Popcorn Muscles vs Real Strength

[shaneawi]

I was wondering how guys go to the gym and work out and get really big and ripped but then they end up not being that strong. How do they have these big muscles but stay relatively weaker than someone who has been doing SS?

[Sean Herbison]

Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy.

In simple terms, they increase the fluid in the muscle, but not the actual strength (myofibrillar hypertrophy). They aren't completely independent, but you can train primarily for one or the other.

[D.W.]

And there is another thing: incredible unthinkable enormous amounts of drugs.

In my gym is a dude who is something like 6'3 and looks like a mutant, hard to guess what he weighs because taller people weigh a lot more, but he is really big and pretty lean, vascularity and everything.
He benches 80kg for a few reps on the decline bench. I doubt he could bench his bodyweight.

[madmaxaus]

I was wondering how guys go to the gym and work out and get really big and ripped but then they end up not being that strong. How do they have these big muscles but stay relatively weaker than someone who has been doing SS?

Size and strength are related, but they are not the same thing.

Strength is defined as the ability to exert a maximal force.

The ripped guys you see in the gym train for hypertrophy, use split routines and a lot of isolation exercises, this is great for muscle growth, but you can see how it wouldn't contribute to a significant gain in strength.

SS however emphasises full body movements in a lower rep range, we can't realistically train an all out maximal force each session, but sets of 5 are accepted to provide the best stimulus for strength gains in the novice lifter.

It should be noted that bodybuilders are still stronger than the general population, but in terms of their size they are generally not as strong as any strength athlete.

There are exceptions where some bodybuilders compete in powerlifting with decent totals too, but generally this is the case.

[gtl]

Wanted to just point out that you CAN'T judge someone's strength by observing one exercise, one work out, one week, etc.

What if someone is doing light assistance work? What if it is a light day? What if it is a deload? Also, how much total volume is being done on that exercise? That day? That week? What about the frequency?

Also, while they aren't exerting max strength, don't assume strength isn't being built.

[Sean Herbison]

Wanted to just point out that you can judge someone's strength by observing one exercise, one work out, one week, etc.

I'm guessing you meant "can't judge." That's kind of an important typo.

[gtl]

I'm guessing you meant "can't judge." That's kind of an important typo.

yes, oops

[Dunk]

There is no way you can be mutant big and only have an 80kg bench. Its like madmaxaus and gtl said its a fairly linear thing to a certain degree. It's true that they arn't as stong as they should be but they're still very strong.

[Nick Klemetson]

I observed a guy like this at the gym this morning. I'd never seen him before... he walks in with the t-shirt sleeves cut down to his obliques. He's decently built with nice definition in the shoulders and upper arms.

He hops into the rack next to me and sets the pins for squatting height. I'm squatting through my worksets, and I'm hoping not to be put to shame by this built guy who, based on appearances, should be able to squat at least 1.5 times as much as me.

He throws 135 on the bar and then struggles... I mean struggles... to do 5-7 reps at about half depth with a high bar position. He finishes, stares at the bar for a while, and then unloads it.

Next time I see him he's benching. He's got 135 loaded again, and again, struggles to do about 5 reps with it. His feet are coming up off the ground, and on the way up on the last rep, he crashes into the rack.

I look over later... and he's doing curls. Hammer curls. With 25 lb dumbbells. About 10 of them. For about 5 sets. It was baffling... I could probably hammer curl 50 lb. dumbbells, and his arms were twice as big as mine.

Dude is either very genetically gifted, or he's on roids.

[hbriem]

Dude is either very genetically gifted, or he's on roids.

In what way is he "genetically gifted"? He sounds weak, about average for a completely untrained male.

Guys on roids are typically much stronger than you would expect, not weaker.