Which is Harder? Crossfit, Powerlifting, Strongman, Bodybuilding Differences and Difficulty Compared

[@jeffreyhsia8760]

As someone who loves powerlifting, I couldn’t agree more. At my first comp one of my competitors wanted to go for a smoke break before his first squat attempt. What other sport has this lol

[@Roberttang20]

NBA in the 1980-1990s

[@headcoatee]

@@Roberttang20 Baseball in the 70s too. And golf for most of its history.

[@aminekakla10]

mma lol, the gracie hunter kazushi sakuraba used to smoke a cig before every match, soccer has it too

[@afafadsbbrs5503]

In my first nationals, after weight ins some of the guys in my weight class started having beers and pizza, and other guy eating a whole cake on his own

[@hzk1234]

Brazil Jiu Jitsu. Bjj is the powerlifting of combat sports almost a non sport and the least athletic in every metric as well

[@reggie7716]

I love power lifting for exactly the reasons it came in last place. 43 years old and a little beat up with a full time job, got nothing to prove just want to be strong as possible.

[@perfectstranger1152]

I can respect that

[@barryallen767]

if you want to be as strong as possible, wouldn't you just do strongman training instead?

[@reggie7716]

@@barryallen767 nope. Powerlifting is just a bench, rack, plates and bars and can be done in the basement. Also its easier to master good form with a few barbell movements. Strongman involves more equipment and more movements, and bad form is less forgiving, also you can"t do farmers walks and yoke walks in the basement.

[@barryallen767]

@@reggie7716 ah I see so powerlifting is just easier to access for most people

[@reggie7716]

@@barryallen767 yes, easier access to equipment and lower technical knowledge needed.

[@framed5276]

Not sure why jazzercise wasn't on the list of hardest.

[@Re3iRtH]

Shake weights 💪

[@tomphelan6223]

Shake shake shake

[@brettwoolman4691]

Bodybuilding= no thanks Crossfit/Strong Man= pick your poison Powerlifting= which tendons do you like least?

[@jonathanfeatherston758]

Totally agree. Doing your 8th set with inflamed joints is a different kind of pain.

[@AlexanderBromley]

Joint inflammation is the worst. Armwrestling takes that crown and it's the reason I will never do it agian! But if we're comparing; I've been high frequency squatting since I was 13 with no major issues. Worst knee pain ever came from a prep for a show with an 800lb yoke, a 315/hand farmers, a 300lb bag sprint, AND a goddamn 500lb squat for reps. All those had to be trained every week for the 12 weeks leading up to the show. Damn near retired me and I still have to tape my knees.

[@dontreadmyname4396]

why no thanks to BB?

[@gummixx6885]

@@dontreadmyname4396 too much dedication needed.

[@brettwoolman4691]

@@dontreadmyname4396 I got rid of my body dysmorphia when I was 22

[@TunnelVisionAthletic]

powerlifting is the easiest by far, not just the training but also you can have a life outside of the gym.

[@ottowelt4378]

Training wise I agree, but the eating and sleeping is the toughest part about it

[@i36yf]

Otto Welt well obviously any sport requires eating and sleeping lol

[@Ataraxia_Atom]

@@ottowelt4378 thats the worst part of body building. Powerlifting is EZPZ

[@ryanmcbee1927]

Yeah powerlifting is easy. Its lazy lifting

[@johntrains1317]

It's popular for that reason

[@shortycareface9678]

I fell in love with powerlifting because of the predictability it offers. When everything else in life gets overwhelming, I know I can at least go and train the usual barbell movements that I feel like I'm mastering (even though other life events and stress will inevitably affect any kind of training). In my experience, training for powerlifting becomes monotonous at times, though, especially if one doesn't incorporate more accessory movements, etc.

[@kingconan3115]

Yeah bodybuilding is the hardest especially all the getting on your knees and standing up part when hanging out with the judges

[@AlexanderBromley]

lol I should have had a 'psychological' metric.

[@nicovanderwilt7502]

No way crossfit combined with boxing/kickboxing is def harder.

[@silatguy]

@@nicovanderwilt7502 Im sure crossfit is pretty hard. In my late teens I did hard style karate and one day a week we did a 3 hr conditioning day that was 3 hours continuous of kicking a partner with a bag shield both lengths of the dojo(if you didnt move them you started over). We also did 2 minute rounds of the bag of hands only, feet only, then everything. We dropped 20lb medicine balls 4 ft on each other's stomachs, sparred for an hour and rest during this time consisted of knuckle pushups on the hardwood, situps and jumping jacks. We also did forearm conditioning against each other in a circle seeing who could last the longest. I got my ass kicked for about the first month because i was 17 and 160lbs fighting against guys 10-20 years my senior outweighing me by 20-80lbs. It sucked but after about a month I could last forever in any kind of endurance challenge.

[@silatguy]

@@mihailmilev9909 At that time I was training at an old school Goju Ryu dojo-just hard style karate. Since then I have done a little Jkd, japanese jujitsu(standing jointlocks), bjj and a couple styles of Silat

[@BigBlueJake]

Looks like taking a crack at strongman is leveling up if you're a powerlifter. The nice thing about PL is you can have zero athletic potential for anything, but if you have a solid body structure and you're really strong (or are willing to get that way), you can have a sport to compete in. For a high school kid getting put down for everything they can't do, its an amazing way to improve your sense of well being. I had to wait until I was in college to try it, though. My high school experience would have been much different and much happier if I'd been able to lift.

[@johntrains1317]

It's useful psychologicaly

[@therocklau]

I pride myself to be a (amateur) strongman, I'm not that good but this is indeed prideful, one of the best part of strongman is the community, you almost always welcome and start training with a group, those people are not thinking like they are your teacher or coaches, they act like your brothers, it's such a warmth feeling. The beating up your body part, the CNS overloading, every vomiting blacking out, it doesn't really hurt when you have brothers to pick you up. You are never lonely as a strongman

[@barryallen767]

I live in a not so developed country and I love strongman but unfortunately I can't find any strongman gyms in my whole state. Feels really bad but I am working with what I have got.

