The Advantages of Strength & Power Training

[Jeremy21]

Many of the advantages of training like a powerlifter (training primarily in 85-100% of your 1 rep max) are the facts that your size and strength won't deflate as easily if for some reason you need to take an extended hiatus from the gym. The reason for this is that power & strength training primarily build contractile muscle tissue, any hypertrophy of the muscles that one gets from this training is functional, whereas in alot of bodybuilding style higher rep schemes the muscle hypertrophy is different in that it is primarily non contractile tissue (sarcoplasm) being developed. Working close to your 1 rep maximum won't yield the muscle size gains associated with bodybuilding style training but it will be far more efficient for strength gains. The body resists hypertrophy any chance it gets, muscular hypertrophy is not a good trait as far as evolutionary process is concerned. I am not sure why myself but I'll have to find it out.

Weight & muscle mass gains are primarily a factor of diet, protein & caloric intake. If one wants to put on mass then one could easily increase their daily protein & caloric intake and that would take care of the problem very efficiently. Heavy strength training also develops the muscle in a far "denser" degree. This is why you can easily spot the differences between bodybuilders who have done years of strength & power training as a base, and those who have done primarily isolation exercises their whole careers.

Jeremy