Calisthenics vs Bodybuilding
The Difference Between Calisthenics & Bodybuilding.
If you are beginning your journey to fitness, the initial step is the most difficult. What is even more difficult is choosing what plan suits you and your body well. The fitness path you take not only ends up defining you but also your goals.
The right strategy, diet and perseverance are the key ingredients that help an individual achieve their fitness goals. A key decision that will come up in the initial stages of your fitness journey is which style to go for. While fitness is traditionally associated with heavy-lifting in the gym and sweating on the treadmill, over the years various styles have come to dominate the industry.
Two of the most popular styles today are – calisthenics and bodybuilding. It is important to understand some differences between calisthenics and bodybuilding.
Same Goals, Different Means
To be sure, calisthenics and bodybuilding serve similar purposes, that is, they both help your body get strength training. The difference lies in the fact that where bodybuilding takes aide of several high-functioning, high-quality equipment, calisthenics uses the body’s own weight as resistance.
Calisthenics uses its ability to put pressure on the body’s cardiovascular system to develop not only endurance but muscle strength. This style is excellent fit for those who are looking to become more agile, flexible, and toned.
Where calisthenics is the newcomer in the fitness world that is winning new converts, bodybuilding is the blue-eyed boy of the fitness industry. Many bodybuilders often compare the style to an art given the perseverance and effort it takes to shape their body.
Bodybuilding came into prominence thanks to Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose fame and Roman physique inspired millions of men to take up bodybuilding and hit the gym. As mentioned before, bodybuilding relies heavily on various equipment to put strain on the muscles, trigger hypertrophy and build muscle endurance.
In calisthenics, you would rely heavily on variation of the push-ups and pull-ups to shape your chest and biceps. In bodybuilding, you can use a weighted barbell or a seated chest press machine to shape the same muscles.
Weight Constraint
One essential difference between calisthenics and bodybuilding is the weight constraint. As calisthenics heavily leans on use of body’s natural weight to boost muscle growth, it is susceptible to hit a ceiling.
Fitness enthusiasts who wish to grow their bodies beyond their natural limit and obtain significant muscle mass often go for bodybuilding to break past their natural growth barrier.
Secret Ingredient
While choosing a style is a personal decision for most fitness enthusiasts, it is important to remember that you must favor the style that suits your body the best. Both calisthenics and bodybuilding are great ways to achieve your fitness goals and more often than not, individuals use a combination of the two to create their optimum fitness strategy.
Whichever style you choose, always remember: perseverance and consistency is the secret that will take you to your goals.
Wrap Up – Calisthenics vs Bodybuilding
Calisthenics workout contains exercises that requires minimal to no exercise equipment. The exercises are performed using the body weight, so they don’t require gym equipment. While both are forms of strength training, calisthenics are exercises that use just your bodyweight, while weight training uses external resistance.
