What is the difference between training for looks and training for health?

Less than people think, and they overlap heavily for the first few years. The divergence appears at the extremes: very low body fat, high-volume specialised training and aggressive dieting serve appearance and can actively harm sleep, hormones and mood. Training for health prioritises cardiovascular fitness, strength maintained across decades, joint health and consistency, and tolerates a body composition that is sustainable. For most people the honest answer is that a programme built for health — three strength sessions, some cardio, adequate protein, enough sleep — also produces most of the appearance change they wanted.