One day I was having a conversation with my brother about lifting because he had started doing a full-body routine a few times a week along with running and cycling in his free time. I was kind of giving him a hard time and joking that he’ll lift by himself but is too good to come lift with his brother. Then as we were talking he told me that he didn’t really care to go to the gym as often as I did or follow as structured of a plan as I did. He mainly enjoyed running and cycling and was lifting a few times a week just because. He didn’t care about gaining tons of muscle, he just wanted to stay at a weight he was comfortable at and stay “healthy”. It was during this conversation that I came to the realization, not everyone likes this shit as much as me. Now I obviously knew that before and never judged anyone who doesn’t lift weights, but it was more that I never really put any thought into it. So as I started to think about our conversation, I began to realize that everyone who participates in some form of exercise falls along a spectrum that can be used to categorize them by what type of athlete they are.
On the one end there are the normal everyday people we only want to be healthy. They don’t really care what type of exercise they do, they only do it because they want to do the minimal amount to live a healthy lifestyle. Then on the very end of the spectrum are professional athletes which many people think of MLB, NFL, Olympic athletes etc, but also includes for our purposes professional bodybuilders, crossfitters, and powerlifters who all make a living from their each of their respective sports. We should look at this as a spectrum though because there are tons of people that take what they do very seriously, but are not fully at the professional level. So after realizing there is a spectrum of athletes we can begin to create categories throughout that spectrum range.
Just want to be healthy - Enjoy physical activity - Fitness Enthusiast - Semi Pro - Pro
It’s important to know which category you fall under because it can help set both your goals and expectations. It is very unreasonable for someone who falls under the Just wants to be healthy category to expect the same physique or strength level as someone who is in the Serious Lifter Category. Not only will their long term goals probably be different, their level of commitment to training and nutrition will differ as well.
Just want to be healthy
This is the type of person that probably doesn’t even consider themselves an athlete. They typically do some sort of physically activity and eat consciously so they are able to move around easily, not be overweight, and feel like they are taking care of themselves. People in this category usually don’t have clear defined fitness goals. They instead do the few things they do because they know it's better than doing nothing. A perfect example of this would be my brother who I try to get to come lift with me all the time, but he has never been to interested in it the way I am. Instead he likes to go for a run or bike ride a few times a week. Then rather than eating for gainz, he will mainly eat as he pleases but will hold back a little bit when he’s eaten a lot of junk throughout the day and does what he can to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables to have a well balanced diet. I wouldn’t consider people in this category to be doing the “bare minimum”, because many people who live this way are not only in decent shape, but happy with how they live their life which is the most important trait.
Enjoy physical activity
People who are in this category really enjoy physical activity of all kinds and don’t always stick just one type of exercise. These are the types of people who may casually go to the gym every once and while, play an adult organized sport, take frequent walks/hikes, maybe even do a few 5k walk/runs throughout the year. They also eat health consciously for the most part, but don’t necessarily track their food. Some people who are in this category can achieve a pretty impressive physique just because of how active they stay.
Fitness Enthusiast
The people that fall in this category take their fitness seriously, but are not an elite level. It’s people who usually specialize in one type of fitness, whether it's bodybuilding, powerlifting, crossfit, triathlon participants, etc. These people not only train regularly, but also take their nutrition seriously as well. I feel like I fall into this category. Even though I like many forms of physical activity, I focus heavily on bodybuilding. I make sure I go to the gym to train 5-6 times a week to become a better bodybuilder. Then I may not always physically track my food, but I always conciously think about what I eat. This doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy pizza and beer, I just know how to fit it into my diet here and there without disrupting my goals.
Semi-pro
This includes individuals that actually compete in some sort of sport but do not pursue their physical activity as a day job. These individuals operate at an elite level, but their sport is not their full life, even though it may consume much of it. They due their absolute best to be diligent in their training and nutrition. People in this category are so dedicated to their sport that they want to test their competence in it against not only themselves, but others as well.
Pro
This category not only includes people that are actual recognized professionals, but also people who make their living off of their respected sport. Even though many have competed, whether they have or not, their whole life revolves around their one sport.
Now even though this isn’t a widely used and accepted chart, but rather something I just made up to help paint a picture. Putting yourself into one of these categories helps give you a realization of how committed you are and what type of goals and results you want to achieve. When you take the time to think about it, it may bring to light how much do you actually care about fitness and what are you willing to put into it. Once you have a realization of what you are willing to aim for, it helps keep you from comparing yourself to others in a negative way.