Your Guide to Strength Sports
People from all backgrounds can pursue strength sports as a competitive outlet. Many commercial gyms now have high-quality equipment, or you can build a home gym on a budget.
Introduction
Strength sports have become much more mainstream in the last two decades. Most commercial gyms usually have lots of barbell equipment, while specialized studios have popped up everywhere, making training way more accessible. Plus, many companies now make high-equipment for home gyms.
I’ve written this article to guide you through the main strength sports so you can decide if one is right for you.
Strength Sports Background
CrossFit popularized barbell sports such as powerlifting and weightlifting. The colorized bumper plates indicate they’re for weightlifting.
Strength sports are their own category. These are competitions in which strength is itself a primary goal. Just like any other sport, athletes test themselves against one another while seeking to do their best. They can be a fun option for people of all ages looking to challenge themselves in a competitive but supportive environment.
Strength sports are different from other applications of strength training:
For general health, the benefits of strength training as documented in this scientific journal (click to head) are now well-known. Even a small amount of lifting in your fitness program can improve health outcomes and guard against age-related illnesses.
Athletes at all levels can improve their performance with an intelligent workout program. Training principles like progressive overload prepare athletes for the specific demands of their sport. In addition, a good coach will periodize training for the sport. That entails cycling through development blocks in the off-season with peaking and tapering in-season.
What Are the Strength Sports?
Powerlifting
Powerlifting uses three barbell lifts: the barbell squat, the barbell bench press, and the barbell deadlift.
Each competitor gets three separate attempts to lift maximal weight. Their total is the sum of their best squat, bench, and deadlift. A final score is computed by body weight, with each lifter placed in a weight class.
Powerlifting is a test of raw strength. Powerlifting is often a great sport for beginners because of the relative simplicity of the barbell exercises and easy access to equipment. It’s popular for athletes transitioning from other sports, such as football, and moving around heavy weights is just fun.
Strongman
It is similarly a test of pure strength but across a broader range of events. While it features some barbell movements, Strongman Competition is known for its unique implements. These include keg tosses and Atlas Stones.
The sport has exploded recently for a bunch of reasons. One of them might be that World Champion Thor Bjornson played The Mountain in Game of Thrones.
Olympic Weightlifting
It’s probably the most misunderstood sport and term. Most people think of weight training as weightlifting.
However, weightlifting is a sport with two main lifts: the snatch and the clean and jerk. In competition, an athlete attempts each lift three times. They compete with others in their weight class based on their two best successful lifts.
These explosive movements require a combination of speed and power. As the name implies, it’s the sport you’re more likely to have seen if you’ve watched the Summer Olympics.
Functional Fitness
CrossFit is the most popular and famous version and a bit of an outlier. But in addition to conditioning, CrossFit features strength in many of their WODS (workouts of the day) and competitions. These include the squat, deadlift, Olympic movements, and unique events.
In addition, CrossFit gyms (called boxes) are worldwide. The other is that CrossFit popularized barbell training, particularly among women. They’re a big reason many commercial gyms have tons of high-quality equipment.
Is Bodybuilding a Sport?
While focused on aesthetics, bodybuilding meets the definition of a strength sport.
There is some academic controversy on this topic. (Click here to read about the dispute in an academic journal). But for practical purposes and the scope of this article, let’s assume there is a sport of bodybuilding. Here’s my simple rationale:
Bodybuilders use resistance to apply forces upon the body.
These forces result in physical changes.
Bodybuilders participate in official events with clear rules. At bodybuilding competitions, judges rate winners using objective criteria. This includes the size, symmetry, and definition of each muscle group.
Bodybuilding requires proscribed processes. Athletes must achieve low body fat through highly calibrated nutrition to stand a chance of winning.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is, of course, the most famous example and the man who brought the sport into the mainstream.
How Do These Sports Differ From Each Other?
I will focus on the sports people most commonly compare to explain the most significant differences.
bodybuilding vs. powerlifting
While bodybuilders are often quite strong, they are specifically focused on aesthetics and preparing for stage presentations
Powerlifters may also value aesthetics, but competitions focus on maximal strength, which includes lots of low-rep work
Bodybuilders cut weight to accentuate muscles, whereas powerlifters may diet to compete in a specific weight class
Powerlifting vs. strongman
Powerlifting only features three lifts: the deadlift, the bench press, and the squat. Strongman has a much more comprehensive range of events that you can about by clicking here. These include variations on classic movements like the overhead press and ones unique to the sport.
Strongman has a greater focus on showmanship. It grew out of circus performances in the 19th century.
Strongman requires a broader mix of functional fitness, including grip strength and cardio capacity.
Strongman vs. bodybuilding
Aesthetics are the primary goal of bodybuilding, whereas strongmen prioritize strength.
Bodybuilders cycle through periods of caloric surpluses to build muscle, followed by periods of intense dieting to reduce body fat as much as possible. Strongmen consume high-calorie diets to add or maintain body mass and fuel their training.
Bodybuilders will sometimes lift lighter weights with lots of attention to the range of motion to stimulate each muscle fiber. Strongmen usually focus heavier weights across the range of competition events.
Weightlifting vs. powerlifting
Weightlifting requires more power and explosiveness. Athletes must generate sufficient force to create movement along a greater distance.
Powerlifting is less about power (ironically) and more about absolute strength.
Weightlifting requires more mobility, flexibility, and coordination. Specifically, weightlifting requires a greater range of motion than powerlifting in the bottom squat and overhead positions.
Conclusion
Strength sports are an excellent option for people of all backgrounds seeking a competitive outlet. As a strength coach, I’ve come across many people who discovered their passion for these activities after thinking they weren’t “athletic.” Some used powerlifting to build mental toughness for a corporate career. For others, functional training reignited their interest in training altogether after pursuing other sports for years.
One of the best parts about these sports is that they attract people with similar interests. As such, they’re a great way to find a supportive, fun community, particularly if you can find a local gym. If you prefer to train privately, online coaches can always help you with technique, organizing a program, and preparing you for an event.
