Do you need to bulk if going for strength? (Possibly a dumb question)

[HP_816]

strength and size does come hand in hand. end of story

find me a guy who can do dips with 250lbs+ who has a small chest....find me a guy who can curl 135+ who has small arms....or find me a guy who can olympic squat 400+ who has small legs..
people who say low reps adds strength high reps adds mass dont know wtf they're babbling about. strength usually=size but size doesnt always=strength.

bigger lifts like deadlift, power lifter squat, and bench press are easier to manipulate cns wise because they involve so many large muscles.

 

[coolcolj]

Umm there are tons of olylifters who fullsquat over 500lbs with stick legs..ie Ivan Charkarov

Neural adpation, as long as you keep the calories at mainatenaince, you can gain a lot of strength without much size gain

Yes its true that to be the strongest you can be you need to add muscle mass, but many olylifters fullsquat in the triple bodyweight area with stick legs. Genetics does come into though. Some people just don't gain much size, while other gain a lot doing the exact same workouts

 

[HP_816]

Umm there are tons of olylifters who fullsquat over 500lbs with stick legs..ie Ivan Charkarov

Neural adpation, as long as you keep the calories at mainatenaince, you can gain a lot of strength without much size gain

Yes its true that to be the strongest you can be you need to add muscle mass, but many olylifters fullsquat in the triple bodyweight area with stick legs. Genetics does come into though. Some people just don't gain much size, while other gain a lot doing the exact same workouts

ok squats are kind of an exeption because of cns adaptation, and there such a large compound movement. but i still hold by the statement about isolation movements. cns will only take you so far in this regard.

 

[SquatPukeSquat]

I am more interested in gaining strength than size (although i do wanna get bigger). I follow a low rep (4-8) approach, with only 2 sets per exercise (3 exercises per bodypart generally). of course, since this is a la dorian yates, you've gotta take it to absolute failure. i find my strength goes up regularly by focusing on my lifts the previous week, and trying to beat them by one rep or more the next. by forcing yourself to beat your previous week's workout, you will ensure that you won't be pussy footing around the gym, and thus allow yourself to make regular strength gains. hope this helps. later.

p.s. i focus on compound lifts.

 

[Cuthbert]

I agreee you can get strong as Hell without gaining weight. There is a limit though based on body. 2x body weight 3x body weight.

explain?

 

[Lee]

strength and size does come hand in hand. end of story

find me a guy who can do dips with 250lbs+ who has a small chest....find me a guy who can curl 135+ who has small arms....or find me a guy who can olympic squat 400+ who has small legs..
people who say low reps adds strength high reps adds mass dont know wtf they're babbling about. strength usually=size but size doesnt always=strength.

bigger lifts like deadlift, power lifter squat, and bench press are easier to manipulate cns wise because they involve so many large muscles.

there is a limit to getting strong without gaining weight. doing 250 pound dips and 135 pound curls will take adding some weight regardless. although it is different for everyone, since no 2 bodies are the same.

 

[Sebass67]

ok squats are kind of an exeption because of cns adaptation, and there such a large compound movement. but i still hold by the statement about isolation movements. cns will only take you so far in this regard.

Yeah but you can't just write off compound movements b/c they transfer over to isolated movements...

IE: a 600 pd bench presser will be much stronger then a 400 pd presser in all isolation exercises....

 

[Judo Tom]

you can definatelly add strength without adding much if any weight..

i can cut fat and increase strength.. i just add a larger percentage of my total cals around my workout ie pre workout and 2 pw meals..

 

[HP_816]

there is a limit to getting strong without gaining weight. doing 250 pound dips and 135 pound curls will take adding some weight regardless. although it is different for everyone, since no 2 bodies are the same.

this is exactly my point man...the body adapts by building muscle..this is why i argue that strength=size for most movements. a guy with a 600 pound bench is gonna have a large chest regardless.

 

[Sebass67]

It makes sense to me to bulk if you're trying to add more muscle and are going for added LBM.

But if your focus is on strength, couldn't you afford to be quite lean since you are trying to add muscle strength rather than mass?

Aha..but the question is if u need to bulk to get strength..and the answer is no...

Even though size will come..in conventional workouts...