[@killianmurdoc3152]

This is a positive in my eyes. Powerlifting takes less effort but you still look amazing! Animal!

[@playmanA]

I think if we're talking training specifically, you're probably right. However, where powerlifting, bodybuilding and strongman can take it up a notch is in food and drug consumption, at least for open and the superheavies. And with bodybuilding, add to that the drugs and diet needed to get in contest shape, it is almost certainly the hardest one outside the gym.

[@colebyh645]

Could not agree more. Great video

[@patrickwithee7625]

Looks like someone forgot the only barbell sport in the Olympics 🤔

[@mikewatson3718]

Love lifting, hate dieting, bodybuilding would be the hardest

[@ethanboor7076]

I think you did a great job of breaking it down and I agree with you! Thank you for the video!

[@jeffk4710]

What about weightlifting

[@hugogodofredo9187]

Harder than powerlifting in the technique part and mobility probably

[@jmcadoesvids359]

Pain: harder than powerlifting, but easier than the rest Time: harder than powerlifting but easier than bb, crosfit, strongman Talent pool: harder than powerlifting, and crossfit, on par with bodybuilding, (it is an olympic sport after all)

[@SeeToTheLemson]

They call them "The Big 3" for a reason, I guess!

[@jacobmoyer2991]

Where do you think Olympic lifting would make it if it were included in this list? Nice video man

[@kblkbl]

1 for pain, 2~3 for time(technique work demands rest, high percentage lifts are demanding and also need rest, more than 1 session a day if you're into an advanced level of competition), and finally a 10 for talent pool. In all these other sports there are many cinderella stories of people coming out of nowhere, starting late, coming out of other sports...there's none of this in weightlifting. If you're not extremely talented, started training at a very young age and is extremely disciplined throughout your whole life you have absolutely no chance at getting a medal in the olympics or a Worlds(with no top country banned).

[@julestielman]

@@kblkbl I'd rate time higher than 2-3 because of the high technicality of the 2 main lifts.

[@kblkbl]

@@julestielman That's a good point. You need to start young in order to turn it into second nature. I was thinking more about how the sessions can be done relatively quick and how little effort is required of the athlete out of the training sessions. A Crossfit athlete can easily train more hours per day than a weightlifter simply due to monostructural work(rowing, cycling, running, swimming) and a high level bodybuilder literally lives for counting macros and shit like that.

[@johnharbour4936]

Yeah I'm interested where that fits in too

[@Strongforce88]

I would put it above powerlifting, below strongman based on all the info he went off of in the video

[@geneharrogate6911]

I can think of _at least_ half a dozen IFBB pros who died before 50, many way younger. Id suggest BB is at least the most dangerous..

[@dontreadmyname4396]

drug wise yes, natty wise not

[@geneharrogate6911]

@@dontreadmyname4396 Absolutely. But nobody's paying to see a stage of oiled up nattys flexing 15" upper arms. You want to roll with the pros, thats the price you pay.

[@Brian-zg9ff]

I can think of a half dozen people that weren't bodybuilders who died before 50....

[@geneharrogate6911]

@@Brian-zg9ff Yeah, we all can. Whats your point?

[@powertreadssupremacy]

@@geneharrogate6911 Nattys Can get 21 inch arms. Just look at Lee Colbert.

[@arielcastaneda8430]

Idk I competed in bodybuilding for years and the only time people were depleted was like 6 weeks before a show otherwise the workouts were slow and controlled and safe. The workouts are designed to build muscle for aesthetic but yea it does take up your whole life.

[@willowrose2552]

As someone who does CrossFit, i didn’t realize it was hard because it’s actually hard not just because i’m out of shape lol. I appreciate thyis.

[@jater10]

For most gym goers the workouts can be scaled. Its harder for those who are advanced and want to compete since all facets - weightlifting, gymnastics, cardio, etc - needs to be addressed.

[@AJPMUSIC_OFFICIAL]

Crossfit is just strongman for people who can tie their shoelaces

[@ShinSuperSaiyajin]

Strongman is Crossfit minus the gymnastics and cardio/burpees LOLOLOL

[@murozman]

Crossfit is Strongman for people who are actually not that strong.

[@0Duece24]

Love the video as a power lifter (oly prior to wrist injury) The talent pool for power lifting will be a 3 soon & definitely figured strongman would be a 1 seeing how not many do it. BB by FAR is the hardest. Different level of dedication, truly a lifestyle. Definitely the most boring too though 😂, 5 variations of a bicep curl & I’d need a straitjacket 🙃. Great content. Keep up the good work my man.

[@AlexanderBromley]

I can only speak to what's around here, but one of the biggest yearly meets in San Diego went from 3 platforms running over 3 days to 2 platforms over 2 days in about 5 years time. PL has been popular much longer, but I got the feeling the bubble was popping. Strongman has around 400 meets in the US every year and the 2 Nationals get 3-400 sign ups. The Arnold created an entire section in another hall with it's own bleacher seating to accommodate all of the divisions and Rogue has been throwing crazy money at it. Of course, time will tell if it continues to grow or is just a temporary fad. Appreciate the words!

[@mrmushin1]

@@AlexanderBromley Rogue and Reebok throw more at Crossfitt especially the former, you can say Crossfitt help boost the profile of Rogue

[@bthvnyt]

BB is the toughest by far. The diet part and the drugs are insane.

[@gummixx6885]

I agree. Larry didn't last long lol. He even said that flexing all the muscles at once was harder than any lift he had done at the time.

