The Elements of Increasing Muscular Strength by Jerry Brainum 12/23

 

The primary goal of those who begin bodybuilding is to develop increased muscle mass and strength. Most resistance training members believe building larger muscles requires increasing muscular strength. On the surface, this seems to make sense. If you lift heavier weights, your muscles should grow to accommodate the increased weight. However, the notion that increased muscular strength always translates into increased muscle size has been questioned in recent years. Some researchers even claim that gains in muscle size and strength are mutually exclusive: you can have one without the other. And there is some evidence to back up such claims. For example, many of the best Olympic weightlifters are without question strong but often don't show the level of muscle mass you would expect to see, considering their strength levels. Another example is many elite bodybuilders. Many of them show extraordinary degrees of muscular size but don't always show the expected level of muscular strength. Some people suggest that the massive physiques that currently rule professional bodybuilding are primarily the result of a combination of various anabolic drugs and favorable genetics for acquiring larger muscles. Of course, training and nutrition certainly also come into play to explain the appearance of these high-level bodybuilding competitors. 

Then, there is recent research showing that you can build larger muscles even by lifting relatively light weights. The key to that training style is that higher repetitions are mandated, as is training each set to total muscular failure. The studies show that training in that manner can equal lifting weights that are 90% of the one-rep maximum, which is quite heavy. But despite the potential muscle size gains that can accrue from lifting light weights to failure, the studies also show that any strength gains are minimal from such training styles. This proves that larger muscles can be developed without necessarily increasing muscular strength. 

The traditional method of resistance training is based on using some overload that places stress on an exercised muscle, which prods it into growth. That overload most often involves lifting heavier weights but can be accomplished in other ways. Other ways to increase overload could be increasing training volume or how many exercises, sets, and reps you do in a workout. Another way would be to manipulate rest times between sets. But as long as some overload that places additional stress on working muscles is included, muscle gains will result. In most cases, progressive resistance training, which involves always attempting to increase overload on working muscles either through adding additional weight or increasing the number of completed reps, usually increases muscle mass and strength. But again, it's possible to increase muscle mass without increasing muscular strength.

With age, muscle mass and strength loss increase, especially in those who never engage in any resistance training. Indeed, the loss of muscle with age, known as Sarcopenia, is inevitable in those who are habitually sedentary and commences . . .