size vs strength

[jmhester1956]

I've been pondering this question for a long time and thought maybe some of you vets would weigh in:
Is muscular size and strength related? Obviously, there are exceptions to all rules, but as a general rule do you think size is propotionate to strength?

[EBA84]

Thought this was interesting:

http://www.muscle-building.com/muscl..._strength.html

[PRCalDude]

I've been pondering this question for a long time and thought maybe some of you vets would weigh in:
Is muscular size and strength related? Obviously, there are exceptions to all rules, but as a general rule do you think size is propotionate to strength?

There are several different types of muscular adaptations made depending on the rep range, rest between sets, and power production of the exercise (bar speed or olympic lift). Bodybuilders shoot more for sarcoplasmic hypertrophy which involves training at higher rep ranges.

"Practical Programming for Strength Training" has a great explanation of all of this, but here's another one:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_hypertrophy

Basically, powerlifters and weight lifters train in lower rep ranges that result in myofibrillar hypertrophy, but obviously higher rep work can be done also if you're not happy with your size.

In either case, the goal is the same: to add more weight to the bar.

[Sammich]

Yes.

[Macho Man]

Never in my life have I been more sure of something. I am EXTREMELY weak, and have spun my wheels for a long time on high volume programs. After starting 5/3/1 and progressing consistently on just a few waves, I have noticed visible changes to my body and have broken some weight plateaus that were in front of me for a very long time. I don't think any person, unless a genetic freak that would be stupid to discuss, can ever be really big without being really strong.

Another thing to think about is that while dieting, at least with Skip, the number one way to gauge whether or not you are burning muscle is by where your strength is at. You can't lose muscle without losing strength and vice versa.

[Sammich]

Yes.

:sammich:

[JoeFromIA]

The simple lay answer is yes JM.

[lhart6272]

hey we have done this thread so many time its about perfected

[vkk]

I think Dante wrote about this and how it ties in to the "ready for DC" concept.

[MachMood]

I once heard someone "Can you get big without being strong, absolutely and vise but you will never be as strong as you can be without being as big as you can be and youll never be as big as you can be without being as strong as you can be. I want to train optimally and get the absolute best results as possible". This seems to sum it up nicely, although some will argue about not having to get stronger to get bigger those people seem to already be extremely strong and very advanced liifters

[jmhester1956]

Thought this was interesting:

http://www.muscle-building.com/muscl..._strength.html

This was an interesting article. The owner of my gym was a diciple of Arthur Jones and said some of the same things. His explanation is that yes, a bigger muscle is indeed a stonger muscle (his qoute was that if you double your strength on a move, you muscle would be at least twice as big).

[c-dawg]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOWcrqOSevs

It depends, you can get stronger without gaining more muscle. Look at the clip I posted of Dimas, he is incredibly strong but not a very big man. Strength has a lot to do with your CNS telling your muscle to contract. Most of the time a man who weighs 250 pounds will be stronger than someone who weighs 185 but not always.

[Macho Man]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOWcrqOSevs

It depends, you can get stronger without gaining more muscle. Look at the clip I posted of Dimas, he is incredibly strong but not a very big man. Strength has a lot to do with your CNS telling your muscle to contract. Most of the time a man who weighs 250 pounds will be stronger than someone who weighs 185 but not always.

You can't make comparisons across different people. The only way to look at is is "Will a person who can lift 100lbs gain muscle mass if they work their way up to lifting 200lbs?"

The answer is not really debatable is it?

Even naturally freakishly strong people get bigger when they get stronger, unless they are specifically doing things not too (though I'm not sure how much can even be controlled)

[c-dawg]

I
Is muscular size and strength related?

Thats was his original question right? I am saying not always. So, no, people don't ALWAYS get bigger when they get stronger. Maybe, I am just thinking about more advanced athletes who already have a considerable amount of muscle.

[mentalflex]

I am by no means an expert, but I do speak from personal experience. I believe that each person reaches a point at a specific bodyweight where they have reached optimal efficiency in their training. Meaning that they will not progress in muscle size without adding strength and conversely will not progress in strength without adding mass. Each person has their own physical limits but overall, I believe they are highly correlated, maybe not a perfect correlation and their are likely to be outliers, but nonetheless highly correlated.