Strength without Size or Size without Strength ? ?

[cuts82]

Not necessarily. If you're gauging being "stronger" on the amount of weight lifted.

Strength encompasses many things. e.g. curling 100 pounds at a 5 second pace takes more strength than curling 90 pounds at a 2 second pace.

Strength is also more than muscle contraction.

This is a whole debate in itself.

Bottom line, some people have the mechanics to be strong. It has little to do with bodybuilding. If you work out, you'll get stronger, but exactly "HOW STRONG" has nothing to do with ultimate musculature.

Exactly, its not like there is a specific weight you can lift for a body part that will ensure its big eg- squating 800 or benching 405 . i know numerous people that can squat more then me but i still got bigger legs then them and they cant understand it. honestly i dropped the ego about a year into training and realised that if i didnt focus on using perfect form and feelin my muscles work then i would get nowhere or wined up injured. best thing i ever did!

 

[Domimar]

all i know is, when im at the beach, chicks dont ask how much i bench, they just want to know how big my arms are. I rather be bigger then stronger, but the way i am is just as strong as i am big. Im definetly even.

 

[Heath82]

all i know is, when im at the beach, chicks dont ask how much i bench, they just want to know how big my arms are. I rather be bigger then stronger, but the way i am is just as strong as i am big. Im definetly even.

same here. bench press dont walk down my street!

 

[xavier_247]

I'm the opposite, I've been decently balanced my entire life and my strength matches my size on most part. I would like to be the complete opposite where on one has any idea what I'm packing. That inner strength and silent power is everything because after a lifetime of being big, the grass is always greener on the other side for many people. I would love to be quality lean but have ridiculous strength behind me. Laughing in my head when I work out because no matter how big another is I know that I am not exactly tiny but I possess massive power that these dudes can't fathom having regardless of the amount of juice they're on.

 

[bblazer]

I'm built like an offensive lineman. There is no way I could ever compete in BBing. But I have always had what my dad calls "farm boy strength." Even before I took up going to the gym.

There are some really big and hard guys at my gym. Classic BBing physiques. If you looked at them you would think that they could twist me up and throw me away. But I am constantly amazes at how little iron they actually can move.

It is a subject I have always wanted to really learn about, but just haven't dug into it. My initial guess would be differences in how the actual muscle fibers are "put together" that vary from person to person.

B-

 

[sensational]

Not necessarily. If you're gauging being "stronger" on the amount of weight lifted.

Strength encompasses many things. e.g. curling 100 pounds at a 5 second pace takes more strength than curling 90 pounds at a 2 second pace.

Strength is also more than muscle contraction.

This is a whole debate in itself.

Bottom line, some people have the mechanics to be strong. It has little to do with bodybuilding. If you work out, you'll get stronger, but exactly "HOW STRONG" has nothing to do with ultimate musculature.

Incorrect. It has been proven, many many many times, that all other factors being equal, the muscle with the larger diameter will always have a more forceful maximal muscle contraction.

Factors affecting strength:
1. Neural pathways, some are more developed
2. Muscle diameter
3. Having an optimal stretch at the beginning of the lift so the crossbrigdes of the muscle fiber (Actin and myosin) are maximally aligned.

There you have it. So, you think, bodybuilders should always be the strongest then? Not necessarily. Training with heavy weights develops more complex neural pathways that allow for a more systematic and more complete muscular contraction. While a bodybuilder might "Feel" like he is giving 100% when in reality his body is not trained to be able to fire at 100% at any given time, so only 80% is produced..

Thus we are left with a lot of myths.

 

[RADAR]

Not necessarily. If you're gauging being "stronger" on the amount of weight lifted.

Strength encompasses many things. e.g. curling 100 pounds at a 5 second pace takes more strength than curling 90 pounds at a 2 second pace.

Strength is also more than muscle contraction.

This is a whole debate in itself.

Bottom line, some people have the mechanics to be strong. It has little to do with bodybuilding. If you work out, you'll get stronger, but exactly "HOW STRONG" has nothing to do with ultimate musculature.

I Agree! Last yr I had my roof replaced due to a tornado, there was this tiny guy picking up 3 squares of roofing shingles throwing them on his shoulder going up the ladder, I was like WTF???? The squirt looked to weigh barely 135 lbs.
do something long enough and you will get good at it!

RADAR

 

[Varga]

When I first started lifting I can remember how when I benched 225 for few reps I felt like it weigh a TON....lol
Now it's light as hell and it feels more like what 135 used to feel. I think this is just plain old adaptation....you keep at it with a certain weight or exercise sooner or later your body will adjust but not necessarely get bigger...in all cases.
And I've def seen my friend bench 225 and have more developed chest than me, and I warm up with that weight....go fuck in figure....

 

[needtogetaas]

Have you ever seen these little dudes at the gym who are skinny as hell and lifting pretty serious weight around with good form?

Are they on tren? what the hell? I mean Im not talking about a guy with a decent muscle base on his frame I am talking about the dude with 14 inch arms, no chest, no shoulders, ribs showing thru his shirt and benching 250 lbs with good form.

I know most people would agree that in order to get bigger you have to get stronger ......but sometimes people just keep getting stronger without their muscles growing? how is this possible?

There are a handful of dudes I see at my gym and it's like they are getting stronger and stronger but they arent getting bigger. And they dont train with each other so they cant all be on tren. In fact I would say that none of them are even juicing because they dont have any muscle on them! Is that just genetics?

  Muscle Size Proportional to Strength?

 

[ryno9000]

all i know is, when im at the beach, chicks dont ask how much i bench, they just want to know how big my arms are. I rather be bigger then stronger, but the way i am is just as strong as i am big. Im definetly even.

I'm not calling you names and not trying to insult, but I laughed when I read this cuz it is kind of a douchy quote. It's sig material for sure Welcome to EF by the way!

This is a good thread! I'm just happy that right now I am at my all time biggest for myself, and people who have known be give me warm congrats on my progress. My strength is up there, but I know I am not even close to the biggest or strongest at my gym.