Can you grow and not get stronger?

[Golden_Muscle]

There is a kinda smallish guy at my gym. He always does the same weight and same ammount of reps, but he is getting bigger, but not fatter.

Just wondering if that is possible. Again, he uses the same weight and same ammount of reps every week, and in a period of about 7 months he has gotten bigger by maybe 10-12 lbs I would say. His technique never changes either.

Thanks.

 

[huskyguy]

That does not necessarily mean that he is not stronger, he just isn't testing his limits. Growing and getting stronger always go hand in hand with me, but that may be the way I train.

 

[Golden_Muscle]

That does not necessarily mean that he is not stronger, he just isn't testing his limits. Growing and getting stronger always go hand in hand with me, but that may be the way I train.

Im the same as you. I just dont f%$#ing get it man.....

Weird stuff.

 

[syko]

to get stronger, u gotta grow....its just the way human bodies work...

 

[Insane_Man]

Yes.

 

[diesel]

I seem to get stronger faster w/ little visible growth...mass wise.

I get harder/denser which is indeed growth, but measurements are not drastic. change in body comp. %

 

[hornedfrogs07]

I get bigger long before I ever start to see strength gains. I've gained almost 45lbs in the last year, (probably half and half, muscle vs fat), but I'm maxing roughly the same on squats, up probably 10lbs on bench, and deads, I'm not sure b/c I'd never done them until about October of the past year.

Now, I just wish my strength would follow suit with my size.

 

[Lifter82]

has to do with his diet/trainining

 

[jjwatt]

More muscle = More cross-sectional area = more strength.

 

[Mprtz]

More muscle = More cross-sectional area = more strength.

The human body is so much more complex than this. At the least, you would have to add "all else being equal". The thing is, in such a complex system all else is rarely equal.

 

[Methodology]

Bigger muscles doesn't mean better strength, muscle growth does go hand in hand with strength, but you don't have to have big muscles to be strong, all you need is a good diet. You can get just as big as a guy that pushes it to the limit, with a lower amount of weight, its not much you lift, its how you lift it.

 

[wiggywild]

A lot of strength gains come from the ability of the neurons to innervate the muscles and release enough neurotransmitter especially in the < 5 rep range. Higher reps train different types of muscle fibers to greater extents than lower ones. The size seen in bodybuilders is often considered non functional, such as increases in sarcoplasm and connective tissue. What rep range does this guy train in?

 

[Optimal]

If he's a small guy then it's not entirely surprising. When you're small, growth is easy. He will stall once hitting intermediate stage if it continues though.
Heck, even women gain some amount of muscle doing dumbshit aerobics with 5lbs weights for the first year.

 

[joliver]

From what I have seen most people use the "gain muscle to gain strength" method. If you get bigger, you will be stronger, but not necessarily pound per pound stronger. There are tons of big guys in my gym, but few squat, bench, or deadlift anything meaningful. Not being an ass when I say that, just pointing out that gaining mass will make you stronger, but massive gains in strength come from CNS training.

 

[MK19GUNNER]

The strongest guy on the planet, pound for pound is Richard Hawthorn and he only weighs 130 pounds. After he set the new record(s) he demanded to be drug tested and said he did all his lifts for the competition without PEDS.

Muscles adapt to what they are stressed to and maintain or increase their size based on diet. Just because they don't blow up like a balloon doesn't mean they can't set records.