[@Brian-zg9ff]

Absolutely takes more dedication than any sport in the world to be top level. 24/7

[@muhammadbasit7644]

@@gummixx6885 training to failure while completely depleted is insane man

[@TwoWheelNinja]

@@muhammadbasit7644 juicy vitamins, it's ez

[@muhammadbasit7644]

Captain Obvious everyone juices at top level in any lifting sport. So that doesn’t make bodybuilding any easier

[@pigeneguerra]

The hardest one is the one you don't like and don't want to do

[@chronometa]

I've done CrossFit 8 years, jiujitsu, now bodybuilding (right now I'm training legs 3 days a week) and I'm in LOVE.

[@BruceArmstrong09121997]

What's the hardest for u so for?

[@chronometa]

@@BruceArmstrong09121997 hmmmm. Its all a little different. Jits is more cardio based. Crossfit is muscle endurance + cardio. Bodybuilding is definitely more muscle soreness directly.

[@Pletzmutz]

This definitely depends on your own preferences. For example, if you're type II dominant, endurance events will seem a lot harder compared to a type 1 dominant athlete. There are also people who do much better at lower body fat percentages than others etc. That said, outside of barbell related sports, what would you pick? The things that come to mind for me are Marathon running, decathlon, gymnastics and long distance triathlon. 3000m track deserves a shout, too, for the sheer mental toughness you need to deal with the lactic acid build-up. Maybe also acrobats, ballet dancers and figure skaters because all the mobility training really sucks and they probably have some of the longest training hours.

[@AlexanderBromley]

Long distance events stand out in my mind. Physical pain associated with long, hard efforts, the monotony, the hours of dedication to get good, the perpetual fatigue, and the wear and tear on the joints. Cross country skiing? lol. The skill events too; ballet, figure skating, gymnastics.... anything where you have to fall on your face over and over until you get it right. But then we can throw bullriding and any x-games events in there too.

[@artu262]

As a former rower, rowing.

[@gwam83]

Interesting can''t really disagree cause i've only really dipped into two of these. But Ben Pollack who does both high level BB and Powerlifting says Powerlifting is harder. I've personnally found BB training easiler even though your going to failure more its less stressful on the joints and mind. lifting something that is your absolute limit. I think the hardest part about BB is getting shredded thats where the pain is.

[@AlexanderBromley]

I can't speak to how Ben prepped for the show, considering he was already very muscular and lean. He did his first one last year, which would have been an open amateur show. I put him in the same bag as Larry Wheels; someone who got very muscular strength training, who stays very lean year round, who decided to go through a short prep and commit to a show and who probably did very well. Doesn't tend to be indicative of the typical experience. I'd offer that there is a difference between typical 'hypertrophy work' and true-blue bodybuilding. After all these years, I can go casually into a day where I'm supposed to hit a squat or deadlift max. But when I would meet my bodybuilder friends to tag along for a leg workout, I still get sweaty palms getting to the gym. A max has never made me question my dedication to competing..... a hard volume leg workout has made me question my dedication to being alive lol.

[@BigBlueJake]

The mental part about getting under something that might crush you or kill you wasn't one of three variables in contention. But for some of us that specific thing just doesn't bother us, so maybe that was why it wasn't in the ranking variables.

[@phillafresh5287]

OHP > Bench Powerlifter turned strongman over the past year. Couldn't agree more, awesome content as always! I respect and admire the activity of bodybuilding but would have to argue that it isn't a sport.

[@jackdemoguitar]

Love this channel

[@jamesbrick250]

I think you should add Olympic Weightlifting, in terms of skill difficulty I think Olympic Weightlifting is the hardest.

[@dp3624]

I think, though, if you want to be the best in your chosen barbell sport, any of them would be the hardest. You can’t be the best in anything if you don’t give it 100%. Anyway, great video, sir.

[@dradeel]

If pain is measured by workouts, Crossfit is probably the hardest, indeedy, but if it's measured by all aspects of the sport, the constant around-the-clock physical and psychological pain it takes to push oneself down to and below 5% body fat before a competition could easily be argued as harder than the hardest - yet only temporarily painful - Crossfit circuits. It probably depends on the person. A traditionally big individual with lots of fat cells to starve would probably find body building significantly more painful, as they dip into single digit body fat percentages. 🤷‍♂️

[@sagebias2251]

The eating required to be a top level strongman is harder than the training for any other strength sport.

[@AlexanderBromley]

Yeah, if you want to get to the size you need to be, it's hard. Hall is probably the most extreme example of this, since he knew he had to eat his way to the size of Thor and Shaw while standing 5 inches shorter. But most strongmen eat like fat shits. It's not that hard when every meal is smothered in barbecue sauce and features an entire cake afterwards. I'll take 12,000 calories in barbecue and pastries over 5,000 cals in chicken and broccoli any day!

[@sagebias2251]

@@AlexanderBromley I have heard in interviews of eddie, thor and Brian that the eating was harder than the training. Force feeding for years on end. I wonder if this is only true for the giants, or if "smaller" strongmen struggle with it too. How much do you eat? Also I heard that Derek Poundstone would drink shredded chicken from a blender to get enough protein.

[@gloccry2184]

the same argument can be made for the starvation required to compete in basically any bb federation these day. Even natural shows have enhanced conditioning standards. The difference is not every strongman has to be eddie hall, but every bodybuilder needs to be below 10 percent at a bare minimum of bodyfat

[@christianserino5616]

I love your channel and I loved this video, all your content is really amazing, I would have loved if you compared gymnastics too

[@zakkai]

Should've added Olympic lifting

[@pjsbusa]

Excellent video...

[@dorveille1]

Despite the very general title, the question being asked is quite specific: what's the hardest if you want to get to the very top? 99.9% of us don't have that ambition, so it would also be interesting to compare them in terms of difficulty for the average person who just has a strength orientated hobby. Also feel that risk should have been taken into account, e.g. necessity of steroids, risk of injury.

