The other day I spoke at the Find IT
, where I presented the
WorkOut project: fitness of city streets
as part of a Start-up session.
Following the presentation, one of the questions that I was asked was about how our direction differs from CrossFit
. I think now is a good time to write a separate article on this subject and talk about the main differences!
Differences Between Bodybuilding and CrossFit Workouts
To someone outside the gym, it may seem like bodybuilding isn't much different from Crossfit. People exercise strength, lift weights, and often do similar exercises. However, bodybuilding and crossfit are two different worlds. CrossFit training differs from bodybuilding primarily in the intensity of the exercises performed. For example, a two-kilometer run.
A bodybuilder will run the route in 12 minutes, and a person practicing CrossFit will do it in 8. The training is the same, but the effects are completely different. A person who exercises in CrossFit has four times more endurance than a bodybuilder. The same thing, but the intensity of the training is much higher. Those are the basics, but what about the other differences?
Performance technique
In workout, technique is at the forefront. First of all, you need to learn to perform the exercise correctly and cleanly, and not chase the number of repetitions. Because as you progress in your training, your strength will increase, and so will the number of repetitions. But it will be more and more difficult to correct the technique over time, since stable connections will be formed in your nervous system that are responsible for incorrect muscle motility. Some workout athletes are so zealous in defending the cleanliness of their technique that they may even reprimand you during training and draw attention to the “dirty” moments so that you can correct your technique.
Unfortunately, the mass nature of CrossFit, which we talked about earlier, also leaves a certain imprint on the quality of the exercises. It is very difficult (if not impossible) to teach a whole group at once to correctly perform this or that exercise, especially if the training must go according to a certain plan and often there is simply no time to correct everyone. Let's leave this to the conscientiousness of the trainers conducting the classes, but as a result of this approach, quite interesting exercise options arise. For example, kipping pull-ups:
(This is not a joke, they really pull themselves up like that!)
If you ask CrossFitters about this exercise, they will begin to give you various arguments and explanations of why it is useful, saying that it brings other muscles to work. But, if we look objectively, such exercises serve primarily to stroke your pride. It's so nice to tell everyone that you can do 40 pull-ups, right? Especially if you don’t mention that these are 40 kipping pull-ups, not regular ones.
You need to be able to leave your ego outside of training. As already written above, in workout they teach you to think about quality, not quantity. In addition, the correct technique not only looks much better from the outside, but it also pumps up the body much more effectively. Watch one of my favorite videos about clean 40 pull-ups and the results that such training gives:
(Amar, 40 pull-ups)
PS If I forgot to write about some important difference, then feel free to point it out in the comments!
Bodybuilders don't like the intensity of CrossFit
What bodybuilders hate is the intensity of CrossFit training. Bodybuilders focus on balanced and precise training. They perform several repetitions and sometimes add new elements. Bodybuilding fitness usually involves 20 minutes on a treadmill or bike. Bodybuilders don't like the excessive panting and grunting that is typical of CrossFit training. After a good workout, a bodybuilder usually doesn’t sweat much and his heart rate doesn’t increase as much.
What's in CrossFit? During and after exercise, the heart rate is very high, breathing is rapid, and the athlete sweats profusely. Finally, WODs are completed on time or for a given number of reps. However, this also makes the workout shorter. A bodybuilder spends 1.5-2 hours training, and a CrossFit athlete spends 30-60 minutes. The difference is huge. Of course, this is some general form because in bodybuilding there are higher intensity workouts. But usually they are practiced by professionals in the final preparatory period before competitions.
Crossfit
Crossfit
is a system of strength exercises based on the philosophy of multilateral physical development, i.e. This system consists of cyclic functional movements of high intensity of various directions; in other words, it is the circular execution of alternating various tasks in a minimum time.
CrossFit can rightfully be considered one of the main fitness trends of the last few years, quickly gaining popularity among athletes. Such training promises not only fast and effective fat burning, but also the formation of a sports figure and athletic relief and develops such qualities as endurance, strength, speed, flexibility, coordination. It is worth noting that there are no restrictions in terms of loads in CrossFit, so trainers do not recommend this sport to unprepared beginners.
