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Check It OutWhat is the difference between bodybuilding and fitness?
Simply put, bodybuilding is a training technique that allows you to develop muscle mass and gain volume. Generally, we perform exercises with weights (dumbbells, bars, etc.).
Fitness focuses more on a training technique with cardiovascular exercises. The main goal is to tone up and lose weight. We use little or no weight.
Develop Muscle Mass
Gain Volume
Tone Up
Lose Weight
Why get into
bodybuilding or
fitness?
Whether you choose bodybuilding or fitness, the benefits are numerous. So much so that we should all incorporate a workout routine for our well-being.
Here are the main benefits of fitness and bodybuilding training:
Aesthetic benefits
Not all sports are equal from a purely aesthetic point of view.
Swimming generally develops beautiful shoulders, and running targets the legs more. Bodybuilding and fitness, for their part, make it possible to shape a harmonious body, more or less muscular, according to one’s goals.
However, it is important to follow certain rules. Beyond the aesthetic aspect, muscle imbalance significantly limits progress and can even increase the risk of injury.
Good for the heart, blood circulation and joints
During a fitness or bodybuilding session, the blood circulation is activated to a greater extent than at rest, and blood flow to the heart is positive.
On the other hand, repetition of movements is good for the joints, as it improves lymphatic circulation. Toxins are thus moved away and the formation of cellulite is slowed down.
Note: In order to optimize and facilitate your progress in bodybuilding and fitness, diet is an inseparable pillar! Monitor your daily energy needs with the Nutrition Coach App. More information on our Nutrition > Nutrition Guide page.
Which method suits which goals?
We all have different goals; gain strength, gain muscle volume, lose weight, tone up, etc.
It’s important to know where we want to go.
Once the goal or goals have been defined, it is best to follow a training program. Unless you are a coach or work in the world of bodybuilding or fitness, it is very difficult to design your own sessions. Indeed, for a session to be optimal and for you to enjoy its benefits, many aspects must be taken into consideration.
Our Fitness Coach app respects your goals by creating a personalized program for you with our fitness coaches.
Some examples of goals:
Muscle volume
Mass gain
Body fat loss
Muscle strengthening
Muscle toning
Max strength
Strength
Max strength
Explosiveness
How does one start
bodybuilding or fitness?
Health Check:
Body Check-up
When starting out, it is important to first check your general health and in particular the mobility of your body. Choose simple, gentle movements, especially if you haven’t exercised for a long time.
If you don’t know which movements to do, you can download our Fitness Coach app to access our “mobility” sessions.
Before starting your workout, whether you are a beginner or advanced,
warming up is essential. A good warm-up consists of mobility, flexibility and some cardiovascular exercises.
You can also consult a sports doctor to check with them that everything is fine and that nothing is stopping you from exercising.
Define Your
Schedule
Then, depending on your goals, it makes sense to set your weekly schedule and stick to it.
Initially, don’t be too ambitious. One or two sessions per week is better than three or four at the start, then a totally irregular schedule or even no exercise at all in the following weeks. Being consistent is key.
Please note: Training every day is not effective. The muscles and the nervous system need to recover to progress. The more demanding the workout is to the muscles and nerves, the greater the need to recover becomes.
Full body? Half
body? Split Routine?
Once your availability has been set according to your schedule, it’s time to choose the most appropriate training formula.
Full body
Full body training will probably be most suitable between 1 and 3 available sessions per week.
Full body training involves engaging all muscle groups in each session. Practically speaking, during the session, you perform 1 to 2 exercises for each part of the body.
Full body training is often recommended for beginners, but we love this training method for the polyarticular exercises that it involves (the latter are very useful, whether in terms of muscle recruitment, versatility, energy consumption, etc.) and for its number of days of rest (recovery is as important as training itself).
Half body
Between 3 and 4 available sessions per week, you can opt for a half body training.
Half body training consists of sometimes using the upper body and sometimes the lower body, varying with each workout.
Compared to full body, you will have to focus only on the upper or lower body during your session.
If you choose the half body method with 3 workouts, you can exercise the upper body twice and the lower body once in the first week, then alternate them in the following week, etc.
Split routine
With 4 to 6 available sessions per week, split routine is a type of training that may be suitable for you. This is ideal if you’d like to work out frequently.The duration of the workout does not need to be very long, but the intensity must be high, since you’re only exercising one muscle group at a time. It is necessary to get to the point with efficient exercises.
Choosing the right bodybuilding exercises is therefore essential so that the split routine will be favorable to you. It is not just reserved for experts, but it requires minimum knowledge to take full advantage of it.
At Home or In The Gym?
It’s firstly up to your preference. Here’s an overview of the pros and cons for each.
Advantages of a Gym:
With 4 to 6 available sessions per week, split routine is a type of training that may be suitable for you. This is ideal if you’d like to work out frequently.The duration of the workout does not need to be very long, but the intensity must be high, since you’re only exercising one muscle group at a time. It is necessary to get to the point with efficient exercises.
Choosing the right bodybuilding exercises is therefore essential so that the split routine will be favorable to you. It is not just reserved for experts, but it requires minimum knowledge to take full advantage of it.
Disadvantages of a Gym:
– Financial cost
– There are so many machines and equipment that it can be confusing, even intimidating.
– More or less distant geographical distance. Before choosing a gym membership, always check the proximity of this gym to your workplace or home address. This is very important to avoid the famous line “I’m lazy to go.”
Advantages of Home:
– Accessibility: No need for a large room. We recommend at least space for your sports mat, since training at home is more focused on body weight (with dumbbells and elastics).
