Exploring Fitness Styles

Right now decide exactly what style of fitness you want to pursue and warning, this style will be with you for the next four years. Daunting right? As college students, we often feel so pressured to make quick decisions that can have a significant impact on our lives. Many of us remember this when it came to deciding on what college we wanted to attend. So many options, so many opportunities, so many possibilities. Deciding your lifting style is very similar to this however, I promise when I say it is much less daunting.

Choosing your fitness style can seem very overwhelming at first. There are so many factors that fall into play such as how will this training alter my body, can I afford the necessary equipment, and most commonly do I have the time for this? These are all valid thoughts before entering a new type of training, however, unlike choosing a college, choosing a training style is something you can simply treat as a trial run. Think of trying a new form of training as trying a new streaming service. You get a 2-week trial where you give it a fair and honest shot and after those two weeks, you decide whether or not it’s worth it.

There are four main types of training you will see within any gym. We’re going to give a deep dive look and by the end of this give you a chance to decide what’s best for you to try.

Powerlifting

This is the all-encompassing training method designed for building strength. If you are ever unsure of what style to pursue Powerlifting will never steer you wrong. While very technique-driven, ultimately it is the most simple to understand. Only performing three different lifts: squat, bench press, and deadlift as known as “compound lifts”, is great for anyone as almost all exercises revolve around the compound fundamentals.

What you can expect to see from this style of training is very intense short bursts with lots of rest time. Focusing on a lower rep range of 1 – 6 reps, this style will challenge your muscles to withstand as much weight as possible. Eating plenty is also crucial to this style as you will want to find yourself in a calorie surplus (bulking) stage to help fuel your muscles for their intense bursts

BodyBuilding

This method is driven toward the pursuit of muscle growth. BodyBuilding is great for lifters who have some experience of prior lifting. This style while still focusing on the compound lifts of powerlifting is very “accessory” dominant meaning it works on lifts outside of the traditional three.

What you can expect from this style of training is an intense approach featuring a longer time under tension and a higher rep range of 6-12 reps. This style challenges your muscles by stretching out your fibers for a slow and controlled time giving emphasis on the growth of the muscle. During BodyBuilding, you will commonly find this to be the most aesthetically rewarding but mentally challenging as it requires a fair amount of dedication in and outside the gym. What BodyBuilding is not acheiving massively large muscles as often times major celebrities are on heavy use of steroids. What BodyBuilding is achieving the greatest amount of muscle growth your body can produce naturally and safely.

Olympic

This method is all about speed, technique, and swift movements. If enjoy critiquing finite details of their performance this is great for you! This style is similar to powerlifting focusing on a small number of lifts featuring: cleans, jerks, and snatches.

What you can expect from this style are short intense bursts that involve locking out your muscles to create a stable base. Challenging your muscles in a much different way compared to the strength of powerlifting and size of bodybuilding, this method excels in the speed of moving weight. Focusing on all sorts of rep ranges typically with 1 – 10 this style is normally organized around competition and is frequently used within the cross fit industry.

Running

This method is about gaining cardiovascular endurance. If you are someone who finds themselves winded easily performing activities such as walking up a flight upstairs, playing around with the dog in the yard, or even walking far distances. This is a fantastic style for you.

What you can expect from this style is long-distance running typically ranging from 1-5 miles for beginners, 5-10 miles for intermediate runners, and 10+ miles for advanced runners. Taking a different approach this style challenges your muscles by their ability to withstand activity for an extended period. During this style, you won’t expect to see much muscle gain but can expect your cardiovascular system to improve greatly.

Deciding A Style

Unlike choosing your college, choosing your style of lifting is not as life-impacting. The beauty of weightlifting is you can simply switch anytime you’d like. As mentioned earlier treat trying a new style as a trial run of a streaming service. Explore around, try something you normally wouldn’t, move out of your comfort zone, by the end you may be surprised to see what the result is.

Still, questioning what style is best for you? Before you do any more research into the various styles, begin by googling a question to yourself? What are your ultimate goals? Do you want to fully change your body composition? Are you content with your current physique and want to be stronger? All these questions hold a significant impact on what direction you take. Most importantly choose a style you feel passionate about, choose a style that you can find yourself growing in not only physically but mentally.

Overall, if you are looking for a quick reference to begin asking yourself these questions begins with this:

• Powerlifting -> Gaining strength being able to move heavy amounts of weight
• BodyBuilding -> Growing your muscles to appear larger and more defined
• Olympic -> Gain explosive power being able to move quickly and swiftly
• Running -> Increases cardiovascular system reducing the feeling of “winded” easily