During the pandemic, the fast-moving world was brought to a standstill…
The impact of this pandemic was massive.
Research shows that it helped us realize how important it is to adopt a healthy lifestyle, including healthy fitness nutrition, how a healthy body transformation and regular exercise plans will help transform your life, body, and mental health.1
The lack of face to face medical access and cancer care support brought more focus on prostate cancer.
In this article I share medical research related to prostate cancer, how lifestyle changes can help, and some of the key differences between personal training fitness and bodybuilding.
I dedicate this article to anyone suffering from prostate cancer.
By the way,
If you have suspected any prostate risks or enlarged prostate symptoms, visited your doctor or had a PSA test.
Your doctor might advise you to exercise and keep active; regular exercise and a customized body transformation program help you improve your health and support your mental health.
Thanks to the pandemic, we have become more and more aware of the importance of a well-balanced diet in improving our health.
But are you aware that nutritional diet changes alone might not be enough for the body transformation results you want to achieve?
You need exercise and various fitness program activities (different exercise creates different metabolic responses and that’s why I advise using exercise variety) to keep fit, healthy, and active.
In addition, if you are concerned about or have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, with your doctor clearance exercise must be a part of your daily routine.
That is right!
Established scientific evidence shows that regular and vigorous physical exercise prevents some cancers, and might also reduce the incidence of cancer by 30–70%2
If you are not sure where to start in order to meet your body transformation and life-changing goals.
It is time to talk to Jazz Alessi, London’s number-one personal fitness trainer.
REQUEST A FREE CONSULTATION NOW !
In addition, if you have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, your physician will recommend exercise as an important adjunct therapy to:
- Reduce your prostate cancer symptoms,
- Reduce the side effects of radiation and drug therapies
- Improve your psychological wellness
- Increase your survival rate.2
In fact, there is a large number of studies revealing that regular exercise after cancer diagnosis could increase cancer survival rates by 50–60%, with the strongest effect on breast, colorectal, and prostate cancers.2
The right customised body transformation program can help you increase your chance of survival and improve your treatment outcomes.
All you need to do is start now!
with Jazz Alessi to get started.
Too Many Exercises: Which to Choose?
When it comes to exercising, there is not one exercise that you will do and call it a day.
There are more options to choose from…
For instance, you will need to choose between:
- Cardio training, like simply walking, jogging or cycling
- Different types of weight loss and weight management plans
- fitness program exercises
- Weight training and bodybuilding exercises that involve weights and resistance.
I know, you must be confused about what to choose…
What’s best?
Which is better, cardio, fitness program, or bodybuilding?
So, to help you make up your mind and decide, in this article, I will help you to understand the difference between fitness vs bodybuilding.
Keep tuned to know more and get your questions answered about fitness vs bodybuilding both as exercise methods and training systems.
Difference between fitness and bodybuilding
Do you feel they are similar?
Hey, there is a huge difference between fitness and bodybuilding.
Both these physical activities are different in their outcomes.
They may, however, have some exercises in common.
Personal fitness training is simpler.
It aims to improve the strength of your heart, lungs, and skeletal muscles.
This is why it combines several forms of training that use your body weight and can even involve resistance-training equipment like free weights or elastic bands.3
With the right fitness plan, you improve your body’s abilities and strengthen your muscles by making them work harder.
Then safely you gradually increase the difficulty of an exercise, weight, or force to make progress and achieve weight loss and fitness results.
On the other hand, bodybuilding involves controlled and isolated movements.
It focuses on specific muscles and requires them to be worked out repeatedly.
Scientists call it skeletal muscle hypertrophy, which means increasing the volume, or size of your skeletal muscles.4
What are your goals?
Now you have to decide – fitness vs bodybuilding – which one is best for you?
The right type of training depends on your specific fitness goal.
Yes, you got it right!
There is no universal training plan or body transformation program that will help you achieve any goal.
One size doesn’t fit all and this is where a professional comes from!
Do you have any injuries, limitations, aches, and knee or back pains?
A professional personal trainer will help you run an assessment first.
This will help you create a fitness routine that’s personalised and tailored to your body’s needs and your fitness goals.
For instance, if you want to lose weight, your personal trainer will set you a program including fitness for weight loss.
But if he notices you have a low muscle mass or low metabolism, he will also recommend some sort of body weight training or even body building training!
He would also recommend a different exercise plan based on your:
- Gender: Fitness for Women is different from fitness for men because their body composition and physiology are different.