– Significantly lower cost (or even none at all).
– Time-saving, since there is no journey to plan.
– Ideal when you are shy or prefer to train out of sight.
Disadvantages of Home:
– Routine can quickly set in if you don’t know how to train.
What types of Fitness/ Bodybuilding Workouts can be Done at Home and in the Gym?
Types of workouts at home:
There are various ways to train, and no one is better than the other. It is best to vary or design your session with several of the formats presented below. For beginners and intermediates, we recommend downloading our Fitness Coach App for simplicity and smoothness in your sessions.
The TABATA formula:
There are various ways to train, and no one is better than the other. It is best to vary or design your session with several of the formats presented below.
For beginners and intermediates, we recommend downloading our Fitness Coach App for simplicity and smoothness in your sessions.
The TABATA method is very interesting for weight loss, toning or explosiveness.
HIIT:
HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) is a subform of Tabata. This consists of performing series of exercises interspersed with breaks. The duration of the series varies. It’s possible to do the TABATA pattern: 20 minutes of effort for 10 minutes of breaks, but also 30’/30’, 45’/15’, etc.
The total duration of HIIT is completely flexible. A 30-minute HIIT session burns about 25-30% more calories than a classic workout or jogging at an average pace. HIIT also promotes weight loss, toning, and explosiveness.
The chosen exercises do not all necessarily have to be cardio-focused. The ideal situation is to mix muscle strengthening and cardiovascular exercises.
EMOM:
EMOM means “Every Minute on the Minute.”This is a formula often used in CrossFit courses.
First, we define a total working time. For example, 10 minutes. Next, we choose one or more exercises to perform and their number of repetitions. The goal is to be able to complete the circuit in one minute. If you are fast, the rest of the minute is considered rest time. As soon as the minute is over, we start again for the second minute, and so on until the tenth.
EMOM is a great way to increase strength and power.
Examples of EMOM: 4 burpees, 6 squats & 8 sit-ups
AMRAP:
AMRAP means “As Many Rounds As Possible.” This is also a formula often used in CrossFit courses.
The principle is to do a circuit (a series of exercises) as many times as possible in a given time.
To perform, break times between sets must be almost non-existent and the execution of exercises must follow a rather high pace. It’s perfect for working intensively when you have little time. AMRAPs can be strength- or cardio-focused and can therefore be suitable for both muscle definition and weight loss.
There are other methods, but use these now and write to us if you get bored! These types of circuits are available in our Fitness Coach App.
Types of Indoor training
Let’s see how to take advantage of the facilities and machines to work out;
In bodybuilding, when you start, you observe a particularly interesting progression from the first weeks/months. It’s great and very encouraging, but unfortunately it’s not going to last forever.
Initially, the muscles are not used to it; they have to adapt quickly to manage the training. Then the muscles are “forced to” grow. Once accustomed, they will no longer need to grow as much: we then enter a stagnation phase. Difficult to get out of it, some remain stuck for years before understanding how to get out. Here’s the secret:
To avoid stagnation and to continue evolving, it is recommended that you work out in cycles and then alternate cycles after 15 to 21 days on average.
Every 2 to 3 weeks, change the way you work out. This can be in terms of the duration of the sessions, the intensity, the volume of repetitions or the loads used, the type of exercises, etc.
We often talk about long cycles for workout periods with exercises between 12 and 20 repetitions, and short cycles or strength for workout periods with much heavier loads on 1 to 6 repetitions, for example.
You can also vary the cycles by integrating the training methods mentioned above (TABATA, HIIT, EMOM, AMRAP).
Workouts for all types of goals available on our Fitness Coach app.
What Bodybuilding or Fitness Equipment for the Home?
Bodyweight exercise (without equipment) is particularly satisfying and interesting for progression, whether you are beginner, intermediate or advanced. Indeed, in bodybuilding, you can always find easier or more difficult alternatives for each exercise and thus adapt it to your level.
It is recommended that you start training with bodyweight, as this allows you to get to know the basic bodybuilding exercises better. Unfortunately, many practitioners don’t take the time to know the basics. These people are often restricted in the gym, as the techniques are not learned to access the more difficult or specific exercises.
At home, if you want to increase the difficulty of bodyweight exercises, you can equip yourself with simple but effective accessories such as dumbbells, a weighted vest, elastic resistance bands or a jump rope.
You can also go further, if you have enough space, with cardio equipment (bike, mat, treadmill, machine, etc.) or bodybuilding equipment (bar, cage, etc.).
What are the Basic Exercises Without Equipment?
Bodyweight training is often underestimated, as training to lift your own weight is not as simple as that.
Here are some basic exercises:
– Push-ups (inclined, hands clenched or apart, jumps, etc.)
– Dips (no need for a bench to do dips – use a chair, your bed or the couch)
– Squat (static, sumo, Bulgarian, pistol, jump, etc.)
– Lunges (plyometric, static, forward, backward, etc.)
– Traction (hands supinated, pronated, etc.)
– Bodyweight rowing (horizontal traction)
– Abs (endless number of variations)
– Mountain climber
Wrapping Up
Now that you have all the basics to get started, go for it! Don’t forget to download our Fitness Coach app to grow smoothly and never lose motivation.
Remember that in bodybuilding, it’s not just the session that counts. Certainly, you have to be intensive during training, but remember to rest (recovery is essential!), sleep well, eat a healthy and balanced diet, and you will see that the results will naturally follow.
Feel free to browse the blog to delve deeper into the subject.