I don't want to gain much more in terms of size, really.
I just want to work on keeping my size, yet increasing my strength.
advice?
I just want to work on keeping my size, yet increasing my strength.
advice?
How do i gain pound-for-pound strength?
- Thread starter StevenYoo
- Start date
You aren't likely to get stronger without getting at least a little bigger. If you want to work on power, do high weight, low reps. If you want to work on endurance, you can do lower weight at higher reps. But either way it'll be hard to stay at your same size.
Bruce Lee was arguably the strongest man pound for pound to ever live.
Find out how he trained, and ate
Find out how he trained, and ate
destrekor
Lifer
- Nov 18, 2005
- 28,799
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true. wasn't really thinking in my post, mostly just wanted to mention adrenaline.
I don't know exactly what lifting regiments you do to gain strength but not muscle size, but yea its definitely not typical sets of 6-10. could be endurance training, with lower weights but more reps in a set? just throwing out ideas here, see if ATOT can get thinking...
destrekor
Lifer
- Nov 18, 2005
- 28,799
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I was always told if you want to get bigger, do what you stated.
so when I go to the gym and want to build, what do I do?
reason I also use that idea, is because some people I watched who are obviously trying to build (were already freaking huge), were doing HEAVY HEAVY lifting, so much weight they could only get maybe 2-3 reps in before stepping out and letting the other guy go. They did this quite a few times before doing other exercises.
- Oct 28, 1999
- 62,484
- 8,345
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Your body doesn't work that way...typically. There are always genetic freaks.
Strength comes from a combination of diet and lifting. If you don't eat enough, you can't build mass. If you don't build mass, you don't typically build strength. This is what is required to go from say...bench pressing 100 pound to benching 200 pounds. You don't do that without increasing your chest and to a lesser extent, your arm size.
Strength can get easily confused with endurance. Many people can do one pullup. Not very many can do 10. Strength obviously plays some impact in the ability to do them, but largely the ability to to multiple pullups in a row is more a function of endurance. You aren't adding any additional weight with each one you do. All you are doing is training your muscles to last longer.
Same concept as running. You don't need to lift heavy weights to go from running 1 mile to 5 miles. You simply have to train your body to be able to do that. No additionall mass required.
Strength comes from a combination of diet and lifting. If you don't eat enough, you can't build mass. If you don't build mass, you don't typically build strength. This is what is required to go from say...bench pressing 100 pound to benching 200 pounds. You don't do that without increasing your chest and to a lesser extent, your arm size.
Strength can get easily confused with endurance. Many people can do one pullup. Not very many can do 10. Strength obviously plays some impact in the ability to do them, but largely the ability to to multiple pullups in a row is more a function of endurance. You aren't adding any additional weight with each one you do. All you are doing is training your muscles to last longer.
Same concept as running. You don't need to lift heavy weights to go from running 1 mile to 5 miles. You simply have to train your body to be able to do that. No additionall mass required.
Phokus
Lifer
- Nov 20, 1999
- 22,994
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The biggest/ripped guy in my gym did 'sissy weights' (he competed in 'natural' bodybuilding competitions too, no steroids). When he did bicep curls, he used like 15 pound weights and his motion was slow as molasses. I swear, he took like 15 seconds to complete a bicep curl. If you think about it, it makes sense, you tear up all your muscle fibers with smaller weights/slower motions. If you go real heavy, you wear down your main muscle fibers, but the muscle fibers that you didn't recruit will be too weak to complete any more reps and you don't tear them enough.
I think powerlifters learn to lift utilizing as many muscle groups as possible during lifts to get strong whereas bodybuilders try to isolate their muscle groups and tear it up.
Why the F**k people think it's so easy to gain muscle size? Specially if you are naturally skinny. Bodybuilders take decades and thousands $ in special nutrients to build their muscles. It's unlikely you'll be much bigger after 5 years of casual weightlifting (and I'm not talking about fat weight, because that also depends on your diet). But you'll improve your strength for sure. For huge-muscled people here, think about it, how long have you been weightlifting? I'm guessing more than 5 years.
QFT, I always laugh when people say "I don't want to get too big". Haha n00b, you think muscle grows by accident? People who actually WANT to get big have to work their asses off for every pound. Some have to work harder than others due to genetics, but you get the point.
arrfep
Platinum Member
- Sep 7, 2006
- 2,314
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It sounds like you are looking for real world strength? Pick up some kettlebells and a book on dinosaur training. It's basically a philosophy of lifting that emphasizes developing strength that applies to everyday life, strength like cavemen used to have. Heavy boulder lifting, tractor-tire flipping, car pushing, etc.
