Why does size not always mean strength?

[Legion Kreinak2]

Alright, I'm really starting to wonder about this now. I only know general stuff about this... so can someone tell me why size doesn't necessarily mean strength? My friend James is alot bigger than me, both cold and flexed, and I'm still MUCH stronger... it's so fucked up.

 

[jeremys]

experience, bf%, CNS, limb length, joints...thats just a couple that i can think of

 

[tsarleon]

no one is the same man. for example here are i have two specific friends... one about 5 inchs smaller, lighter in weright that can out lift me like crazy at this point in time. i have another friend that weighs about 280. i can out lift him with no problems. the smaller guy weighing at 150 can out lift him too. but the 280 guy can pick me up and throw me around like i weigh nothing. it is weird i suppose.

 

[Legion Kreinak2]

The body is truly an amazing, deceptive, enigmatic organism, no?

 

[gymtime]

Genetics. Simple as that.

 

[Lord_Suston]

Genetics. Simple as that.

Don't forget training people who train to powerlift can outlift most BB's their size due to training...

 

[coolcolj]

Neural, structure, leverage, muscle fiber composition, fiber count and size

 

[louden_swain]

All of you guys bring up good points. I knew a guy who weighed 142lbs and had 21 inch legs, but he could squat 455lbs. . . .he was a powerlifter. Talk about CNS adaptation, the human body is strange and complex.

 

[katana]

Genetics or motivation?

I don't know about any one else, but I am A bit of both. I posted a thread on my pre training size and strength, (and you will definatley laugh at my first lifts), and while not the strongest man in the world, I can still move alot of iron after fifteen years.

But my overall strength was greater at 225 as a powerlifter (natural), than now as a bodybuilder ( juiced). All I can tell you was that the aproaches were different, in powerlifting you focused solely on the lift, and in bodybuilding you focus much more deeply on the muscles. In Powerlifting comp's I would just go animalistic for a lift as long as it was good, and didn't want to feel the muscles, just lift. But as soon as I switched to bodybuilding teqniques, I halfed my powerlifting weights and started getting bigger alot faster.

Maybe strength is all relative to intensity.
As long as I keep getting stronger in at least one bodypart at all times then at least I am making progress.

Katana

 

[endpoint]

when you train for size you are only basically making the muscle fibers thicker.

when you train for strength, you are teaching the muscle fibers to contract in unison and get more of the other fibers in the muscle to join in and "help".

you have other things in your muscles that will stop the muscle contracting if there is too much tension. This is in place so you dont injure tendons/muscles etc.

when you train for strength these warning signals learn that the body/muscles are capable of a tiny bit more tension....so they ease up a bit and set a higher mark for dangerous tensions

sorry if this is too basic