[@AlexanderBromley]

Fair point, but if we are only talking about recreational commitment, that doesn't give us a minimum amount of effort to judge. Recreational can mean those who have spent thousands on their sport while consistently doing the bare minimum of work (I know too many) or hobbyists who supplement their other vices/addictions with lifting and basically use it as a form of self harm. Risk would have been a good one (I should have had psychological, too). Injuries are hard to comment on. Bodybuilders and Crossfitters don't typically rip muscles off the bone or herniate discs, but they are subject to other overuse issues. My guess would be strongman is the highest with some fight for 2nd place among the other 3. PED use is universal. The stigma is pretty much gone in BB, SM, and PL (rumors tend to be regarding who is actually natty, rather than who is using), Crossfit still pretends to be pure. BB requires the highest dosages and greatest number of compounds hands down. Strongman and PL are a tie, and use typically comes down to personal preference. Crossfit probably has the lowest direct benefit, since size and strength is not the primary goal. But there is still a benefit and they still use.

[@BigBlueJake]

@@AlexanderBromley At what level would you say PEDs enters and becomes a factor in powerlifting. I live in an area that was dominated by the ADFPA, which I understand is now the USAPL. People I directly met were hardcore against using steroids, yet apparently at top USAPL/IPF level, supposedly everyone is using, they just have to be smarter about fooling the tests. That really grinds my gears, even though I have softened a bit on my views about steroids after an increase in knowledge.

[@Strongforce88]

@@BigBlueJake they probably become a factor when you reach a level that makes you want to lift more by any means necessary. Once you stall at a 700lb deadlift you may find yourself turning to gear to increase it and stay competitive. As long as you compete in am untested field than no harm done

[@johntrains1317]

Powerlifting is the training of a sport without the sport 😆 that's so true

[@tsulkalu8640]

I'd like to see how olympic weightlifting ranks on this list

[@hastyvictories]

My two cents: 3rd/4th in pain 2nd in time (most technical but bodybuilding is just all-encompassing) 3rd in talent pool behind CrossFit and BB

[@motagrota]

whats your take on olympic weightlifting?

[@mikechristy1840]

Very good assessment!

[@stevesedgwick5789]

Don’t think CrossFit is really the second hardest, tried it and it’s fast but small weights.

[@AlexanderBromley]

You tried it competitively?

[@jorob813]

So you did the open last year that ended with 5 clean and jerks at 315lbs?

[@stevesedgwick5789]

Alexander Bromley - no, I have tried nothing competitively, thinking of doing something next year when I turn 60. Thanks fir you video’s

[@HelenaSaba-tt6qx]

Then grab heavier weights 🤣

[@Pooh0Bear8]

Stop doing Crossfit because of injuries, and joined a powerlifting gym. I told them this is a hobby not a sport... Damn did they get mad at me 😂

[@The_Practical_Bond]

his justification for listing powerlifting at 1 is because some Plers slack off on accessory work? lol. those that do aren't "powerlifters".

[@AlexanderBromley]

Even with ALL the accessory, powerlifting goes to the bottom because its less work than the others. There's a ton of minimalist (lazy) competitors with all time World Records. Some guys are vicious in their training, some aren't, but its the only sport that gives you the option.

[@32srt32]

Wheres olympic weightlifting?

[@96afnb]

Would be very curious to know how he would program for someone who’s doing CrossFit and has the goal in competing Especially when it comes to building strength while doing metcons

[@zebady999]

why is OL not on the board?

[@erickeely4740]

Liked the video. Agree as well. Body building is a hellacious commitment.

[@miceen1399]

What about joint pain in PL ... and cns ?

[@AlexanderBromley]

Joint pain is universal in all sports. Overuse of NSAIDS is common in high school sports and I knew a few kids that got hospitalized for it. Pain pill addiction is hugely common in Bodybuilding. They routinely prep through injury, and the consistent use of PEDs serves as a gateway to opiates. One of my best friends was mentored by an IFBB pro who passed away from opiate abuse. If I was to rank a sport on joint pain, armwrestling would win hands down lol. 'CNS fatigue' is a bro-sciency term that generally refers to the phenomenon after a heavy workout where you can't recruit fibers maximally to the degree you are used to, despite feeling recovered. Powerlifters, specifically, have gotten into the awful habit of crediting every mood swing, every bit of lethargy, every bad workout to some mystical expression of 'CNS fatigue' and it's all unfounded. The general systemic fatigue that comes along with bodybuilding and crossfit, and to a lesser extent with strongman based endurance work, is light years ahead of the fatigue that comes from powerlifting prep.

[@miceen1399]

I dont agree on the joint pain is worse in BB and crossfitt.... armW.. yes for sure... and also strongman.... i do agree on every thing else tho ( like most you vids) its just hard to think that pro BB is that painfull...i mean watch shawn roden.. phil H... they do NOT train hard.. yes alot of the UK guys do, and also ronnie/branch.....

[@willvititoe2781]

@Mark Rodriguez this sounds like what we do for tbe hs powerlifting team. We honestly do a mix of crossfit stuff in the offseason to build a foundation and we get specific during the season. We also compete single ply which adds another level of technicality to the mix

[@praiseshiva108]

Bodybuilding also has the most half reps

[@seannguyen768]

What about calisthenics ?

[@Pistolpete218]

I competed powerlifting then strongman. After the strongman competition it felt like I got hit by a car and my cns was trashed for at least 2 weeks lol.

[@Dadof5-4]

You left out Olympic lifting.

[@CyberPhiliosopher]

What about Olympic Weightlifting??

[@alexjackson2417]

where oly lift at??

[@ninjaknight4486]

I’m assuming you tied CrossFit and weightlifting?

