If you're training for hypertrophy, strength gains (in any rep range, on any lift) really do seem like a simple and reliable way to tell if you're progressing, at least once your technique is fairly standardized. I don't naturally tend to eat enough to support muscle growth. Over the past decade I've gained around 60 pounds of muscle. All of those muscle gains have come during the relatively brief periods when I forced myself to eat more food. That's where all of my strength gains came from, too. I've never made an inch of progress on either front when I wasn't eating enough. The two metrics have always gone up together. They've never gone up apart from one another. On the other hand, during those periods of muscle maintenance, I can still master new lifts, increase my 1-rep max, and make other neural/coordination improvements. But if I was bulking up on 10-rep sets of front squats, my 10-rep max on front squats won't go up until I start gaining muscle again.
@@philipmeisterl Right, that's the same for me. If I'm using sets of 10 reps while building muscle, it's my 10-rep sets that will see the strength gains. If we define strength very narrowly, as just a 1-rep max on certain lifts, then of course we can get situations where gaining muscle won't correspond with gaining strength. Building your biceps twice as big with 15-rep sets of curls isn't going to give you a bigger squat 1RM, but it's definitely going to give you a stronger biceps curl, especially for sets of 15.
@@georgesarreas5509 Only if you define strength very narrowly. If "getting stronger" includes getting stronger at the exercises you do in the rep ranges you use, then strength definitely increases as you gain muscle. If "getting stronger" means increasing your 3-rep max on an exercise you only do when training for strength, then the two deviate somewhat, but I don't know why you would do that.
Do you tend to stay near your lower intervention point with your natural appetite (very low bodyfat), or would you say that you haven't been able to recomp at maintenance calories even at more moderate bodyfat levels (~13%+)?
If you're training for hypertrophy, strength gains (in any rep range, on any lift) really do seem like a simple and reliable way to tell if you're progressing, at least once your technique is fairly standardized.
I don't naturally tend to eat enough to support muscle growth. Over the past decade I've gained around 60 pounds of muscle. All of those muscle gains have come during the relatively brief periods when I forced myself to eat more food. That's where all of my strength gains came from, too. I've never made an inch of progress on either front when I wasn't eating enough. The two metrics have always gone up together. They've never gone up apart from one another.
On the other hand, during those periods of muscle maintenance, I can still master new lifts, increase my 1-rep max, and make other neural/coordination improvements. But if I was bulking up on 10-rep sets of front squats, my 10-rep max on front squats won't go up until I start gaining muscle again.
When i gained muscle my 10 rm squat went up a lot but that never really correlated with my 1rm strength changes
@@philipmeisterl Right, that's the same for me. If I'm using sets of 10 reps while building muscle, it's my 10-rep sets that will see the strength gains.
If we define strength very narrowly, as just a 1-rep max on certain lifts, then of course we can get situations where gaining muscle won't correspond with gaining strength. Building your biceps twice as big with 15-rep sets of curls isn't going to give you a bigger squat 1RM, but it's definitely going to give you a stronger biceps curl, especially for sets of 15.
Strength is specific. Even to the rep range used.
@@georgesarreas5509 Only if you define strength very narrowly.
If "getting stronger" includes getting stronger at the exercises you do in the rep ranges you use, then strength definitely increases as you gain muscle.
If "getting stronger" means increasing your 3-rep max on an exercise you only do when training for strength, then the two deviate somewhat, but I don't know why you would do that.
Do you tend to stay near your lower intervention point with your natural appetite (very low bodyfat), or would you say that you haven't been able to recomp at maintenance calories even at more moderate bodyfat levels (~13%+)?
I think strength gains are a good proxy measure for hypertrophie as long as you dont train for it (just my opinion)
I see Eric i click. Yes we're tired of hearing that but its true in this case
I will never get tired of hearing that my friend.