Working with body weights is known to induce hypertrophy – a phenomenon where the muscle suffers from micro-tears, patches it up and gets bigger and stronger in the process. Resistance training is a popular form of workout for building strength and comes in several variants that have turned into different activities and sports. Bodybuilding and Calisthenics are two popular training techniques that demand powerful muscles but carry extremely different goals.
Calisthenics is the art of using one’s body weight to train, with minimum to no external equipment use. The individual’s body provides enough resistance for them to not only face a challenging task but also increase strength and endurance.
Meanwhile, bodybuilding is painstakingly building and defining every single muscle on one’s body to flaunt the physique up on stage. It is an aesthetic-heavy activity that involves years of training, bulking up, and chiseling down to embody the ideal physique.
Both activities have their own set of competitions, popular athletes, and hurdles for practitioners to get to the top. However, one would have to go through certain parameters before comparing and pitting the two against one another.
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Purpose of Bodybuilding and Calisthenics
It is important to understand the purpose of either of them to choose a better strength training activity amongst the two. Bodybuilding is focused on looks and aesthetics, with an emphasis on increasing muscle mass and defining every fiber in the body. It has several approaches to the ultimate goal, which is to be the most ripped and conditioned on stage.
On the other hand, the latter is an athletic activity by itself, and while it may involve minimal use of equipment, it focuses more on flexibility and core strength. One doesn’t need an entire gymnasium or specialized training gear to practice the activity.
Both bodybuilding and calisthenics are beneficial for increasing strength and body definition, apart from some amount of hypertrophy. However, bodybuilding is an ideal choice for those who wish to focus more on aesthetics and muscle mass. Whereas, those having limited space and wish to be more agile and flexible can opt for the other option.
Physiques: Bodybuilding vs. Calisthenics
It’s easy to point out the typical physique of a bodybuilder since their end goal is to grow bigger and more defined. Hence, visually pleasing attributes like symmetry, muscle definition, proportional top and bottom, and so on find their way into judging a good bodybuilder on stage.
In the case of the strength training sport, athletes have to highlight the functional strength of their bodies due to the exercises involved. Therefore, instead of big bulky frames, a calisthenics athlete will flaunt a lean, defined body that has the ability to twist and turn as necessary.
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So what is better?
Can a calisthenics athlete beat a bodybuilder, or will the latter crush them with a bigger physique structure? The answer simply lies in the purpose of both sports and is extremely subjective. One might not want to opt for functional strength but would still want some hypertrophy and increased muscle mass. In that case, training to become a bodybuilder would be the ideal choice for them.
Similarly, if the goal is to improve one’s functional strength, get leaner and ripped, and not utilize too many tools, calisthenics is the best option available. Both sports build a lot of strength through several approaches, and whether one opts for the former or the latter, they’re bound to focus well on the physique.
