There’s a clear winner for building muscle in the battle between CrossFit and bodybuilding.

When we dig into the question of whether CrossFit or bodybuilding is better for gaining muscle, we find ourselves immersed in a debate that has been raging for over a decade now.

The short answer is bodybuilding is the better option if your goal is to build muscle and a better physique. But there’s more to unpack here.

We’ll delve into the science behind both of these fitness regimens but you’re probably here because you just want to know which one you should do so you can start growing.

CrossFit vs Bodybuilding Male Physique — Mat Fraser and Ryan Humiston

CrossFit and Muscle Growth

Let’s start with CrossFit. Take one look at the athletes who compete in the CrossFit Games every year and you’d be inclined to think that you can get that way too by signing up at your local CrossFit box.

Think again.

CrossFit is great and I’ll never say otherwise. But if your goal is to build muscle, that needs to be your only goal for a while.

Building muscle requires dedication to training and nutrition and I mean singular dedication. You can’t be simultaneously trying to build muscle and set record times in running and rowing.

This is where CrossFit has a fault for anyone who’s looking to pack on slabs of muscle. It doesn’t mean it can’t be done but it would require adjustments to your training that your CrossFit coach might not like.

Note: CrossFit’s training structure is phenomenal and great for anyone looking to get in better shape.

Let’s take a look at CrossFit workouts, or WODs, as they like to call them. What you’ll typically find is a warm-up, strength, conditioning, and recovery section.

But what does this mean for someone looking to grow muscle above all else?

Not much and that’s because the most important training section for building muscle is missing.

Muscle growth is also known as hypertrophy and CrossFit considers hypertrophy a byproduct of its training methodology, rather than something to focus on while training.

Now, you might be thinking that the strength section of the workout is where you’ll find the gains. Not necessarily.

You’ll get stronger and you’ll definitely develop good technique on your big lifts. And you’ll probably grow some muscle, too. But your training isn’t being optimized for muscle growth.

Here’s why the athletes that compete in the CrossFit Games have so much muscle compared to your average CrossFitter:

The athletes that are competitive are able to devote substantially more time to their training (as much as four to five hours a day).
Shear volume, training to failure, and constantly varying workouts, movements, and training days all increase muscle growth.

Bodybuilding and Gains

Ask any young man or woman just starting out with weightlifting and looking to build muscle how they are training.

The odds are overwhelmingly in favor of a bodybuilding-style workout plan that trains a specific body part each day.

The reasons for this are numerous but can be whittled down to one important fact: they’re trying to gain muscle above all else.

They’re not looking to lose weight. They’re not looking to improve their cardiovascular performance. They’re not looking to build their endurance.

And this is why bodybuilding beats CrossFit when it comes to building muscle.

Here are the basic principles of bodybuilding training:

Adhere to body-part splits.
Train 5-6 days per week.
Perform 4-5 exercises per muscle group.
Rely mainly on 7 -12RM loads.
Lift heavier loads occasionally for variation.
Do 3-6 sets per exercise.

With bodybuilding-style training, you’re doing more of what needs to be done in order to grow muscle: isolating muscle groups and focusing on hypertrophy.

Bodybuilders also mix in tried and true muscle-growing methods like drop sets, tempo control, angular changes, and muscle contraction and stretching.

CrossFit vs Bodybuilding: The Winner

If your primary focus is to build muscle, bodybuilding is the winner.

The goal of bodybuilding is to build as much muscle as possible, whereas it is only one of many goals in CrossFit.

Again, this is not a shot at CrossFit. CrossFit has more than proven itself as an effective and potentially life-changing training regimen for millions of people.

And if your goal is to “get in shape” or improve your overall fitness performance, CrossFit wins hands down.

But bodybuilding is the way to go if you want to build muscle above all else.

Can you combine CrossFit and Bodybuilding?

Here’s what I’ve found to be the most effective way to build muscle, while still maintaining a high-performance fitness capability for my careers as a firefighter and a soldier.

Combining CrossFit and bodybuilding-style workouts allows one to improve their overall fitness performance while still making muscle gains.

There are a few ways this can be done.

Many CrossFit athletes still prioritize muscle growth in their training by adding hypertrophy sessions to their CrossFit workouts.

For example, you might be doing heavy squats for strength training and an AMRAP stamina training session. Following these, you can do some direct arm training by completing sets of barbell curls and overhead triceps dumbbell extensions.

You can also go back and forth between these training styles. For some (including myself), you can spend six months doing CrossFit and then six months training like a bodybuilder.

Is CrossFit or bodybuilding better for fat loss?

The most important factor for losing fat is not how you’re training in the gym, it’s how you’re eating.

But what you do or don’t do in the gym can make a big difference. Bodybuilding alone will not directly lead to any significant fat loss. Instead, building muscle will enhance your body’s metabolism and make getting lean a lot easier.

Bodybuilders aren’t lean because of how they train. They’re lean because of how they eat.

CrossFit, on the other hand, can have a significant impact on fat loss. The combination of strength, stamina, conditioning and cardio in CrossFit will mean you’ll be burning a ton more calories during and after workouts.

If your goal is to lose fat, CrossFit is the winner. But many other factors will determine how much fat you lose. Get your diet dialed in above all else.

The Bottom Line

The line between CrossFit and bodybuilding has blurred more and more over the last few years.

If you pay attention to these sorts of things, you may notice more bodybuilders incorporating what could be considered “CrossFit-style” exercises and methodologies into their training.

Likewise, many CrossFitters are increasingly adding hypertrophy sessions to their workouts or gravitating to bodybuilding-style workouts when they’re not doing CrossFit.

Over a decade of experience with both of these training styles has shown me that bodybuilding leads to greater muscle growth.

But it all comes down to finding what works for you. You might find the opposite of what I’ve just said and see better gains with CrossFit.

Combining the two training regimens has proven to be the most effective way to yield muscle growth while still being able to run a mile in less than seven minutes.