People always say "what's your bench?" like that's the be all, end all benchmark for a man's strength. In reality, it's probably one of the worst. The bench press has little to no practical application in the real world, except for maybe offensive linemen.
You'd be much better off doing: Dead lifts, Military Presses, Bent Over Rows. In fact, throw some dips into your workout and you'll never have to do any other lifts.
People always say "what's your bench?" like that's the be all, end all benchmark for a man's strength. In reality, it's probably one of the worst. The bench press has little to no practical application in the real world, except for maybe offensive linemen.
You'd be much better off doing: Dead lifts, Military Presses, Bent Over Rows. In fact, throw some dips into your workout and you'll never have to do any other lifts.
THanks for the advice. I don't have time to go to the gym, so I mostly do calisthenics at home: pushups (with and without bars, hindu pushups, pylometric pushups), leg lifts, sit ups, prisoner squats, and I'm working on pull-ups/chin-ups now.
Yeah, I've started a new diet regimen. It's nothing strict, just less crap food, more of the better food, and less food in general.
On a slightly related note but mostly in relation to all of the "how do I get big" threads on here:
People credit nutrition, supplements and training way too much and not nearly enough for genetics. Sure, eating right, taking supplements and working out all the time is going to increase your strength and size. But you cannot change your DNA. You can go to the gym 5 days a week and work your ass off for 2 hours each time. But there's always going to be a guy who goes 3 times a week and does a moderate workout for 45 minutes who's still going to end up stronger and more ripped than you. It sucks but that's life.
People credit nutrition, supplements and training way too much and not nearly enough for genetics. Sure, eating right, taking supplements and working out all the time is going to increase your strength and size. But you cannot change your DNA. You can go to the gym 5 days a week and work your ass off for 2 hours each time. But there's always going to be a guy who goes 3 times a week and does a moderate workout for 45 minutes who's still going to end up stronger and more ripped than you. It sucks but that's life.
From en.wikipedia.org
"Humans are genetically predisposed with a larger percentage of one type of muscle group over another. An individual born with a greater percentage of Type I muscle fibers would theoretically be more suited to endurance events, such as triathlons, distance running, and long cycling events, whereas a human born with a greater percentage of Type II muscle fibers would be more likely to excel at anaerobic events such as a 200 meter dash, or weight lifting. People with high overall musculation and balanced muscle type percentage engage in sports such as rugby or boxing and often engage in other sports to increase their performance in the former.[citations needed]Delayed onset muscle soreness is the pain or discomfort often felt 24 to 76 hours after exercising and subsides generally within 2 to 3 days. Once thought to be caused by lactic acid buildup, a more recent theory is that it is caused by tiny tears in the muscle fibres caused by eccentric contraction, or unaccustomed training levels. Since lactic acid disperses fairly rapidly, it could not explain pain experienced days after exercise.[5]"
Type 1 muscles are slow twitch muscles that create the "athletic look" while Type 2 muscles are the body builder look. That is a very generic view though, most people have some composition of both. And like most say, you won't really get gigantic on accident, a lot of that freakish sh!t is well... freakish.
"Humans are genetically predisposed with a larger percentage of one type of muscle group over another. An individual born with a greater percentage of Type I muscle fibers would theoretically be more suited to endurance events, such as triathlons, distance running, and long cycling events, whereas a human born with a greater percentage of Type II muscle fibers would be more likely to excel at anaerobic events such as a 200 meter dash, or weight lifting. People with high overall musculation and balanced muscle type percentage engage in sports such as rugby or boxing and often engage in other sports to increase their performance in the former.[citations needed]Delayed onset muscle soreness is the pain or discomfort often felt 24 to 76 hours after exercising and subsides generally within 2 to 3 days. Once thought to be caused by lactic acid buildup, a more recent theory is that it is caused by tiny tears in the muscle fibres caused by eccentric contraction, or unaccustomed training levels. Since lactic acid disperses fairly rapidly, it could not explain pain experienced days after exercise.[5]"
Type 1 muscles are slow twitch muscles that create the "athletic look" while Type 2 muscles are the body builder look. That is a very generic view though, most people have some composition of both. And like most say, you won't really get gigantic on accident, a lot of that freakish sh!t is well... freakish.
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