[squat] + [press] + [deadlift] -- feelings
Most people at the gym are *exercising* — trying to catch a pump, feel the burn, or complete a random workout of the day. A small minority are actually *training* — structuring their workouts as component parts of a long term goal. A person who is training may catch a pump or feel the burn accidentally, but that is not the objective. His plan for that workout is determined before he sets foot in the gym.
The difference between the two paradigms is that the exerciser is listening to his feelings while the trainee is not. At the best of times, feelings are fleeting and unreliable. A lifter under the bar is a particularly terrible judge of his feelings because he is under duress. He is incapable of objectively evaluating his efforts. Nevertheless, many modern methods actively encourage the lifter to rate his perceived exertion under the bar and program workouts based on this “data”. This is popular two reasons.
(1) It has an aura of sophistication. “Listening to the body” is more intelligent than being a caveman and just doing a little more than last time.
(2) It gives us an intellectual and “scientific” justification for avoiding hard work.
Successful lifters learn to ignore their feelings and focus on doing what needs to be done. Since all worthwhile tasks in life require us to operate in this way, people who train have a distinct psychological advantage over those who merely exercise.