[@strongwiseandfree]

I'd be interested to see how this would play out if you replaced Powerlifting with Olympic Weightlifting (aka Weightlifting).

[@SuperMayhem24]

New sport half reps on a Smith machine. Elbos and knees never break parallel. Will smash all records in the big 3

[@Melvin_499]

2 inch range of motion

[@travisellison7098]

I am disappointed Strongman was so low but this inspires me to take my training more seriously and step it the seriousness.

[@Chrontard]

its just his list and his opinion dude.. in my list strongman would be hardest and other 3 listed here dont even contest with it, second hardest would be some kind of fighting sport like MMA.. your list might look completely different as well

[@Melvin_499]

@@Chrontard MMA? This is just barbell sports

[@russfaulkner356]

I also have a hard time seeing Bodybuilding as a sport rather than a beauty pageant for men with really bad body dysmorphia. It can be very hard, but not be a sport.

[@paulmaxwell2684]

looks like you have a problem with powerlifting

[@marklopes6676]

He’s just telling the truth

[@HooDRidEWhiteY]

@Gore4ever FulciLives agreed. I've done both. Strongman meets take you to the limit. And they're so...fucking...long

[@HooDRidEWhiteY]

@Gore4ever FulciLives pl meet...trying to time pre-workout all damn day lol kinda feels good not having a meet in 2020 tbh. I'm weak af rn but happy.

[@BigBlueJake]

I can respect a strongman "shitting on" powerlifting sooner than anyone else who does. And Bromley does at least mention he didn't think he'd be that hard on PL.

[@IbrahimAl-Khwarizmi]

powerlifting is simply the easiest to enter and do the sport, but like he said if you were trying to be a top powerlifter if would be towards the top, imagine trying to be a top 10 powerlifter, it would be tremendously hard and probably harder than being top 10 in the others

[@igorveloso100]

Even though Crossfit is a profanity to Olimpic Weightlifting, Gymnastics and Calisthenics, since it takes various different aspects of those sports and absolutely ruins them, it is still the hardest due to how many different skills you must "master".

[@User76372]

Hey man I'm watching your videos trying to build a program as I can't make gains on my bench. I've platued pretty hard for about 6 months I think I understand periodise but I'm not sure about how to apply the concepts for more than 1 time a week frequency. Thanks!

[@jmounce50]

Great video! I’d agree 100% for the average person.

[@DarkArachnid666]

As they say, bodybuilding is a lifestyle.

[@n00dle_king]

Powerlifting is easy and that’s why I do it lol.

[@smolkafilip]

How well does crossfit actually make you progress if you ideally only ever do each workout once and then end up doing the same movement at a random time in the future? Would crossfit style training work better if for example you picked one workout, did it once per week for 4-8 weeks in a row alongside more conventional strength and endurance workouts which would be slightly tailored to building up your performance in that particular workout and your goal would be to get as good as possible at it during your 8 week training block? Or if you just did the workout once at the start as control and once at the end? Do elite crossfitters actually use WODs as their main training tools or do they mostly do conventional training structured to towards getting better at WODs?

[@jamesbedwell8793]

Interestingly, many crossfitters come into CrossFit from something else, so it could be argued that CrossFit workouts aren't the best way of building fitness, just displaying it. Might be a bit outdated now though

[@smolkafilip]

​@@jamesbedwell8793 Yeah, when you think about it, they must train differently than regular crossfitters, right? Pushing yourself to the point of ending up flat on your back shaking and gasping for air every workout might work fine for a regular person who until that point in time only used to play squash on Saturdays with his office buddy Brad, but for someone who is acutally capable of some serious output and who needs to carefully plan deloads and shit throughout a training cycle it just wouldn't work. We all know that lifters don't lift maximally every workout, runners don't run all out every workout, they mostly only run all out on the actual race or maybe to run an all out mile to calculate their training paces, fighters don't spar hard year round... This mentality of red-lining it throughout the workout and doing this every day that crossfit promotes just isn't seen in high level athletes. The only other place where you do this is military training and that only happens for a limited period of time of several weeks or months and again, it's done on mostly out of shape individuals who are beginners or early intermediates at running and claisthenics so their all out performance really isn't that much work.

[@AlexanderBromley]

Yeah, the elite crossfitters don't just show up to their box and do the group classes. Training is compartmentalized and, just like with MMA, they usually hire specific coaches for specific skills (i.e. a track coach, a gymnastics coach, a weightlifting coach). They definitely have to plan better because their output is higher, but hard efforts are still a part of training and the increased output makes the efforts all the more painful. I think of it like this. The average person can't run until they lose control of their legs or shit themselves. Elite marathoners can.

[@smolkafilip]

@@AlexanderBromley Pretty funny. Because many proponents of crossfit will tell you with a straight face that compartmentalized training is a stupid and that it's been rendered obsolete by crossfit when in fact the most successful representatives of their sport do train that way.

[@CalculatingSigma92]

As someone who came from powerlifting and does CrossFit 2-3 x a week, I'll say that most of the workouts make me feel like I'm in such bad shape, even though I know I'm not. I could say without a doubt though that my endurance has sky rocketed and I've learned functional movements that I had alot of trouble with before. My strength has gone down a bit in areas like the bench and deadlift but I feel alot more mobile now.

[@jameel1783]

Whatt about Olympic weight lifting

[@heeebeeegeeebeee]

Funny that weightlifting didn’t even make the list 😂

[@omardiangeloarteaga4875]

The hardest is Olímpic weight lifting by far. I Don't Know Why is not in contention

[@c4videos481]

I think there are all hard if your looking at as a sport so where your competing with other people in your field at the highest level....

