Keeping it simple........training for strength is like optimising your body and teaching it how to fire the muscles harder and recruit more of the muscle.
to do this you generally work with lower reps.
I find 5 sets of 5 reps works really well for me (in compound exercises). Im planing a cycle a the moment which will end up me using my one rep maximum. (something i havent really done before btw time cycle.....not as in steroid cycle)
I have also tried 10 sets of 2 reps.....found it harder to concentrate......the set was over before it started
Yes, strength training tends to work more on a neural level. You work for a few hard, but efficient contactions. While training for mass, your main goal is hypertrophy or growth of the muscle fibers. Each training modality, can aid each other, but they are not synonimous.
Thanks guys, I was wondering what all those one rep maxs where about in football - I think I am gonna strength train joint muscles (triceps, forearms, shoulders) in strength training for a few weeks, that way I (hopefully) don't have to go lighter because my joints/grip can't keep up (which I found out was happening when doing deadlifts today, almost put my damn back out because I lost my grip)