Thread: Generally speaking, Size = Strength??

Neuromuscular development, biomechanics, technique, leverage (the fat guy likely has more), previous training, drugs and a whole lot of stuff can affect strength.

You also suggested mentioned differences in size, suggesting that the leaner guy appears bigger. This may not be the case. Just a thought -- the fatter guy may have the same muscle mass as the leaner guy, he just may not appear as muscular do to the layer of fat atop his muscle.

Couldnt agree more with the above two posts.

A lot of powerlifters have a great deal of fat on their bodies, as did a lot of the old time strongmen, but pound for pound these guys are some of the strongest people on the planet. They have massive amounts of muscle, and are neurally efficient at using that muscle in functional situations.

Richard Gears -- your emoticon will forever haunt me. I'll never forget that episode..

"Hey Indiana...you're looking good tonight..."

oh my god! *runs off crying*

If you don't train for strength you won't be strong. You can get bigger while not focusing on pure strength gains.

However, in the world of weightlifting and powerlifting, bigger usually means stronger.

Talking about style / form - I've seen a LOT of stringy tall guys pull a hyuge amount of weight Oly style. I've also seen some tiny women pull a hyuge amount of weigth Oly style.

Originally Posted by CaptainNapalm

A guy beside him who looks like he's in tip top shape, shredded at 230lbs is struggling with half the weights the other guy is doing. (snip)
How can this be? Is this genetic? (snip)
What factors could be involved for such drastic inconsistencies among lifters?

Originally Posted by m11

Neuromuscular development, biomechanics, technique, leverage (the fat guy likely has more), previous training, drugs and a whole lot of stuff can affect strength. (snip)
the layer of fat atop his muscle.

Biomechanics or "a whole lot of stuff" covers the skeletal structure? Because at 6'1 and about 200 I may look the same in gym clothes standing next to someone of the same height and relative size, but if you examine the bone structure it's game over. My shoulder structure is like toothpicks and Elmer's glue compared to steel beams and welding flux. Similar might hold true for the two men in your example.

Fred Hatfield had a book out a million years ago and I thought he mentioned that reducing body fat might increase a muscle's ability to contract.

Originally Posted by fufu

If you don't train for strength you won't be strong. You can get bigger while not focusing on pure strength gains.

However, in the world of weightlifting and powerlifting, bigger usually means stronger.

And if you've ever read anything by Jason Ferruggia, he's repeatedly stated the opposite, that becoming stronger will result in getting bigger to some degree. That if you take any person and increase their strength in a lift that their size will also have increased. That doesn't mean they'll be Mr. Olympia or bigger than the next lifter but clearly larger than they were untrained.

Originally Posted by sassy69

Talking about style / form - I've seen a LOT of stringy tall guys pull a hyuge amount of weight Oly style. I've also seen some tiny women pull a hyuge amount of weigth Oly style.

Is that snap? It's difficult to talk about something without having the vocabulary so, yeah, I'm going to shut up. But what a great question.

Is any of this worth looking at?

acceleration, muscular contraction and associated joint torque - Google Search

The greatest joy in a gym is lifting far more than you look like you could lift. Yes, you will get bigger as you progress. Covering that with fat, clothes or age related characteristics or whatever just makes it more shocking to others.

Bodybuilding is not lifting for numbers it's lifting for "visual" size. Just decide what you want and train for that.

Be comfortable with yourself. If you are lean, big and cut flexing in the mirrors just be comfortable with the fact that some leaner or fatter guy may show you up in speed and/or strength.

You can stimulate more so the central nervous sytem for strength gains as opposed to the muscles... Just to add to what everyone is saying. The CNS 'fires' to make shit happen. As in lifting weight for one. You can train it to 'fire' better. Usually when you feel burnt out the problem lies with your CNS.

It's not too uncommon to hear of people lifting more weight than usual for whatever reason (by a shockingly amount), and then next week lifting less than usual because they fried their CNS. It has a lot to do with lifting weights.

Another example is going from training in the afternoon to the morning. When you first make the switch you will likely be a bit weaker. I read after a week or 2 your strength will come back to normal because your CNS has adapted to being pushed early in the morning.

Power/olympic lifters try to stimulate their CNS as much as possible to get stronger with minimal size gains.

Everyone basically has covered what needs to be said. I will, however, say that assuming all else is equal (Neuromuscular efficiency, muscle origins/insertions, limb lengths, substrate storage/utilization, etc.) a muscle with a larger cross sectional area of contractile proteins will be stronger.

Originally Posted by Richard Gears

A lot of bodybuilders do so much isolation crap that they totally lose functional strength and power. I really feel that while training for hypertrophy, you should incorporate Olympic weight lifting movements and weighted movements (dips/chins/pulls) to really unleash your strength potential.

Visuals can be misleading btw. Plenty of lean guys look huge but really arent. tapered waists with large deltoids give that illusion.

I agree. Basic Olympic lifts should be incorporated into your training. Wasn't it Ronnie Coleman who said, "Everyone wants to be a bodybuilder, but nobody wants to lift heavy ass weights"?

Its usually recommended that you train for strength first and size will folllow, I have seen that scenario many a time.