Recent Questions

I posted on the website asking for feedback and questions you guys have.  Here is Jason's questions and my attempt to answer them.  Enjoy, and if you have any questions let em fly.  Thanks for reading. 

Couple questions:

What’s the difference between strength and hypertrophy?

Muscular endurance: what does it take?

Conditioning metabolic pathways: How to get the most bang for the buck?

Strength: neural efficiency vs. myofibril hypertrophy.

Let’s define the terms; strength is the ability to exert force against antagonistic forces.  For example, to lift a barbell off the ground is to produce greater force then gravity.  There are the forces that keep the barbell on the ground and to lift it, we must exert greater force or it will not move, basically.    

Hypertrophy is generally an enlargement of the muscle.  

The two relate because there is a positive relationship between Cross-Sectional Area and strength, so usually, bigger muscles mean stronger muscles (potentially).   

Basically, there are two different types of muscular hypertrophy: sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar.  In sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, the volume of sarcoplasmic fluid in the muscle cell increases with no accompanying increase in muscular strength.  So the muscle is bigger because of the increase in fluid.  During myofibrillar hypertrophy, actin and myosin contractile proteins increase in number and add to muscular strength as well as a small increase in the size of the muscle.  A generalization is that sarcoplasmic hypertrophy is seen in bodybuilders while myofibrillar hypertrophy is seen in Olympic weightlifters (lightweights) and a combo is seen in powerlifters and heavy weight Olympic weightlifters.  

Neural Efficiency is basically recruiting more fibers to the task of lifting the barbell off the floor.  More alpha neurons.  In a deconditioned state we don't recruit very many fibers to the task, but after training we get some more fibers involved.  Fibers are all-or-nothing, kind of like Alec Hanson :).  They are either on, or they are off, no in between.  When we talk about neural efficiency we are talking about getting more fibers to turn on, help do some work.  

Generally speaking, the training is different between strength training and hypertrophy. Although there is some cross-over.  According to Mel Siff, to get stronger you need to be operating in the 85%-100%+ of your 1RM range at 1-5 reps/set and 4-7 sets.  To get mass you need to be training at 60-80% of 1RM, 8-15 reps/set and 4-8 sets per exercise.  Michael Yessis wrote that:

1-4 reps increase pure strength no increase in mass

4-9 reps increase strength and mass

10-15 reps increase strength, muscle endurance, and mass

16-30 reps increase endurance with little or no effect on mass

31-50 reps increase endurance with no effect on mass

50-100 reps increase muscle endurance, cardio-respiratory endurance, and possible loss of mass (or fat) and absolutely no increase in strength.

So you could train both if you wanted to.  Like a workout of 5x5 at 80-85% 1RM is a great example.  5x5 squats @ 80-85%, 3x a week would do the trick quite nicely and has for countless athletes for probably longer than any other training scheme. 

There are of course alternatives.  HIIT says 1 set to absolute muscle failure is the best method.  After a couple warm up sets,1 set of 6-8 or so with a weight that at 6 with perfect form and tempo you find muscle failure.  Then add maybe a few cheaters, forced reps, partials. 

According to Ben Tabachnik the USSR would use the rep method for hypertrophy:

1. slow 10-12 reps @ 70-80%, 2-3 sets, 2 min rests, 2-3 muscle groups
2. 5-10 reps, 3-5 sets, @ 80%, 2-3 min rest between
3. Etc. etc.

Basically the same stuff as I said above. 

Muscular endurance: what does it take?
Based on some of the above info, to train muscular endurance you are looking at 40-60% 1RM for 25-60 reps, 2-4 sets.         

     

Conditioning metabolic pathways: How to get the most bang for the buck?

Not totally sure what this means. 

Basically there are 4 energy pathways (and a couple in-betweeners)

1. Phosphagen
2. Gycolysis
1. Fast glycolysis
2. Slow glycolysis
3. Oxidative
4. Lactic Acid

In simple terms you want to build a base of aerobic endurance (oxidative) and go short(er) and hard(er) to build the others (anaerobic).  So 3x/week you are looking at 60-180 min. at 70-80% (shoot for 75%) max heart rate.  Think of trying to accumulate 5-6 hours per week in the 75% HR range.  (I like HR work because it’s something you can use when you don’t have a machine giving you immediate feedback, like a treadmill or rowing machine)

To train the other systems you need use intervals, the rest period is important:

Work duration – intensity level – energy system used

0-6 seconds work – extremely high intensity – Phosphagen system

6-30 seconds – very High intensity – phosphagen and fast glycolysis

30 seconds to 2 min. – high intensity – fast glycolysis

2-3 min. – moderate intensity – fast glycolysis and oxidative system

  

Or if you wanted to do all of this with other people, you could just come train at CrossFit Costa Mesa, because it's all in the programming.