosts your confidence and independence. Besides, we can never avoid physical activity because standing, walking, getting into bed, and sleeping are all movements that no one can do for you. If you want to be healthy, you should consider physical fitness because it involves movement patterns, motor control, joint stability, body balance, and more—all of which are closely related to health.

For the male readers, let’s talk about basketball. Many basketball enthusiasts train with me, and they often report significant improvements in their and jumping ability. One of the first friends who trained with me said, “I’ve noticed that not many people dare to defend me when I charge forward.” You should know that the basketball level at Peking University isn’t low.

Physical fitness means athletic ability, health, and, to some extent, independence. By now, you probably understand that having good physical fitness (better than the average person) doesn’t necessarily mean having a great physique (better than the average person). However, through training and dietary adjustments, improvements in physique can be immediate (after all, fat loss, body shaping, and bodybuilding all rely on training and diet). So, even if your primary goal is physique and secondary is fitness, we can—and should—prioritize physical fitness because the result might still be the physique you desire, provided you don’t mess up your diet. For more on diet, check out the extended reading.

Finally, let’s return to the original topic. In the future, if you encounter someone who thinks highly of themselves and immediately says your physical fitness is poor, you don’t need to feel awkward or be polite. After reading this article, you’ll know better. If a long-distance runner questions your fitness, just tell them your strength level (usually, it’s endurance-focused people who love to talk about fitness, as they equate fitness with endurance). Long-distance runners who read this article, I hope you now have a better understanding of physical fitness and won’t use the term “fitness” to solely evaluate endurance.