The science of Hypertrophy Part1 (Prob the most Important Read about Training Ever)

"Prob the most Important Read about Training Ever"

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Bobo said:
The more you call this "groundbreaking" the more people see this for what it is.
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Well if it ends up sucking and being just a summary of some molecular level stuff with no practical application, he'll get dropped hard enough to break the ground...
 
CDB said:
Well if it ends up sucking and being just a summary of some molecular level stuff with no practical application, he'll get dropped hard enough to break the ground...
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Well 2005 was full of new research in molecular biology but it wasn't in this area.....in terms of "groundbreaking"



Plus, any training program that covers the basic won't suck.
 
Size ≠ Strength BUT Δ Size ≡ Δ Strength

Bobo said:
But the question remains: If strength is highly correlated with muscle size, what about those bodybuilders who are big yet not strong?
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Bobo, my understanding (bourne out by readings, practical observation & experience) is that strength and size are unrelated, but that change in size and change in strength are related.

The large bodybuilder may be mechanically disadvantaged relative to a smaller person with favorable insertion points and other factors.

We've all seen the wiry guys in the gym who load up an ISO Wide Chest machine with 4x45# per side and pound out 12 rep sets, while a bigger guy gets on with two 45's per side and reaches failure in 8-10 reps.

The advantage lies with the weaker man, whose power to size ratio is lower, because with an increase in strength through training of 15-20%, (to say, 110#/side) he'll show good changes in size, while the wiry guy might have to increase another full plate per side to show decent growth, although this will more greatly tax his skeletal system - joints & tendons will take a beating.
 
"Increased muscular size may be caused from either hypertrophy of type I or type II muscle fibers. However, strength and power gains are from the selective hypertrophy of the stronger type II muscle fibers. Training protocols that utilize heavy weight and very low reps with at least 3 minute rests between sets have been shown to increase the size of type II muscle fibers best."

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The last sentence may be true to an extent (possibly not the best,) but the fact of the matter is that by increasing the size/area of the type II muscle fiber, a direct relationship of that area gain with strength is obvious.

There are too many factors to take into effect when comparing these two kinds of people. Mechanics, genetics, ect. But on the same token, I have seen those wiry guys out bench an enormous person and later, that person lives up to his full potential by out lifting the smallfry. So, I'm on the fence... too much contradicting literature out there and not enough journals that show reliable stats. Maybe Bobo can clarify the actual answer, but my common sense is leaning towards the existance of the relationship between muscular size and strength.

HL
 
HairyLarry - you just made my point - "increasing the size/area of the type II muscle fiber, a direct relationship of that area gain with strength is obvious...." - A CHANGE in size relates to a CHANGE in strength.

Joey
 
This whole thread is amazing reading. Thanks, Bobo, et al. for the hard work. I'd like to put in a few comments which may be obvious to many here, but are frequently overlooked by novices:
1) If you load up to the point that the exercise cannot be performed correctly, you actually LOSE control of the loading on the intended muscle(s).
2) Damage can be overdone - as was addressed in the section on overtraining, if you bury yourself in microtrauma, you have to repair it before experiencing net gains.
3) In addition to the negative aspects of #1, injury, especially soft tissue injuries in older trainers, can more than offset the gains from improper lifting technique.

In short, lift SMART, not just heavy.

Thanks again for a great thread.
 
It is a good read, but I'm waiting for Part II of Game's article. I want to see the specifics of this program he's promoting.

PSBigJoey said:
This whole thread is amazing reading. Thanks, Bobo, et al. for the hard work. I'd like to put in a few comments which may be obvious to many here, but are frequently overlooked by novices:
1) If you load up to the point that the exercise cannot be performed correctly, you actually LOSE control of the loading on the intended muscle(s).
2) Damage can be overdone - as was addressed in the section on overtraining, if you bury yourself in microtrauma, you have to repair it before experiencing net gains.
3) In addition to the negative aspects of #1, injury, especially soft tissue injuries in older trainers, can more than offset the gains from improper lifting technique.

In short, lift SMART, not just heavy.

Thanks again for a great thread.
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