General Training vs. Specific Training: How Coaching Helps You Reach Your Goals Faster

By Coach Matt Michaud 

Generalized Training

If you’ve been training consistently in a gym like EverProven Training and CrossFit in Dover, NH, there’s a good chance you’re fitter now than you were a year ago.

You’re stronger. You move better. Your conditioning has improved. Everyday life feels easier. All that doesn’t happen by accident. That’s what good general training does.

But there’s also something I hear all the time from athletes at every level.

“I’m fitter overall, but I’m not getting closer to this one goal.”

That’s where the difference between general training and specific training really matters.

What General Training Does Well

General training is about building well rounded fitness. Strength, conditioning, power, mobility, coordination. All of it.

That’s exactly what large group classes are designed to do.

You lift. You run. You row. You jump. You carry awkward things. You do movements you’re good at and movements you’re not so good at. Over time, you become more capable across the board.

This type of training:

• Builds a big base of fitness
• Makes you more durable and resilient
• Carries over really well to real life
• Helps you feel better, move better, and live better
  

For a lot of people, this is perfect. If your goal is to be healthy, strong, and capable for whatever life throws at you, general training works extremely well.

And to be clear, it absolutely makes you fitter.

Where General Training Falls Short

The limitation of general training shows up when someone has a specific goal.

That might be:

• Getting your first pull up
• Adding weight to your Olympic lifts
• Improving your conditioning for a competition
• Training around an injury
• Fixing something that has been holding you back for years
  

A general program is written for everyone. It is not written for you. That includes “competitive” blanket programs like HWPO, Mayhem, Bolder Athlete, etc. as well. 

That means they can’t prioritize your personal weaknesses. They can’t adjust volume and intensity specifically for your body and your schedule. They can’t spend extra time on the one thing that would move the needle the most for you.

That doesn’t mean the program is bad. It just means it isn’t designed to solve individual problems.

What Specific Training Is

Specific training is focused and intentional.

Instead of asking, “How do we make everyone fitter today?” it asks, “What does this person need to get closer to their goal?”

Specific training targets:

• Your weaknesses
• Your skill gaps
• Your mobility limitations
• Your recovery capacity
• Your timeline and your lifestyle
  

The simplest way to say it is this: You get better at what you train on purpose.

If you want better gymnastics, you need gymnastics work that’s aimed at your level.

If you want stronger lifts, you need structured strength work that progresses over time.

If conditioning is your limiter, that needs to be trained intentionally, not just hoped for.

Specific training doesn’t replace general fitness. It builds on top of it.

Why a Blanket Program Won’t Fix Specific Problems

Here’s a situation I see all the time in many gyms.

An athlete has great conditioning but struggles with strength. In class, they’re still doing a lot of conditioning work because that’s what’s programmed. Strength shows up, but not often enough or with enough focus to change anything.

They keep getting fitter. They keep showing up…but the weakness stays.

Or the opposite. Someone is strong but struggles to breathe when workouts get longer. They survive the workouts but never really improve that side of their fitness.

Without individual direction, most people end up training what they’re already good at and avoiding what they struggle with. That leads to plateaus.

Not because they aren’t working hard, but because the training isn’t aimed at the problem.

Why Coaching and Personalized Plans Work Better

When training is personalized, progress becomes more efficient.

Your time and effort go toward the things that matter most for you. We can reduce the stuff you don’t need as much of and spend more time on what’s actually holding you back.

Coaching allows us to:

• Identify your biggest limiters
• Build a plan around your goals
• Adjust training based on how you’re responding
• Manage fatigue and recovery
• Keep you healthy while still pushing progress
  

This is how people break through plateaus. Not by doing more, but by doing the right things.

What This Looks Like at EverProven

Group classes are the foundation of what we do. They build fitness, consistency, and community. They’re incredibly valuable.

Personalized coaching is how we help people go further, faster. That can look like:

One-on-One Training: For people who want direct feedback, faster progress, and a plan that’s built specifically for them.

Small Group Training or Specialty Programs: For athletes who share a similar goal like lifting, gymnastics, or conditioning, but still want more individual attention.

Remote Coaching: For busy schedules, travel, or athletes who want guidance and accountability without being tied to class times.

All of these options are designed to meet you where you’re at.

General Training Builds the Base.
Specific Training Gets You the Result.
General training makes you fit.
Specific training makes you better at the thing you care about. The things you want. 

You don’t have to choose one or the other. The best results come from using both in the right way.

How do I Start?

If you’re training for general fitness and feeling good, you’re doing something right. If you have a goal that keeps sitting in the back of your mind or a weakness that never seems to improve, that’s not a motivation issue. That’s a training problem and it’s one we can help with.

Talk to a coach and book a goal setting meeting. Ask about personalized options. Let’s build a plan that actually fits you.

General fitness is powerful. Specific training is a game changer.