If you are trying to understand bodybuilding vs strength training, I can help you understand the different goals, training methods, specific workout plans, and what to look for in a coach or trainer.

After years in the game as an athlete, strength and conditioning coach, and mental performance coach, I have pulled together some of the core knowledge you need to pick the training path that’s right for you.

Bodybuilding vs Strength Training: The Biggest Differences

The main difference between strength training vs bodybuilding is what, exactly, you are training for. Let me break this down really simply and offer you a slightly more advanced definition or distinction.

With strength training, you are working to move more weight — which makes you stronger.

When you're bodybuilding, you're looking to influence how your muscles look — it’s an aesthetic goal.

Strength training is specifically recruiting the musculature to deliver a strength effect (the movement of heavier weight). It’s basis is in performance, such as sport performance or just getting stronger. Bodybuilding is a sport in itself. It is a competition, so it's almost apples to oranges in comparison.

In bodybuilding training, the goal is changes in muscular size and then working through that toward striation or definition of striation. Bodybuilding means you want to grow your muscles, so they look fuller, so you can see the outlines of the muscles. If you're talking true show, you want to pull out all the water and show what your actual striations (how the muscle is shaped and how the fibers run) in the muscle look like.

Here is another way to describe the major strength training vs bodybuilding difference that sums all of this up:

Strength training is the adaptation you want, and bodybuilding is the outcome you want — which is gauged by wins and losses on the stage.

Differences in Training Techniques for Strength Training vs Bodybuilding

In strength training, when I'm working to get stronger, I'm going to do fewer repetitions, and likely fewer sets. And, I'm going to work with heavier weight, so heavier loads. When I'm working toward bodybuilding, we're looking at hypertrophy, which means we need higher repetitions, and so, possibly more sets. And my load, the weight that I move, is going to be lighter than what I would use if I were to focus on strength training.

What does this look like? For strength training, you'll probably do somewhere between 3-6 sets of 3-6 repetitions. If you’re just starting strength training, you need to determine how strong you actually are. How much weight can you move in a single rep with great technique and control. Using that number, your average load per sets will be around 60% plus of your max. As you progress, you’ll want to aim for a load that is around 85% plus of your maximal lift. Where you start will depend on training age and how strong you. The further along, the more weight you'll use, with fewer repetitions.

With a hypertrophy focus and training for bodybuilding, you’ll still do 3-6 sets, but the repetitions will be in the 8-20 range — or just until muscular fatigue. New bodybuilders should aim for 50-65% of their max one rep max. As you make progress, aim for no more than 85% as the target threshold. The weight will be lighter, because the weight has to be light enough for you to hit at least those 8-20 reps per set with great technique.

All of this is for your core press and pull variations. This is what we look at as far as the volume and intensity for strength training versus bodybuilding or hypertrophy training.

Modality Differences in Bodybuilding vs Strength Training

Which modalities and methods for training should you use? Are you going to use barbells or not, do squats or not? People ask questions like this a lot as we start training. The answer is that they're going to look the same.

For both kinds of training, you're going to use dumbbells, you're going to use barbells, you're going to do squats, you're going to do deadlifts, you're going to do all types of pull variations. But for that bodybuilding volume, you're going to have lighter loads than for a strength training program.

And, of course, that's all relative. If you're in the game, and you've been in the game for a long time, you might move a pretty significant amount of weight. But it's still going to be relatively light compared to the max weight you could move.

Advice for New Bodybuilding Athletes

It starts with your mindset. You really need to go in with a realistic expectation. Your overall volume is going to increase, so you cannot lift for ego, or you'll run into unwanted soft tissue issue. As a long-term trainer and mental performance coach, I can’t emphasize this strongly enough: you’ve got to have the right mindset.

You're not lifting for ego, you're lifting for growth.

That means starting lighter than you might think so that you can consistently do 3-6 sets of 12-20 reps while maintaining great form. And you want to have a strategic split. A simple plan would be: back and bicep, chest and tricep. So you're attacking your back muscles along with your biceps. And then your chest with your triceps.

When you look at your leg days, you could do just a total leg day where you're hitting glutes, quads, and calves. Or you can split it up to be glutes and hams, quads and calves, or some version of that breakdown.

If you are going to train three days per week, then generally you might do a "Bro Day" on Monday — chest and tris. On Wednesday would be a leg day. And the Friday would be back and bis. If we add another day in there, you would make that a leg day. So that's a four-day week, with another leg day (glutes, hams, quads, and calves).

For each muscle group, plan for at least two exercises, per muscle group. Three different exercises seems to be the sweet spot, but aim for at least two different exercises for chest and tris, etc. And again, you want to knock out 3-6 sets of 12-20 repetitions.

If you are just starting out in bodybuilding training, you could just kick it for 3 sets of 12 repetitions, and make sure to record your exercises, sets, reps, and the weights you use.

How to Determine Your Initial Load

Bodybuilding is a long-term game. It's about longevity. The more time you can spend in the gym, the more time you can spend working through full range of motion, the better the muscle looks. That said, you want to avoid injury. With squats, start with bodyweight squats, then go to something like a goblet squat. From bodyweight, I normally add a 20-pound dumbbell for a goblet.

Same thing with lunges. Start working your sets with no weight, and then loading with a 15 or 20-pound dumbbells for lunges. For your chest press, start with a push up. After that, move to dumbbells. Once you hit 65-pound dumbbells, then you can load the barbell with at least 65 pounds.

Pros and Cons of Bodybuilding vs Strength Training

Strength Training (Pros)

· You actually get stronger and having a stronger musculature has a longevity of life benefit.

· If you have great technique, there is a relatively lower risk of injury.

Strength Training (Cons)

· If you overload, you are more likely to run into a soft tissue issue.

