Let’s talk about the word that often triggers confusion or skepticism in the CrossFit world: bodybuilding.
For many performance-oriented athletes, the idea of training like a bodybuilder seems like a mismatch. CrossFit emphasizes speed, strength, and endurance, while bodybuilding is often associated with aesthetics and posing. But the reality is, bodybuilding and CrossFit are not mutually exclusive—and in fact, they overlap more than most people think.
Hypertrophy, or muscle growth, is a core concept in bodybuilding. It refers to the increase in the size of muscle fibers as a response to resistance training. The terms “muscle building,” “gaining lean mass,” or “adding size” all fall under the umbrella of hypertrophy.
While hypertrophy is often linked to physique goals, it plays a critical role in CrossFit performance, joint stability, and injury prevention. It’s also worth noting that most CrossFit programs already include bodybuilding-style accessory work, whether it’s labelled as “strength endurance,” “midline,” or “post-WOD.” At CrossFit Kreis 9, this approach is deliberately built into our programming to support sustainable progress and movement quality.
Strength vs hypertrophy: a distinction in intent
Both strength training and hypertrophy training involve lifting weights. The difference lies in what kind of adaptation the training is designed to trigger.
- Hypertrophy training aims to increase muscle size. This happens through a combination of moderate load, higher repetitions, and greater training volume, which causes localized muscle fatigue and stimulates muscle fiber growth.
- Strength training, by contrast, aims to increase the maximum amount of force a muscle or group of muscles can produce. It typically uses heavier loads, lower reps, and longer rest periods to develop neural efficiency and force output.
While the two can coexist within a training program, they follow different principles and serve different outcomes.
How hypertrophy supports CrossFit athletes
Even without aiming for physique changes, CrossFit athletes benefit from hypertrophy in several ways:
- Muscle mass around joints improves stability and resilience. Larger muscles provide more support to joints like the shoulders, knees, and hips—areas that are frequently stressed in CrossFit.
- Increased muscle size supports strength development. While strength is largely a neural adaptation, muscle cross-sectional area contributes to force production potential.
- Greater muscle mass can contribute to higher work capacity. More lean tissue can mean improved energy storage and better fatigue resistance, especially during high-rep barbell workouts or long metcons.
- Hypertrophy supports structural balance. Focused accessory work helps correct muscular imbalances, which can reduce injury risk and improve movement patterns.
These aren’t opinions—they’re physiological realities. Whether or not an athlete labels it as such, bodybuilding-style training supports many of the physical demands CrossFit places on the body.
Common methods: volume, reps, and rest
Though they often overlap in movements, hypertrophy and strength training differ in structure.
| Category | Hypertrophy Focus | Strength Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Increase muscle size | Increase maximal force |
| Load | Moderate (60–80% of 1RM) | Heavy (80–100% of 1RM) |
| Reps per set | Moderate to high (6–15+) | Low (1–6) |
| Rest between sets | Short to moderate (30–90s) | Longer (2–5 minutes) |
| Total volume | High | Moderate to low |
| Primary outcome | Muscle fiber growth | Neural adaptation |
This table helps clarify that while both may use squats, presses, or pulls, the stimulus they create is quite different.
Integration in CrossFit training
It’s not unusual to see a CrossFit class finish with “accessories” or a “finisher.” Often, these segments include moderate loads, isolation movements, or higher reps—hallmarks of hypertrophy training. What looks like “just extra work” is often a targeted effort to promote muscle growth, joint support, and movement balance.
CrossFit Kreis 9 includes bodybuilding-style accessory training intentionally—because it enhances both performance and longevity. These elements help athletes stay pain-free, move well, and maintain progress through different training phases.
Final thoughts
Bodybuilding principles have a legitimate place in CrossFit—not as a contrast to functional fitness, but as a complement to it. Hypertrophy for CrossFit athletes is not about aesthetics; it’s about function, durability, and unlocking the next level of performance.
Rather than separating them, understanding how hypertrophy and strength differ—and where they overlap—can clarify why smart training includes both. What might look like “just muscle work” is often the invisible backbone of better performance.
