Hello Ziddis! Do you know what the most important aspect of working out is? No, it is not same for all. This simple concept is often skipped by people who mindlessly follow others’ workouts without realizing their own fitness goals. Let us understand why your workout demands different strategies and how to ace it.
Before you hit the gym, take some time to understand the difference between training for strength and training for size. While both require resistance training, your approach to each set changes the outcome. The sets, reps and intensity will determine what results you get. This is understanding the difference between hypertrophy, which means pumping the muscles and strength training.
Hypertrophy and strength training are different and require different strategies
Hypertrophy | Strength Training |
Helps in pumping your muscles | Helps in building muscle strength |
Increases size of muscle fibres | Builds muscle health and leads to eventual growth |
Moderate to high intensity | Heavy weights but lower intensity |
6 to 12 reps | 3 to 6 reps |
Controlled motions and high volume | Maximal force output and longer rest periods |
Building muscle strength involves training your body to recruit more muscle fibres efficiently. Muscle-strength training is a slow process of increasing your endurance. With heavy weights, low intensity and longer rest periods, one can ace their strength training.
This requires heavy, compound lifts such as:
Hypertrophy workouts focus on individual muscle groups for maximum pump instead of overall effect. Some workouts for hypertrophy divided by muscle groups are:
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For muscle gain and hypertrophy, progressive overload is the key. Hypertrophy involves increasing the size of muscles. A structured routine for this would be:
Here is how you can divide your workout:
Depending on your goal, your approach to working out will change. Size and strength are both important for how strong you look and how strong you feel. What stays consistent is your partner in your workout. Invest in a good creatine and EAA supplement for best results and support during your muscle-building workouts. If strength is your priority, lift weights with lower reps and longer rest periods. If your goal is the size of your muscles, focus on moderate weight and higher volume. Stay consistent and track your progress.