· You're not going to burn as many calories.

Bodybuilding (Pros)

· You can do it long-term with great joint health because you're not overloading your joints with a load. The load should be low enough that your ligaments actually like it and respond well.

· You're likely to burn more calories with hypertrophy workouts.

Bodybuilding (Cons)

· If you're looking to compete, getting to the stage can be really taxing and draining.

· To do it seriously really does involve a somewhat significant investment of time and money.

Tips for New Bodybuilding Athletes

It's exciting to see muscle grow. On the front end, it can be frustrating. But once you actually get that first pump and you notice “I got a peak in my bicep,” or “I'm starting to see some definition in my quads or my calves,” or “My glutes are firmer, my chest has a nice pump,” then it's easy to say: let's keep it going.

Starting out, the goal is time in. Remember the mantra: "lighter is righter." You're still increasing your load, and you should be able to do this for a longer time over your lifespan.

One benefit of loading the muscle, of physically pushing fluid through your full range of motion movements, is that your muscles are happier. Work's been done, fat's being burned. You will find some really cool metabolic advantages.

If you become competitive, I think that's where it can potentially take a toll on people. But again, it depends on how you do it. Find a knowledgeable coach. The coach should be able to help you select the correct class or classification to compete in so that it matches your lifestyle and your goals overall.

When people get into that “whatever it takes to win” mindset, that's where you often see burn out. That's where people start running into some of the adrenal issues from just not having enough fat for day-to-day function, or being in a caloric deficit for too long. If you're cutting for too long you will run into trouble.

You're going to have to cut weight at some point, but again, if you're in the right classification and you really plan for and have a team, a nutritionist, a lifting coach, maybe some medical personnel and all of that helping you monitor your levels, then you're less likely to run into that “shock factor.” It's about being knowledgeable and funneling those resources to help you reach your goals.

What Should You Look for in a Bodybuilding Trainer?

First, I would look at Facebook and other social channels to see who's a coach in my area. And beyond that, who is coaching bodybuilders and strength and conditioning clients with great success?

Then, I would speak to their athletes and see what they are like to work with and judge whether or not it's worth your time to set up a meeting with them. After that, reach out to connect with them, once you do your homework.

Questions for a Potential Bodybuilding Coach

Well, if you're bodybuilding, at some point performance-enhancing drugs are at least going to come into the conversation. Obviously, those are illegal in the U.S., but I would say it's important to know what your prospective coach's take on PEDs is. I probably wouldn't ask at first meeting, though!

Instead, ask them what their philosophy is.

· How much time do they expect you to spend training?

· What is their pricing for their consultation, and for their time?

· How much per session?

· Are you going to meet with them in person each time or are they going to write a program for you?

· How involved are they?

· How often do they tailor that program for your progress?

· What shows do they think you should work toward competing in, and when?

· Can they hammer out a timeframe for your start-to-show-date?

· Can they help you with nutrition, do they have those resources?

How Much Does Bodybuilding Coaching Generally Cost?

Expect to pay $50 to $125 for an in-person session. And that price can vary based on if you pay per session or if you pick up a session package where you'll probably get one or two sessions for free.

So, let's say you're paying $125 for an individual session. They might bump it down to $100 per session for ten. Then you're paying a grand for ten sessions. You might also be paying a subscription fee of $30-$75 per month to use their program and have them tune it for you. It is an investment.

And then you have to think about the cost of supplements. It would be great to invest in your nutrition. And there are ways to do that to a cost advantage. With supplements, if you're purchasing whey protein, you're looking to drop $75 per container. Which will roughly be a monthly expense, depending on your needs and what you need to get in and how great your nutrition is.

It's worth it, though. With a coach, in the long run you're not paying for their time. You're paying for their experience and knowledge. They'll help you avoid costly mistakes like injury, because the surgery is going to cost more than $1,000 for ten sessions. When you factor downtime and maybe missing work because you ripped your pec or your bicep on top of not being able to work and paying for surgery, the upfront investment in a coach for serious bodybuilders makes a lot of sense.

You’re going to have some bro coaches that will charge you $15 to $30 per session or even $10 to $20 — just because you're likely to have a ten or twenty on you. Not that someone is necessarily a bro coach at those rates. And on the other side, someone charging $125 per hour is not always the best coach — not by a long shot.

Do your homework, and reach out to the athletes that they've trained and work with. Verify that they have actually trained to work with athletes and that their clients have competed and won some competitions. If you know the shows you want to compete in, find a coach that trains athletes who compete in those shows. They will know the criteria that you're going to be judged on.

Timeline for Starting Bodybuilding to Your First Show

Plan for next year. No really, it honestly depends on the time you have available not only for training, but for recovery. And genetics play a role, along with hard work. If you're starting with little to no definition or mass and you want to look like Ronnie Coleman, well, it's not going to happen within a year.

That said, there are local competitions that aren't as “competitive,” but you still get the stage experience. You still get the experience of prepping for a show. You get that knowledge, and you get to meet people who are actually doing it. So, going into the competition itself will be an amazing wealth of knowledge.

If you're going in with the right head space, thinking, "Hey, it's my first show ... I don't know anything about this ... let me learn as much as possible and stay out of the way," you’re in good shape. But realistically, there should be opportunities within that first year for you to just get on stage and see what it means to compete in the show. Depending on where you start, you could be on stage in 3-6 months.

More Resources for You

Don't leave without checking out my post on hypertrophy vs strength training for some critical differences in those workout approaches and when you use them. You can also download my Rule of 60 Workout Plan if you are ready to take on a serious hypertrophy workout block that can kickstart your long-term plan or help you get over a plateau in your current workout routine.

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Bodybuilding vs Strength Training: What You Need to Know