- Age: a professional personal trainer understands age-related changes and should consider them while setting your fitness plan.
Get your very personalised weight loss and fitness plan according to your own body needs and personal fitness goals with Jazz Alessi.
Jazz’s London’s most expert personal fitness trainer for a cancer challenge who would perfectly set distinguished fitness for Women and fitness for men plans based on each’s needs.
It will help you:
- Understand the difference between fitness vs bodybuilding approaches and techniques and their individualised benefits as a part of your physical activities.
- Discover your current problems and target solving them.
- Set short and long-term goals for your training plan.
- Consider only the exercises that are safe for your medical and general health conditions.
- Get a customised nutrition and Fitness for weight loss plans
If you don’t have an injury and exercise limitations, any type of movement will help you achieve the following:
- Improve your mood,
- Improve your fitness level
- Improve your overall health
Whatever your fitness goal may be, the right type of training and fitness routine suited to your body type will help you achieve your fitness goals even faster.
Benefits Of Fitness Training: What’s in it?
Fitness training is a whole-body conditioning and body transformation program.
It has all those physical activities and movements that improve your body and therefore, its ability to perform.
So, how exactly does it work?
What are the benefits of fitness training?
Fitness training involves movements that engage several muscles or groups of muscles at one time – think jogging, running, Pilates, Yoga, HIIT, or Zumba etc.
All these training methods require your muscles to contract against different types of opposing forces.
This may be your body weight or an:
- external resistance using barbells,
- dumbbells,
- elastic bands or
- ankle weights.5
A professional fitness for weight loss trainer like Jazz Alessi knows right how to implement all these types of exercises into one plan that fits your personal needs and meets your cancer recovery goals.
Request your free consultation now!
It also involves compound exercises like squats, lunges, or push-ups.
Therefore, these are parts of functional training that help you improve your daily life activities.
You must have heard of ‘power training.’
Yes, that is also functional training that increases the muscle’s ability to contract as fast and as forcefully as possible against resistance.
The bottom line is: fitness training is actually suitable for anyone who wants to improve their fitness but, did you know that it is also used by athletes?
Because athletes need to improve their agility, endurance, and balance.
Let me give you an example…
A fitness and body transformation program for swimmers involves high-load intensity to increase maximum strength.
That is the basis for power, year-round strength training.
It goes parallel to swim training and the athlete has to transfer acquired strength skills in swim training.
It may not involve specific strength training exercises in the water.6
Unbelievable, isn’t it?
Sometimes, your fitness trainer may use Electrical Muscle Stimulation.
It is a form of exercise that increases mobility and does not require active participation.7
Remember, fitness training is not only for athletes.
In fact, it’s something every single person could get into because it is functional training and it improves your:
- muscles flexibility,
- joint mobility,
- body balance,
- cardiovascular fitness and
- endurance.
Research shows that it will help you with everyday activities like:
- bending and twisting,
- stepping further than you could normally do,
- getting in and out of a bed, chair,
- picking up something heavy in a squat position,
- pushing a heavy object, and many more.8
This research has shown that fitness training leads to improved posture and improved balance.9
Fitness Training and Prostate Cancer: Does It Help?
If you were diagnosed with prostate cancer and your physician has allowed you to start exercising, fitness training is one of the exercises you will be seeing a lot in your prostate cancer rehabilitation period.
Depending on your circumstances and rehab needs…
Research shows that continuous or intermittent aerobic exercise for 20 to 60 minutes per session, three to five times per week at 60-90% of your maximum heart rate (moderate to high intensity)1 will help you:
- Alleviate treatment-induced symptoms
- Reverse muscle mass loss
- Restore your body function
- Maintain your flexibility
- Improve your energy level and avoid fatigue
- Improve your quality of life1,10
Don’t worry, if you don’t know how to set your intensity or how to gradually increase it. Your personal fitness trainer in London will be there for you to keep your exercise safe and effective.
Speak to Jazz Alessi about the best program for you to reach your recovery go
als in no time.
Now, after knowing the benefits of fitness training, let’s move to bodybuilding and understand the benefits of bodybuilding.
Bodybuilding: Brings More Benefits to Your Body
Bodybuilding equals reshaping your physique!11
It is not concerned with muscle performance or cardiovascular endurance.
So, are there any benefits of bodybuilding?
The answer is ‘Yes’.
All the exercises in bodybuilding target specific muscles.
They include moderate load and relatively short rest between sets.
