Why Strength Training – Part 4

Types of Strength Training

Walking into the gym, picking up a dumbbell and curling it while grunting in your loudest “beast mode” voice does not make someone a bodybuilder any more than squatting with a barbell makes someone a powerlifter.

Although this might seem like an obvious statement, I often hear people talk about doing powerlifting or bodybuilding as though either of those things are merely a style of working out. But to those who compete powerlifting or bodybuilding, you must step on the stage or platform to be considered a powerlifter or bodybuilder.

In this post, I am going to provide a brief definition and explanation of the different types of strength training. In next week’s blog, I will explain what we do at Muscle for the Journey. These definitions are not all-encompassing and not a scientific explanation of movement.

weightlifting – The lower case “w” is not an accident and I will expound on that in a moment. This type of strength training is usually performed by those desiring to train for general fitness. “weightlifting” could be defined as general strength using both free weights and machines.

If you do not know the difference between free weights and machines, look back to the second blog in this series. Every single client at Muscle for the Journey is trained using weightlifting combined with other aspects of fitness.

 

Weightlifting – involves movements such as a power clean, snatch, clean and jerk, and split jerk. These are the movements people often refer to as “Olympic Weightlifting.”

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However, Olympic lifts are performed… wait for it… in the Olympics. Thus, we make the distinction between general training with weights and the Weightlifting movements by merely capitalizing the W. These movements are primarily performed for strength and power. Weightlifting movements are technically and physically challenging. They can be used within regular training but are also used on a competition stage.

 

Bodybuilding – is used in sculpting the muscles of the body and lowering body fat percentage. Most often, in bodybuilding programming, high reps are performed. Bodybuilders do lift heavy and are not restricted merely to light weights with high reps, although this is the stereotype. However, movements performed in high volume are often the focus. Bodybuilders also often use workouts containing dropsets, supersets, and circuits to intensely work a specific muscle group.

Bodybuilders also break up lifting days into specific muscle groups rather than which lift is being performed, unlike powerlifting. Meaning, bodybuilders often will have a “split” like this: Chest and Shoulders Day; Legs: Quad Emphasis and Abs; Back and Arms Day; Legs: Hamstring Emphasis.

Bodybuilders will also perform more cardio and their nutrition is an important focus of their training. On the day of the show, everything is manipulated down to the minute a competitor steps on stage including water intake, food intake, and getting a pump before you go on stage. A series of poses, sometimes choreographed like a dance, are performed for the judges both alone and alongside other competitors.

 

Crossfit – These people are the crazies with way more energy than I can ever fathom. I am joking, but Crossfit has really come to encompass so many aspects of athletic training

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I am not sure where to begin. Much of crossfit is performed with specific timing in mind. Crossfit is a fast paced workout that includes power, strength, agility, cardio, and athleticism. Crossfit combines movements from Weightlifting and Powerlifting while also including rowing and running. They perform movements with a kettlebell, rings, boxes, lunges, bicycles. The list is huge. Hit up Netflix and choose any number of documentaries to learn more about Crossfit.

 

Powerlifting – focuses on the three main movements of competition: squat, bench and deadlift.

If you ask a powerlifter what the difference is between them and the person who squats, benches, and deadlifts in a gym, we will tell you that a powerlifter has stepped on the platform and competed. In powerlifting, training days are usually designated by movement. For example: Squat Day, Bench Day, Deadlift Day, Accessories Day.

Within powerlifting, there are many ways to write a workout routine besides the example given above. On competition day, lifters are divided into flights according to weight class. Each lifter begins with squats. The lifter will perform three squat attempts. They then wait for the remainder of the flights to perform their squats and then move forward to three attempts of bench and then three attempts of deadlift.

Powerlifters train for maximum strength, which is often very taxing on the central nervous system. Although powerlifters will train movements in high repetition, they usually train in cycles. These cycles, simply explained, include hypertrophy – high rep and muscle building, strength – lower reps and heavier weight, and strength peaking – for a competition.

Of course, I could go into much greater detail here but I just wanted to give a general overview. I am thinking of providing a short interview with athletes in each field to help you understand more about each of these avenues of training. Drop a comment if you are interested in this idea!