[@jordywilliams]

2:00 agree. An amrap squat is hard, but the hardest thing Ive ever physically done is a 20 minute threshold test on my bike. Heart rate is near max 10 mins in, and because your legs are fresh coming into it, you can keep pushing until the end. Its disgusting

[@AlexanderBromley]

Recipe for 'SUCK' seems to be duration x effort.

[@dorveille1]

Cycling is a good contender for the hardest sport of them all, with the Tour de France often said to be the hardest sporting event on the planet. It's the only sport I know of where increasing pain tolerance is a big part of the training. Eddy Merkx, most successful cyclist of all time: “Cyclists live with pain. If you can’t handle it, you will win nothing. The race is won by the rider who can suffer the most.” An Olympic champion: “To be a cyclist is to be a student of pain. At cycling’s core lies pain. If you never confront pain, you’re missing the essence of the sport.” The Tour de France is often decided on the day 20 time trial. Imagine your lifelong goal is going to be decided by how many bodyweight squats you can do in 40 minutes, after 19 days of brutally hard training sessions.

[@AlexanderBromley]

@@dorveille1 agreed. I would think any Crosscountry event would be a contender as well; running, skiing, etc.

[@PhiyackYuh]

Cycling and triathlon long distance lets go! On top of that you also need to do strength and mobility to make sure you don’t pick up injury during prep phase. Exercising for 5-15 hours in 1 days is no joke comparing to barbell sport. What y’all reckon? Anyone dipped from barbell to endurance events say 100k grand fondo cycling events or 70.3 ironman or half to full marathon? Share us your experience. Whats your average training on a weekly basis for barbell compare to weekly of training for endurance events?

[@stuntvist]

F1 or prototype class endurance racing would get my pick. Motorsport as a whole is well past the people collapsing on the podium era but that doesn't stop drivers from puking in their helmets and driving while half unconscious from over exhaustion. Not to mention they're just triathletes with fat necks that lose 5kg of bodyweight in a few hours. Then again it's one of those sports those not interested think is easy, until you put them in a car with an experienced driver and they get out from a firesuit turned puddle of sweat with a neck that's sore for the next week. Even then they miss out on the 150kg brake pedal combined with portable 200mph multi-hour sauna experience, where one lapse in judgement or a mistimed blink can send you into a wall.

[@martin1234512345]

Bodybuilding is by far the hardest. I always say, would you rather do 500 for a set of 20, or 4 sets of 5? People get into powerlifting because it's easy.

[@DecoyOctopus96]

Equipped powerlifting is pretty fucking tough, but I’m man enough to admit that I’ll take my 4 hour sessions over a strongman session any day 😂

[@princeicio]

Which of these is the most popular sport? Let's put it that way?

[@TylerTong]

Rip Olympic weightlifting ig

[@TraiythLeffler]

@3:48 man 😂 I know that feeling and that expression was so true and honest

[@archmaesterofpullups]

Bodybuilding 1st because it's a 24/7 job and requires stricter dieting. Also a higher PED usage required to be successful and associated side effects. Crossfit next because of the cardio requirements. Strongman and powerlifting are close but strongman would be more difficult because of the density compounds.

[@Vaska.sedai1]

why didn't you include olympic weightlifting in this video? it's THE international barbell sport and arguably requires more time and athleticism than some other strength sports

[@AlexanderBromley]

Read the comments

[@HXCpr0n]

The argument is kind of moot because to be successful at any of them, similar levels of talent, dedication and technique are involved in their own relative domains. That being said, powerlifting definitely has the easiest barrier to entry out of them all and is the easiest to become proficient at a decent level

[@TheAyatollahofNofappollah]

Yeah, I agree with everything.

[@todlichreiter]

I agree, the only problem is that bodybuilding is not a sport. They aren't learning a skill, a movement. There is no talent invloved other than who's not gonna drop dead from all the steroids and insane diets and time in the gym Is a male "beauty" contest of the most hardcore junkies.

[@joev6049]

The most ignorant couch potato comment I’ve ever read 😂😂😂

[@mitchelltommons2026]

Surprised not to see weightlifting. The Bulgarian weightlifting team that trained under Abadjiev (the butcher) trained to maximum effort up to 7 times a day. Winning gold medals at the Olympics Pain: 5 Time: 5 Talent: ?(How many people do you know that can snatch 200kg+)

[@AlexanderBromley]

There are some threads here where that gets discussed more.

[@griffinjones8187]

Great video, but how are you gonna make a list like this and not include Olympic lifting? Given the metrics you used and arguments you made, I'm sure it would have been just above powerlifting, but still, on principle, it should definitely be on the list.

[@AlexanderBromley]

I spent a good 10 minutes considering if I should add Oly lifting on. I even filmed a bit about 'respecting Oly lifting to much to subject it to this nonsense' lol. I mainly left it out because of my lack of direct experience.

[@griffinjones8187]

@@AlexanderBromley Makes sense. It is the bougiest of the lifting sports 😂

[@chronometa]

Sounds like you gotta make another vid addressing this lol.

[@SuperMayhem24]

The only sport is stongman . Power lifting is all assisted by lifting gear wraps , shirts , keen wraps , wrist raps might as well use a Smith machine in competition

[@stephenlewis6409]

I thought that intensity is a percentage of one's One Rep Max. Am I wrong?

[@johntrains1317]

There are multiple definitions. Can also be talked about as your overall intensity in training, meaning how close you're training to failure and how often you do that.

[@Lisrulz96]

Olympic weightlifting?

[@AlexanderBromley]

Thought about it, but it's the one I have the least direct experience with. It's also more similar to powerlifting (only uses barbells, tests only one threshold) than any of the others are to each other, so I left it off.

