Strength training might be new to some inexperienced lifters who haven’t heard about powerlifters or strong men,strength training, if you haven’t guessed by the name yet, is a style of training that focuses on strength gain.
But the question states, is it a better way of building muscle compared to hypertrophy training or even training till failure? Today I will answer that commonly asked question.
Does strong training increase muscle size?
Indeed, strength training does increase a fair amount of muscle size, and it is even a viable way of training for some individuals who want to increase their muscle size. The science behind this is that if your muscles are strong enough to lift an “x” amount of weight, that means that they have the appropriate size for that job.
At the end of the day, the job of muscles is to lift weights.
For example, if you have really big pectoral muscles from doing dumbbell flys, I can guarantee that you can bench press a lot of weight. So in conclusion, muscle size and strength gain go in a linear fashion, meaning the stronger you are, the bigger the muscles.
Is strength training an effective way of promoting muscle growth?
No, in reality, compared to hypertrophy training, strength training is not an effective way of developing a substantial amount of muscle. Not because of the type of training but because of the fatigue that it generates.
Compared to hypertrophy training, strength training is a lot more taxing on the muscles and the CNS (central nervous system).
So if you plan to go through a strength training program, keep in mind that you won’t be going to the gym every day, or you will burn out and have to do a workout every 2 to 3 weeks. But if you want to keep it simple and effective, go to the gym four or five times a week and do a deload every 4 to 6 weeks, depending on how hard you lift.
what are the Benefits of Having a Strong Training Program?
First of all, the benefits depend on your goals. If it’s to build muscle, I promise you will build muscle, but not as effectively. But if you accept that fact and want to build muscle while gaining strength, then strength training is perfect for you.
You can’t go wrong with strength training because the workouts have less volume compared to hypertrophy training, and you can have a good and long rest of 2–5 minutes after each set.
With strength training, you don’t need to do many reps; usually, the rep range is between 1-6 reps per set, and the sets are based around compound exercises, not much machine work is found in strength training.
What is the negative side of strength training?
The negative side of strength training is too much fatigue. For some individuals, this amount of fatigue is not very optimal, and they can’t do their day-to-day jobs.
Also, strength training requires a lot of focus because one wrong move and you can end up injured, so the form must always be on point. Also, the lack of muscle buildup is not sufficient for people who want to get bigger, not stronger.
Strength training requires a deload week so your body can heal properly from the intense sessions.
Is strength training for you?
By all means, you should give strength training a try and see if it’s a viable and rational way of achieving your fitness goals. The biggest benefit you can get from strength training is the fact that you will get bigger as you get stronger, and I bet you yourself will find that quite compelling.