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The product contains Omega-3 fatty acids (including eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid) and vitamin E, is odorless and leaves no aftertaste due to the Thyme and Peppermint essential oils included in the composition.
Crossfit is a spectacle on an Olympic scale
Sooner or later, CrossFit will appear as an Olympic discipline. People enjoy watching high intensity sports. Intensity = Ticacity. Intense sports seem to be the most challenging for the average spectator. We love watching someone push the limits of the human body and break records. And that's what the CrossFit Games provides.
CrossFit games are very dynamic and involve timed exercises. Every second counts, so players move quickly. A lot happens during a competition. Each competition is also a new formula, new competitions.
As the chart shows, bodybuilding has a more or less constant level of interest among Internet users. In turn, CrossFit has been rapidly gaining momentum since 2008 to overthrow bodybuilding in terms of the number of requests. Crossfit maintains a high level of interest, and bodybuilding is starting to see small but noticeable losses.
Training approach
CrossFit is a strict implementation of training complexes, in which one exercise follows strictly after another, the execution time, rest time, number of approaches and repetitions are regulated.
Examples of such complexes are posted on the official website almost every day, and CrossFitters compete with each other to see who can complete them the fastest. It should be noted that crossfit in most cases involves group training, that is, all participants perform the same program, regardless of individual characteristics. There are no such frameworks in workout. We have no programs or training systems at all. Although it is difficult for many who are not into workout to accept this, we just come to the site and freestyle. We train for our own pleasure, doing those elements that we like and which we consider useful for ourselves. One of the main principles in workout is the ability to feel your body and understand what is good for you and what is not so good. We do not take anything for granted and do not use programs and exercises that are published in various magazines and the Internet, no matter how effective they are called. Each workout worker, through trial and error, selects those exercises that provide maximum benefit and performs them.
And it doesn’t cost us anything between approaches to just communicate with each other for life and joke around. Because workout is, first of all, a way to spend time usefully, and muscles and strength are a consequence of what we do, but not the goal itself. Remember, if you are working out at a workout area and are not smiling, then you are doing something wrong (c).
Why do people lose interest in bodybuilding?
Bodybuilding also guarantees breaking records. Unfortunately, there is no emotion in it. In bodybuilding, nothing happens quickly or dynamically. It's more of a zero-one sport, either someone will lift the weight or not. During body competitions there is little room for dynamics. Bodybuilders calmly show off their bodies so the judges can get a good look.
It looks a little better on any system where the player can submit their layout. However, it is still stable, whether you win the silhouette competition or not. So it suffers from impressive character and falls to the average receiver.
Crossfits complications – interdisciplinary
fitness bodybuilding
People who practice CrossFit are considered athletes, and some are even considered acrobats. CrossFit consists of elements of weight lifting, running, rowing, gymnastics and many other disciplines that provide excitement and challenge to the very end. Crossfit people can usually walk on their hands, do somersaults, high jumps, and other spectacular performances. These are skills that are rarely practiced by bodybuilders. From an observer's point of view, bodybuilding in the gym loses greatly when it does not show its strength in action.
OCR
OCR or Obstacle Race
is another popular outdoor sport. Each such training has its own set of obstacles; they differ from each other in complexity and format. One of the most famous such training groups is the Race of Heroes, which takes place annually and gathers tens of thousands of participants who want to test their strength in field conditions.
This type of competition is aimed primarily at increasing endurance, developing strength qualities and adapting the body to high physical activity. Preparation for the race consists of CrossFit complexes and obstacle courses, including cross-country, and strength training using your own body weight.
Creativity and CrossFit
Another area where CrossFit definitely wins. Creation. You can train in any possible way - for example, like a woodcutter cutting down tree trunks. Pulling or rolling tires from tractors. Crawling with a partner on the back, running with a parachute. Whatever comes to your mind. Crossfit may use gymnastics for training and equipment that was not originally intended for training. In bodybuilding, such extravagances are hardly possible; here you need to adapt to competition standards and accurately predict results. The load weight must be set accurately, and not “by eye”.
