The strength is not a simple thing to improve, and if it is true that at the beginning, any sport allows you to increase it, it is also true that if you do not practice suitable sport after a few months, you get to a standstill, and the strength does not will increase despite the many sacrifices.
Choosing the right sport is essential. This guide wants to give you some tips on how to do it in the best way, analyzing 5 strength sports.
1. Bodybuilding
The main sport when it comes to strength is incorrectly Bodybuilding. This is the sport practiced by most people who do ” sports of strength “, and for this reason the gyms that offer this service are very widespread. This sport is focused exclusively on the use of barbells, dumbbells and various types of equipment.
Much more than strength, this sport tends to enhance the physical appearance. Nevertheless, the strength required to continue is a lot, and will become ever greater as we go along with the coaches. As already mentioned, at the beginning the improvements are almost immediate, you will notice the increases already after the first months, this condition will tend to flatten over time.
2. Crossfit
Crossfit is a sport that is more and more popular. This sport unlike the previous one is much more focused on strength and endurance. To practice it requires large spaces, and this is not very common in common gyms. However, there are several structures that allow you to practice it. The tools of this sport are varied and range from barbells to kettlebells, from rope to climbing to rings.
Unlike the previous one, in this sport the exercises are not specific for each single muscle band, but at the same time they include more muscles. This allows the body to develop a certain synergy between the various districts which will lead to a much greater increase in strength compared to Bodybuilding.
3. Calisthenics
A sport really unknown to many, but in my opinion, the best in terms of strength is the Calisthenics. The term derives from the union of two Greek words: ” kalos “, which means beautiful, and ” sthenos ” which means strength. This sport, unlike the previous ones, does not use weights. The only load is the weight of your body. This will allow you to train it much more easily in any place, such as a gym, home or park.
The training, very close to the artistic gymnastics, is based on progressions to achieve the so-called ” skills ” typical of this sport. The intensity of the workouts can be modulated according to the type of exercise we are facing and the type of lever that is used.
Some typical skills of Calisthenics are: planche, human flag, front lever, back lever and others. As with crossfit, there is no target muscle in calisthenics, but the body is trained as a whole. The negative aspect of this sport is the patience it requires. We will not be able to perform the skills right away, and it will take a lot of time and effort to reach them.
4. Powerlifting
Powerlifing is very much like bodybuilding, for others it is completely different. Inexperienced eyes the two may seem the same sport, as they have different exercises in common, and they use both of the same tools, but in reality, the difference is abysmal. The main difference lies in the fact that this sport prefers strength to physical form.
So the training methods will be different, preferring series with low repetitions and a considerable load, instead of 10/12 repetitions but with more moderate loads, as happens in bodybuilding. One of the typical exercises of this sport are the deadlifts, useful for legs and lower back especially, but not only. Other exercises are: the squat, for the legs, the military press, for the shoulders and the flat bench for the chest.
5. Functional training
A particular type of sport that is becoming increasingly popular in modern gyms is functional training. Thanks to its particular effectiveness and versatility, this sport is attracting hundreds of onlookers. Sport focuses on the functionality of training, which, as the word itself says, indicates an end.
That is, you train to improve all the everyday situations that a person might face; such as lifting a heavy pack, climbing over a small wall or climbing a plant. In this type of sport, whose main tools are ropes, kettlebells and occasional barbells.
The repetitions are done explosively, creating plyometric movements (movements in which part of the force is due to the elastic contraction of the muscle following a sudden elongation ). This generates a substantial increase in strength.
