Gaining Strength vs. Muscle

Gaining strength and gaining muscle seem like the same thing… right?

Wrong.

The two are not mutually exclusive, but they can be.

Meaning, it is possible to do both at the same time, but it must be strategically done.

So what are the differences? And how can you achieve both? I’m dishing it all out below.

Gaining strength = the ability to produce maximal force against a specific (and usually external) resistance. This is a skill of coordination + training your nervous system to activate + recruit muscles to generate more force, creating more strength.

Gaining muscle = increasing muscle tissue by increasing the size of cells (or the number of cells, which is less likely). Increasing muscle cell size is also referred to as hypertrophy. Increasing the number of cells is referred to as hyperplasia, and is far less likely (more easily achieved with the help of steroids).

Fun fact: the size of your muscle can influence strength, BUT your strength does not always predict muscle size. Meaning: just because someone is larger than another person, doesn't mean their stronger. You can be strong and not huge.

So how do we train for each of these?

For strength: you want to lift HEAVY. You’ll have higher loads, lower volume, higher intensity, and higher rest times.

This typically looks like:

• 80-95% of 1RM (typically)

• 3-5 sets (typically) w/ primer/acclimation sets 1-6 reps (sometimes up to 8)

• Less exercises (typically 3-5) and mostly compound lifts

• 2-5 min rest periods

For hypertrophy: you’re lifting more for volume. You’ll have longer time under tension/slower tempo, higher volume, training at about 6-8 RPE/about 2-5 RIR, and moderate rest.

This typically looks like:

• More 3111, 3010, 3110, etc. tempo - SLOW, controlled movements

• 3-4 sets (typically)

• 6-12 reps (sometimes up to 15)

• 67-80% of your 1RM (typically)

• 60-90 sec rest periods

• More exercises (ideally ~6-8) - remember, more is NOT always better. This will typically consist of 1-2 compounds and mostly accessory work.

For nutrition for each of these, ideally you want to be at or above maintenance to support adding muscle tissue and effectively recovering. However, in order to gain strength, you can be in a deficit. The important thing to remember here is that in a deficit, the goal is NOT adding muscle tissue (this can only be effectively done in the early stages of lifting AKA “newbie gains”. The goal in a deficit is to lose fat. If you want to effectively recomp your body, you can’t do so in one phase. This is done through many periods of cutting, bulking, maintaining, etc. to put on muscle tissue and lose fat over time.

When trying to gain muscle, you need to focus on high protein AND eating over maintenance to support growth.

To wrap up, remember that gaining muscle and gaining strength are not mutually exclusive. While you can do both at the same time, it does require proper strategy (training, nutrition, etc).

If you would like to learn more, you can watch this webinar.