[@MrAwseal]

Olympic weightlifting is obviously the most difficult and challenging of all Barbell sports. The reason is simply understanding physics. Weightlifting is a true measure of maximum force. It also is the most amount of work done in the shortest period of time. I’m not saying that these other sports are not challenging but force is equal to mass times acceleration. In powerlifting you do move a substantial amount of mass however the acceleration is not parallel or greater to weightlifting. The same can be said about strongman. And although CrossFit takes a lot from the sport of weight lifting the mass of the loads being used are not parallel or greater to the mass used by weightlifters. Not to mention that the snatch is the most technical barbell left there is. Two master it takes the greatest amount of time compared to all of these other sports. Not to say that it cannot be performed, but a true mastering of it will take the longest period

[@AlexanderBromley]

Mastery takes the most time?? There have been 17 year old Olympic world champs. Same cant be said for PL, SM or CF. "F=MA" has nothing to do with difficulty; lifts are over in a fraction of a second, before pain tolerance ever becomes a limiting factor. The burst blood vessels, black outs, torn muscles and tendons and extreme pain from lactic buildup all comes from grinded efforts which you physically can't reproduce in Oly lifting. Short answer: not even close.

[@MrAwseal]

@@AlexanderBromley Those 17 year old Olympic champions have been training since the age of 4 which would actually be 13 years of solid training. So if we’re gonna be honest about this let’s be fully honest and fully disclose everything. Secondly powerlifters and strong men do not have the same Acceleration on the loads that they are moving, which would mean that they have less force production than weight lifters. Now whatever personal opinions or feelings you have on the matter is fine but you cannot dismiss physics and more importantly the laws of physics. That’s not an opinion that’s not a perspective that is a fact that if you have more acceleration on similar mass you produce more force. But hey if you want some Personal experience then I would suggest entering into an Olympic weightlifting meet with competitors that you feel are at the same level you are on in power lifting and strong man. That should be a decent test for you. Not saying powerlifting or strong man aren’t challenging or athletically demanding but they require the the same force production or mastering of technique.

[@AlexanderBromley]

@@MrAwseal This video wasn't on who produces the most force; really weird how fixated you are on that. It's like you're arguing against a different video. Either way, what you spouted off about force production is completely backwards. There's this thing called the force/velocity curve; force production is highest with humans when weight is heavier/slower so, no, Oly lifters absoluley do not produce the most force. I see you have strong opinions but maybe take a few spins around the block before committing to them. Being a fan is great but it doesn't supplement actually doing things.

[@MrAwseal]

@@AlexanderBromley you know I’m pretty saddened by this because over I agree with a lot of your perspective. However you seem to be very offended by my statement and almost trying to focus on me personally rather than this subject. Although I don’t hold a degree in physiology, I do in fact hold degrees in physics so to try and claiming I should take “a few spins around the block” seems extremely defensive on your part. Not to mention that I have trained in multiple sports including boxing, weightlifting, CrossFit, and Rugby at high levels. So your comment is off the mark. I hope you’re just having a bad day or perhaps you’re misreading or reading too much into this but your response is disheartening to say the least. Also I point out your argument here of the force/velocity curve or power = force x velocity. If weightlifters have to move a load at a higher velocity to preform their lift then the load they are lifting are not their maximum strength output. Whereas with powerlifting it is the maximum strength being preformed. Again both sports take strength and athleticism however weightlifting requires more technique and specialization. Just some food for thought, no need to try and use personal attacks or intimidation.

[@AlexanderBromley]

No, spicy retorts are absolutlely warranted when someone over represents their authority to have an opinion. You should hesitate to put out strong opinions in fields you aren't an expert in, ESPECIALLY if you are an ambassador of a scientific field. F=ma doesn't apply to how humans produce force. Period. So yeah, get around the block first. I've suffered through all of these sports and others. The worst pain I've ever experienced came from competitive crossfit and that's repeated by the CF athletes that came from other sports; for you to side with oly lifting simply because of force production (even though it's actually highest in PL and SM) leads me to believe that, in your time spent dabbling in endurance sports, you never really hit the gas.

[@ralf72004]

I dont call them crossfit workouts I call them barbell complexes have been around a long time

[@Scuurpro]

I don't know I don't think Crossfit comes anywhere close to taxing your Central Nervous system as much as a strongman. I've done a WOD & I've trained Strongman. I can tell you when I train Strongman in the morning I'm fucking dead for the next day or so. When I did CrossFit I was tired of a bit but after calorie intake I was good. The Strongman at the gym I trained at their life literally evolved around Strongman training. Where many of the game athletes I've met were able to hold normal 9-5 jobs. Unless they were like top 20 contenders. Some of these dudes were eating 8000 calories a day too.

[@AlexanderBromley]

CNS fatigue is purely how we describe what happens with repeated maximal effort bouts when performance backslides despite being recovered. What you were describing with strongman is just general soreness and fatigue that comes from hard training or doing anything new. Right now, I'm preparing for a contest with 11 events, which means I train 2-3 events 4-5 days per week. It's 100% not harder than any other physical endeavor I've taken seriously: football, wrestling, running, powerlifting or bodybuilding. Fatigue is always present, but if it's crippling, it just means you are brand new or you are doing it waaaay wrong. Doing a WOD once doesn't count (and if it didn't leave you fatigued, you sandbagged the shit out of it). The idea of which is more difficult assumes we are comparing high level athletes who are doing everything they can to be as good as possible. With endurance sports, that means always reaching more extreme levels of fatigue. If you ever try a WOD again, ask yourself at the end of it how hard it would be to do it 10% faster. Then do it and report back. The pain tolerance required by endurance athletes (cross country skiiers, cyclists, marathon runners, wrestlers, etc) is extremely well documented and something that is always underestimated by those who don't participate. Some WODS are short burners that leave you out of breath for a few minutes, but some have led to athletes losing muscle function and unable to walk to the finish line. I promise you, no strongman event has ever required that much from a competitor. I don't know what strongmen you surround yourself with, but the sport is expensive to compete in and pays virtually zero dollars. Eddie Hall was one of the best in the world before he could secure sponsorships that allowed him to quit his job as a mechanic. Ort was an engineer, Jenkins a teacher, Poundstone a cop.... we all work day jobs. Anyone who says the sport is so taxing they can't work a 9-5 is a try hard who is lying to you.