This causes a high amount of metabolic stress and therefore leads to hypertrophy of muscles forcing them to adapt.11
Hypertrophy of muscles means an increase in mass and size.12
Repetitions are performed targeting an isolated muscle like the biceps, chest, or triceps but in a controlled way, so that it stimulates muscle growth.
And just as fitness training, bodybuilding also leads to fat loss because you build lean muscle mass.13
It also contributes to increasing bone mineral density and thus making osteoporosis less likely.11
Bodybuilding involves focused strength training and those who use one approach only like fitness training will not become bodybuilders and vice versa.
Bodybuilding and Prostate Cancer
Similar to fitness training, bodybuilding also adds a countless number of benefits to your body and health if you are undergoing prostate cancer treatment.
Although exercising does not treat cancer, strength training will help you:
- Reverse symptoms associated with the treatment such as muscle mass loss
- Improve your muscle strength
- Improve your balance
- Improve your physical performance.1,10
All you need to do is focus on exercising the major muscle groups each week and select functional movements such as squats, upright rows, shoulder presses, and other exercises that are similar to tasks of daily living.1
Never underestimate what your body can do!
Your body can do wonders if you give it the training and nutrition it needs to stay healthy and energetic.
Figure out the best programme that fits your body type and fitness goals by speaking to London’s number one personal trainer; Jazz Alessi!
REQUEST A FREE CONSULTATION NOW!
So… What is your decision?
Now that you understand, you can very well compare fitness vs bodybuilding.
And you have to decide your fitness and health goals.
Remember, it’s not only the exercise that helps you improve your fitness, health and will transform your body.
You also require a well-balanced nutritional diet that will provide you with macronutrients like protein, carbs, and essential fats as well as micronutrients like vitamins and minerals.
Eating the right amount of the right food is crucial for both fitness training and Bodybuilding.
Once you decide on your fitness goal, and determine how far you want to go.
You could consult your medical doctor to obtain clearance to exercise whilst a personal trainer and a nutritionist will help you adjust your fitness nutrition and select the correct exercise approach before you start your fitness and body transformation program
Fitness vs Bodybuilding – Which is Better?
This is one question that has been lingering for many people who are new to exercising.
To understand this, and answer this question once and for all, you need to know that when you exercise, there are several outcomes to expect:
- Strength
- Endurance
Strength is determined by how strong your muscles can contract.
So, in order to build strength, you need to build muscles.
Which you can achieve by loading your muscles with external weights, dumbbells, body weight, sandbags or elastic bands.
This is bodybuilding.
Now, imagine you have built enough strength to lift a specific weight off the floor and put it back.
You might not be able to carry the same weight and walk around with it because you do not have the endurance for it.
This endurance, is built by fitness training.
Now let’s put these two into a real-life example and find out which of these is important.
What if you have the strength to lift your groceries off the floor but do not have the fitness to walk back home carrying them?
What if you normally walk from your home to the store but cannot walk back carrying a bag of groceries because it is too heavy for you?
I bet you got the point!
Bodybuilding and fitness are two important types of exercises that cannot be separated.
It might be important for a specific person to focus on one type more than the other just because this is what they need or they have a specific goal they need to achieve.
Otherwise, these two are equally important.
By combining these two with fitness nutrition, you treat your body the way it deserves and give it a countless number of health benefits that will keep you in optimal health for a long time.
Speak to Jazz Alessi, London’s number one nutrition and prostate cancer exercise expert who will discuss with you an all-in-one health programme.
REQUEST A FREE CONSULTATION NOW!
Who’s Jazz?
Jazz Alessi is an elite rehab personal trainer living in Central London and the owner of Personal Training Master with long term expertise in exercise, nutrition, coaching and cancer.
Jazz is a long-term health body transformation expert specialising in injury rehab, fitness transformations and helping you rebuild your fitness and muscles in the right way.
FAQs
1. What is the difference between fitness and bodybuilding?
Fitness and bodybuilding comparison has been always confusing… But, simply put, fitness is getting your body accommodated to perform a specific task or exercise for a longer time without getting tired. Bodybuilding is building your muscles to be able to perform this exercise in the first place.
2. Which one is more suitable for weight loss and overall health improvement?
There is no chance for Fitness and bodybuilding comparison when it comes to effectiveness. Our bodies are different and require a custom-made combination of the two to improve general health based on their body condition and desired goals.
