Does strength always equal size?
- Thread starter 2horns
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jackcity10
New member
no
genetics, body fat, and height also fit into that equation.
genetics, body fat, and height also fit into that equation.
blackbeard
New member
i dont think thats what he meant..hes talking in terms of oneself..hes asking if i make myself stronger will i hypertrophy my muscles as well..nate said:
Im sure there will be times when you gain strength yet you may not see hypertrophy..however over the long haul you cant get bigger without getting stronger..you must continually load the muscle.. if you bench 250 for 10 and never increase your reps and/or weights your muscles will adapt and cease to grow..you may see some size from using the same weight as the muscle becomes more efficient and thus those 10 reps become easier to do over time..
2horns
Old Man
Those types are VERY few and far between. Many people believe as you get stronger, the more weight you will use and therefore the bigger you will get. Its the whole powerlifter mentality so to speak. Thats why successful PL's are not 140 lbs. (with exceptions)Mudge said:
Im saying all this with diet being in check with relationn to your goals.
Mudge
Community Veteran
I know guys lighter than myself who barely look like they lift and dead in the mid 600s, its not all that super rare at all, its called TRAINING FOR STRENGTH.
Eating is a whole other matter.
If you train your body to use a higher percentage of your fibers than the average person knows how, then you will be stronger.
Eating is a whole other matter.
If you train your body to use a higher percentage of your fibers than the average person knows how, then you will be stronger.
I
Insane_Man
Guest
Mudge said:
Amen bruvva
I
Insane_Man
Guest
So in a way, big muscles could be jess fo decorashun.
Frosty
Pro Bodybuilder
2horns said:
Well, when talking absolute strength, mass is king. Just look at any power lifter, strongman, or olympic lifter. All the top guys are very massive and very strong.
But if you look in the smaller weight classes, you can see people being extremely strong while maintaining a low bodyweight. When you see Tera Cunningham snatch more than I weigh when she's like 105 lbs....then you get an idea of what I mean. Not entirely sure how they keep the weight down. Maybe they just keep the calories down.
huskyguy
300lbs of Heavenly Joy
Not necessarily is there a direct relationship of strength and size, many big guys aren't as strong as some smaller guys. Bone structure, lifting technique and mental attitude are just some of the factors involved in strength. However I can say that when I lift heavier and get stronger I usually get bigger. Some lifts I see a direct relationship, I am strong in the squat and deadlift and my legs are one of my best body parts. Everyone expects me to be really strong in the bench press because my pecs are overdeveloped yet this is my weakest lift--so I find this fairly confusing.
blackbeard
New member
we just had this argument on elite..the key word is RELATIVE..dont compare 2 different people...
if you have 28 inch quads and you grow them to 32 inches they will definitely be stronger..and obviously we know thetyre bigger..same with any other muscle if you make it bigger it will be stronger and vice versa..
if you have 28 inch quads and you grow them to 32 inches they will definitely be stronger..and obviously we know thetyre bigger..same with any other muscle if you make it bigger it will be stronger and vice versa..
for a small % of the population strength does not always equal size. we have a guy at our gym who competes at about 175lbs. he is getting stronger in the gym but not growing. he moves incrdible weight for his size but has weighed the same thing for the last three years. if he wanted to put on size he would need to lift differently. but since he is a PLer he trains for strenth. for guys like this, and i hate to say it, lifting higher reps and lighter weights will help him to grow.
Nathan
New member
Pullinbig can you explain why this guy is an exception to the rule. I dont understand how light weight and high reps will help him grow and why would he not grow more by overload. I thought the body needed overload to trigger growth. If the body can efficiently move the weight then what will trigger the body to grow. The reason I ask is I hear alot of people talking about supersetting their arms to spur growth and just dont quite grasp the concept. The only reason I would see to superset would be to trim fat, and at that high of reps would you not risk losing muscle.
grafixLSUalum
New member
well im gonna skip reading this thread, looks incredibly long, from my experience no, but scientifically speaking, functional mucle tissue is directly proportional to contraction strength....
Nathan said:
Well first off I didn’t say lightweight, I said lighter weight. There is a big difference. Sets will still be done to failure of near failure. The lifts will be more controlled as well, slower descent. I strongly urge all who start lifting to use a PLing routine to build a good foundation. Most will flourish on this kind of a routine. But for some strength will continue while size seems to stop. In the case of many BBers you see guys who are fairly thick to damn huge but aren’t that strong in accordance with their physique. Why is this is? Because the style of training they do promotes more size and less strength gains. A hypertrophic style of training is more what these guys do. Adding more sets or reps than a typical Pling routine. These routines are aimed more towards muscle building than CNS training. Bear in mind I am no expert on this kind of stuff but rather speak from experience, years in the gym and watching those around me. Some of the thickest guys in my gym are BBers who train this way. They have good strength but don’t match strength lb/lb with the power lifters. Is this to say all who PL will not grow? NO! All most all of them do grow and get big. But for a small % of the guys they either don’t grow or stop growing at a certain point while strength continues to increase. Now this is taking for granted that diet, training and supplementation is in place.
Now for your second question. Higher volume always builds size/strength faster than lower volume till over training kicks in. As far as doing higher volume work to lose BF I don’t see the correlation. To small degree it works but diet and cardio are the main players here, with diet being about 75-90% of it. As long as over training doesn’t take place muscle atrophy will not occur if diet and all else is in place.
Perhaps Frosty or one of the other physiology guys can tune in here to give more of the ins and outs of this strength vs size-training topic. Mine is based mostly on experience and some studying but I as I stated earlier I am no expert.
blackbeard
New member
makes perfect sense to me PB..
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