Is CrossFit worth the money?
The crossfit training package is much more expensive than a standard gym training package. So why is there such interest in CrossFit training? Group CrossFit classes are extremely motivating. They allow you to achieve faster effects under the influence of adrenaline and emotions. It's the rivalry that brings new people to CrossFit. When you come to training, you can immediately start fighting with other players. Almost every CrossFit workout is a struggle.
Efficiency
Workout and crossfit are too different to be able to objectively and unambiguously say which direction is more effective.
This largely depends on the goals that you set for yourself when starting classes. In this article, I propose to compare only one parameter - appearance, since it is visual and is unlikely to cause controversy regarding its objectivity. The photo on the left shows a workout athlete with about 3-4 years of training experience. There are actually a lot of such guys, and if you don’t believe me, then open VKontakte groups in different cities Nikolaev, Donetsk, Chelyabinsk, Yekaterinburg, Moscow, Dnepropetrovsk are especially encouraging in this regard and look at the photos and videos from general training camps. The photo on the right shows the world champion in CROSSFIT.
There are literally hundreds of guys like the ones on the left in workout classes, but there are only a few like those on the right in CrossFit. The average result in terms of external appearance (muscles, definition) in workout is significantly higher than in CrossFit. Therefore, if your goal is, first of all, to look beautiful, then if I were you, I would pay attention to workouts in the spirit of workout.
The benefits of bodybuilding - why is it better than CrossFit?
Bodybuilding vs Crossfit
In addition to the obvious benefits of bodybuilding training, such as improved muscle strength, a healthier circulatory system, body weight control and overall improved health, there are other, less obvious benefits of bodybuilding. Bodybuilding teaches regularity and precision. In addition, it is a good sport for older people - over 60 years old.
An excellent example of the good effect of bodybuilding on the health of older people is the American Ernestine Shepard. Who started strength training at the age of 56 and entered competitions at the age of approximately 60. But CrossFit is not suitable for older people due to its intensity. This means that fitness bodybuilding definitely wins in this area.
Cons of crossfit training
Like everything, CrossFit also has its dark side. Because of its intensity, it is more damaging than gentle weight training. Crossfit exercises are very hard on the knees, back and shoulders. These are the joints that are most often injured during WOD exercises. On the other hand, this does not mean that bodybuilding is absolutely safe.
On the contrary, here again an exercise with poor technique or too much weight is dangerous. However, injuries are more common during CrossFit training than in bodybuilding. Beginners who would like to get started with CrossFit training should definitely start by signing up for a group class or getting help from a trainer. In addition, when training CrossFit, regular stretching, that is, mobility work, is recommended. This reduces the risk of injury.
Availability
Workout is a street fitness trend based on bodyweight exercises, in which the main emphasis is on developing strength and endurance.
Active use of imagination in training allows you to constantly invent new exercises and combinations, making each workout different from the other! (With)
Workout was originally conceived in such a way that you could train anywhere and anytime. Maximum accessibility is ensured by the absence of the need to purchase any additional equipment or a gym membership. For a full workout, a horizontal bar and parallel bars, which can be found in any yard, are enough. As a last resort, you can generally train with freestyles on the floor, using advanced versions of push-ups and elements of both breakdancing and gymnastics.
CrossFit also uses elements from gymnastics, but not at the advanced level (front/back hangs, horizontals, airplanes, etc.), but at the entry level. But they are not used as a basis, but as one of the components of the training process (along with exercises with iron from weightlifting, strongman and other exercises). Most often in CrossFit, bodyweight exercises are used as a warm-up and warm-up. The basis of a regular workout is exercises with barbells, kettlebells, ropes, rowing machines and other equipment.
I don’t think it’s possible to conduct a full workout at home or in the yard without shopping well at a sports equipment store.