3. Can I combine elements of both fitness and bodybuilding in my workout routine?
Absolutely! Combining both and customising it for your specific needs will maximise the benefit and boost your results.
4. How does fitness training differ from bodybuilding training?
Fitness training focuses on performing low to moderate-intensity exercise for a relatively longer period or more repetitions. While bodybuilding will focus on less repetitions but while adding resistance to your exercise.
5. Do fitness workouts focus on different aspects than bodybuilding workouts?
Fitness workouts basically focus on improving your heart and lung capacity and reducing fatigue. While bodybuilding focuses on building your muscles, and improving muscle imbalance, posture and strength. Even though these are completely different aspects and outcomes to measure, they complement each other in order to put you in optimal health.
6. Are there any age or gender considerations when choosing between fitness and bodybuilding?
Age and gender, among other factors, are one of the factors considered before setting any program for any person. However, there are no restrictions made based on age or gender only. An exercise plan will also consider medical history, personal goals and current fitness levels.
REFERENCES
- Kaur H, Singh T, Arya YK, Mittal S. Physical Fitness and Exercise During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Enquiry. Frontiers in psychology. 2020;11:590172. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7673425/
- Factsheet; Prostate cancer and exercise : Exercise is Medicine Australia. https://www.prostate.org.au/media/770546/2014-Prostate-Cancer-and-Exercise-BRIEF.pdf
- Iversen VM, Mork PJ, Vasseljen O, Bergquist R, Fimland MS. Multiple-joint exercises using elastic resistance bands vs. conventional resistance-training equipment: A cross-over study. European journal of sport science. 2017;17(8):973-982. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28628370/
- Steele IH, Pope HG, Jr., Kanayama G. Competitive Bodybuilding: Fitness, Pathology, or Both? Harvard review of psychiatry. 2019;27(4):233-240. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31219882/
- Peitz M, Behringer M, Granacher U. A systematic review on the effects of resistance and plyometric training on physical fitness in youth- What do comparative studies tell us? PloS one. 2018;13(10):e0205525. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30304033/
- Wirth K, Keiner M, Fuhrmann S, Nimmerichter A, Haff GG. Strength Training in Swimming. International journal of environmental research and public health. 2022;19(9). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35564764/
- Karatzanos E, Gerovasili V, Zervakis D, et al. Electrical muscle stimulation: an effective form of exercise and early mobilization to preserve muscle strength in critically ill patients. Critical care research and practice. 2012;2012:432752. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22545212/
- Vecchio LD, Daewoud H, Green S. The health and performance benefits of the squat, deadlift. and bench press MOJ Yoga & Physical Therapy. 2018;3(2):40-47. https://medcraveonline.com/MOJYPT/the-health-and-performance-benefits-of-the-squat-deadlift-and-bench-press.html
- Andrieieva O, Kashuba V, Yarmak O, Cheverda A, Dobrodub E, Zakharina A. Efficiency of children’s fitness training program with elements of sport dances in improving balance, strength and posture. Journal of Physical Education and Sport. 2021;21:2872-2879.
https://efsupit.ro/images/stories/octombrie2021/Art%20382.pdf - Keilani, Mohammad & Hasenoehrl, Timothy & Baumann, L & Ristl, R & Schwarz, M & Marhold, Maximilian & Sedghi, Tohid & Crevenna, Richard. (2017). Effects of resistance exercise in prostate cancer patients: a meta-analysis. Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer. 25. 10.1007/s00520-017-3771-z. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317533917_Effects_of_resistance_exercise_in_prostate_cancer_patients_a_meta-analysis
- Lamonte MJ, Kozlowski KF, Cerny F. Health Benefits of Exercise and Physical Fitness. In: Olympic Textbook of Science in Sport.2008:399-416. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/9781444303315.ch24
- Caha J. Changes and Differences in Body Composition and Strength Abilities of Athletes in Fitness and Bodybuilding at Different Intervals of Rest. Studia sportiva. 2021;15(1):6-16.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353457358_Changes_and_Differences_in_Body… - Krzysztofik M, Wilk M, Wojdała G, Gołaś A. Maximizing Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review of Advanced Resistance Training Techniques and Methods. International journal of environmental research and public health. 2019;16(24). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6950543/
Helms ER, Fitschen PJ, Aragon AA, Cronin J, Schoenfeld BJ. Recommendations for natural bodybuilding contest preparation: resistance and cardiovascular training. The Journal of sports medicine and physical fitness. 2015;55(3):164-178. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24998610/
