Athletic Fitness – Why Athletes Are Fitter Than the Average Gym Rat

Athletes are the most well conditioned and fittest people around because they have to be. After all, it is there job to have their bodies perform at the highest level. The average gym rat usually aspires to have the build and functional capability of the athlete, yet very seldom achieves that goal.

Now, of course it is the full-time job of the athlete to be the best performing well-oiled machine to entertain a high paying fan base every week. However, the average gym rat that spends a boat load of money on gym memberships, supplements, and training gear never even comes close to resembling the athlete that develops the body of a Greek god. Now you can blame it on genetics, money, and time and all of these characteristics are important, but I’ve trained normal taxpaying citizens to look like Greek gods with no gym membership, supplements, or a ton of training gear. The difference boils down to two factors, discipline and training method.

You see most gym rats go to the gym and do a few arm curls with their neat little ipod strapped to their bicep. A few reps on the bench, some lat pulls, and if they really get active they may do some squats. You see the difference in the athlete and the gym rat is definitely the training method, but having the hard discipline to engage in it most everyday and with high intensity. The athletes don’t have to spend two and half hours in the gym. As a matter of fact when I worked at UGA the maximum length of time in the weight-room never exceeded an hour. Now having said this they did put their time in for conditioning and practice. Most people don’t want to train like athletes because that is how you should train if you are playing “football,” or if you want to be a “wrestler.” This is a lazy excuse and is where I say don’t complain when your goals of achieving that level are not met.

Remember, if you want to learn how to fight you learn from a well-trained fighter, if you want to shoot you learn from a marksman, and if you want to be in the greatest shape of your life well I don’t consider myself a bad resource.