[@michanota4230]

best line,’if you haven’t done it,SHUT your mouth ,your opinion DOESN’T count! that sums up the 99% of the internet comments about EVERYTHING from music to sports!!

[@MrHydevsDrJekyll]

CrossFit is the hardest, but the best overall training program is SealFit. By far the best combo would be a mix of CrossFit/sealfit and bodybuilding

[@etrephesm]

seriously? strongman does many similar events except they are heavier and require greater grip strength, as well as there are no stones in crossfit. . .

[@RealGregJamesBeam]

I have never heard a powerlifter make the claims you outlined them making.

[@3k955]

Bodybuilding is a barbell sport? I mean i respect them but its more an aesthetics contest.

[@jamesbedwell8793]

In fairness most Bodybuilders train the big 3 at least, and many have done some Powerlifting and been decently competitive, so clearly they get plenty of practice

[@dradeel]

It's definitely a matter of definition. Is training for the sport of body building all about the posing and dieting, where barbell training is only a "supporting S&C" aspect of it, kinda like in football, or is the actual hypertrophy training and muscle building - with a barbell being the main tool - what defines how the sport is practiced? In terms of competitions only, body building is indeed not a barbell sport, so to speak. But if by barbell sport we mean sports that are mainly formed and trained by the use of a barbell, i.e. by systematic use of all the big compound lifts, then this must apply to body building. If not, strongman might not even be a barbell sport, as basically none of their competitions actually involve a barbell (except for the occasional deadlifts, of course), while almost all their training involves one.

[@3k955]

@@jamesbedwell8793 truw but they dont win because of that. Their succes is based on looks

[@3k955]

@@dradeel my personal opinion is that a barbell sport is a sport in whicj your succes is based on your performace with the barbell. Bodybuilders succes is based on aesthetics. I mean we dont call boxing a running sport because the run a lot in training.

[@AlexanderBromley]

I actually was interested in the differences these sports had to each other, which is why I left Oly out (similar to PL in that it tests one threshold in the same lifts, barbell only, etc). All of the others are substantially different in a major way, but still connected on some grounds of training methodology and history. BB and Pl are very tightly connected; before PL was a sport, these were the movements that general gym goers would to to improve their physique as part of general physical culture. There's probably more bodybuilding/powerlifting converts (and vice versa) than there are between any other 2 sports.

[@stefanomagaddino6868]

If you threw weightlifting into the equation, I think it would challenge BB.

[@AlexanderBromley]

I'm guessing you're a weightlifter? I though about throwing it in, but 5 was too many. Oly lifting is technical, but it's one dimensional, like powerlifting (same movements tested, only one energy system tested, efforts are extremely short). I give it extra points for the precision required to be good and the very high training frequency, but Oly lifting has one of the lowest injury quotients of any sport. Not typically associated with herniated discs, ruptured tendons, or vomiting after a set.

[@stefanomagaddino6868]

@@AlexanderBromley Actually, no, Brom, I'm a powerlifter. I just have high respect for Olympic Weightlifting. Such technical and precise lifts. Along with that, I've watched some of their training sessions, and they are crazy strong. But I agree with your other points. That said, I'm still amazed at the amount of weight and the SPEED which they have to generate to execute their lifts-Especially the snatch. Was not aware of the low injury quotient you mentioned. Thanks for your response.

[@Jmack7861]

Considering the point of CrossFit is to be mediocre at everything and not good at anything I’d say that’s the easiest if you have any experience in anything else, but harder to progress in because it’s impossible to program for randomness so you can’t actually get mediocre at anything in the first place

[@jeffk4710]

Lmao

[@dylannowakowski8851]

Fairly uneducated comment.

[@Jmack7861]

Dylan Nowakowski ask any crossfitter. I literally had a CrossFit coach tell me that exact shit when I tried it years ago

[@dylannowakowski8851]

A CF1 at your local box probably has a shit opinion, and I acknowledge that CrossFit is not a perfect sport. But to that the goal is to be “mediocre” at everything is extremely near sighted. Especially for top tier games athletes, they have to EXCEL across multiple skill sets and demands. Are they the strongest? No. Are they the fastest? Again no, but when you’re dividing up your energies into so many different areas, you won’t be, but I’d say they’re far from mediocre. Programming for your typical CF box vs a games athlete is astronomically different, and continues to improve, to say they program for “randomness” is old thinking. These athletes go through blocks with different emphasis to gradually improve over time. I don’t do CrossFit, but I can appreciate the sport.

[@kblkbl]

talk about being salty. lmao

[@patricknoone2152]

Olympic weightlifting? Isn’t that the barbell sport?

[@dreamin_green]

Nice video as always. However I felt like some parts about bodybuilding were exaggerated to make it look even harder and powerlifting exaggerated in the other way. In powerlifting you still have to watch what you eat all year if you want to stay in your weight class. Also, when I'm at the gym looking at bikini bodybuilders hip thrusting 130lbs and doing so 3 times a week while I'm here squatting 220lbs, I mean it requires focus, mental energy to go through an intense set during training, while they don't even sweat one bit. Bodybuilding still a harder sport in terms of the diet before a competition but it also depends on what you compete in.

[@thecraigfish8316]

you obviously have no clue what youre talking about...

[@doomslay3r964]

He was talking about professional bodybuilding, not gym bros doing chest and arms every weekend.

[@yerfdog1935]

I could smash the deadlift part of the mule easy, but I'm too damn fat to do the pullups. lol