Sociology of weightlifting and the muscle revolution

Weightlifting , bodybuilding , powerlifting, strongman , and Crossfit have the same thing in common: the large percentage of training for competition is spent in a gym. And, being a top athlete in any of these sports requires discipline and consistency in training.  Yet, you don't see good cross-pollinization of the sports.  You have powerlifitng gyms, crossfit boxes, bodybuilding gyms, and weightlifting gyms.  Why is that? Further, why do weightlifters tend to have hang ups on the aforementioned groups?

If you haven't already noticed, most (not all) weightlifters tend to dislike powerlifting, bodybuilding, and crossfit.  Mostly, because the average person will confuse weightlifting with powerlifting and bodybuilding.  And, in terms of CrossFit, many weightlifters see CrossFit as bastardizing weightlifting through excessive repetitions and poor technique.  In terms of strongman, I don't know exactly how weightlifters feel about it, though I'm sure many hate watching strongman continental clean heavy stuff, because weightlifters think everything should be lifted with a needle bearing bar as efficiently as possible.

From my perspective, I respect any sport that uses a barbell and causes one to lift something over bodyweight.  I think having hang-ups on other strength sports actually hurts the plight of the weightlifter.  For example, instead of having one powerful market of strength sports, the market is fragmented into niches. Further, many of the sports wind-up marginalized in some manner by the mainstream (e.g. can you find weightlifting shoes in most shoe stores?  sick of only hearing about football, baseball, basketball and hockey on the news sportscast?).   The one thing that can unite the strength sports are our overlapping core values- that diet and training with iron are part of a lifestyle.

In effect, strength sport athletes ought to support multi-sport expos such as the Arnold and the AFX.  Competing at places like the AFX and the Arnold will grow acceptance of theses sports to eachother as
well as reduce misconceptions.   For example, Risto Sports is working with athletes from bodybuilding and weightlifting at the 2013 AFX (www.alaskafitproductions.com). Through this activity, I was chatting with a Hall of Fame bodybuilder.   It quickly occurred to me that I was talking to someone whose day revolved around training, and, like me, would understand if I didn't pick-up a phone during sacred work out time.

In other words, I am a weightlifter, and just like Dimitry Klokov, I like bodybuilding.  I even like crossfit, powerlifting, and strongman.  I might not train for these other sports, as they have different goals than my sport, and I can still respect them.