Crossfit or bodybuilding?

Many people wonder what is the difference between CrossFit and strength training and especially which of these activities to favor. Yet I do not have a clear and obvious answer to this question.

Indeed, it all depends on what you like, your body, your resistance to effort, your training rhythm, etc. We will therefore try to find together if you are made for CrossFit or for weight training. traditional.

What is the difference between CrossFit and weight training?

To start on a stable basis, we will see what is the difference between these two practices. At first, the main objective is more or less the same. The goal is to play sports, maintain your body, have a healthy lifestyle and improve your physical performance.

If the objective is more or less the same (except for the competitors), it is the practice that differs. Traditional bodybuilding, the one that everyone knows, is generally based on a number of sets of X repetitions to be performed with machines, dumbbells, bars … in short, all the equipment available in a classic gym.

CrossFit meanwhile has been fashionable for ten years in France. Its practice consists of grouping together exercises from other disciplines (gym, athletics, weightlifting, fitness …). These diversified exercises will improve physical capacities and develop versatility. CrossFit favors very intense sessions with very little rest and based on a sequence of movements: pushing, lifting, throwing and pulling.

CrossFit vs bodybuilding: muscle gain

In order to build muscle the body process wants you to destroy your muscle fibers in order to create new, stronger and larger ones. With this essential information, you will be able to understand what I am going to explain to you:

Strength training is a sport that was designed to build muscle, and with the goal of muscle hypertrophy. In bodybuilding the path is simple, you lift weights, you gain muscle, you lift even more cast and your muscles get bigger again until you reach your natural limit. Of course, there are variations on the ways of working and you don’t have to lift tons to progress.

In CrossFit, the goal and above all functional. The goal is for your body to be fast, efficient and strong, but not necessarily very muscular. In the traditional practice of CrossFit, there is very little specific work to gain muscle and, more importantly, there is no isolation exercise allowing to work specifically a muscle in order to develop it.

Muscle gain: 1 point for bodybuilding

CrossFit vs bodybuilding: endurance

In a well-executed weight training session, an average athlete should be between 90 and 110 beats/minute on average throughout their session. According to these figures, traditional bodybuilding would gain endurance by working the heart muscle. However, most people fail to exercise vigorously enough. Blame it on too much rest or poorly executed exercises.

For its part, CrossFit does not leave time for the practitioner to rest, the principle being to chain the exercises one after the other while taking little, or not at all, rest time. So no matter what, your heart rate will be elevated throughout your workout and as a result, you will improve your endurance.

Endurance: 1 point for CrossFit

CrossFit vs weight training: the risk of injury

It is difficult to separate these two practices on this point because each has its advantages and disadvantages. Rather, we will see the types of injuries that each causes.

• Torsion / ligament rupture: In traditional weight training, the risks of torsion linked to poor movement are rare, because most exercises do not require rapid movements. On the other hand, in CrossFit, the different movements jumps to be performed carry risks, especially when fatigue occurs.
• Muscle injuries: In weight training, movements are more controlled than in CrossFit, however heavy loads can weaken the muscle. The risks are therefore equivalent on each side. It will therefore be necessary to prepare well and listen to your body to prevent muscle strains and tears.
• Tendinitis / joint pain: For once, CrossFit and weight training carry just as many risks. Heavy weight training will weaken the joints and tendons, just like the repeated and intense movements of CrossFit.