Do workout styles make your legs bigger or stronger?
Muscle power and muscle hypertrophy of the lower limbs among practitioners of functional fitness training and strength training
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
This study looked at men who do either functional fitness (like CrossFit) or regular weightlifting, and compared them to active people who don’t lift much.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 554 / 44
Evidence Score
A snapshot of a population at a single point in time. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine the direction of cause and effect.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
This study looked at men who do either functional fitness (like CrossFit) or regular weightlifting, and compared them to active people who don’t lift much.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 554 / 44
Evidence Score
A snapshot of a population at a single point in time. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine the direction of cause and effect.
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Claims (9)
People who do CrossFit and people who lift weights end up with about the same size leg muscles after years of training — the type of workout doesn’t seem to change muscle growth much.
Just because CrossFit and weightlifters jumped about the same height doesn’t mean they’re equally powerful — the test might not have been sensitive enough to spot a real difference.
People who do CrossFit, lift weights, or just stay active all generate about the same peak power when jumping — no one group is significantly stronger or more explosive.
Whether you do CrossFit or lift weights regularly, your thigh muscles end up about the same size after years of training.
People who do CrossFit might jump a little higher than weightlifters, but the difference is so small it could just be random chance.