I think as you gain muscle size you will gain some strength just not NEARLY. as much as many think. Look at peak Ronnie Coleman vs peak Mitchell Hooper, ask the masses who is stronger and by how much, people would be shocked.
Size and strength are heavily conflated. Also mental game is soooo huge. For the most part my mental game is really good for lifting, as some people i know say "It's that engineer's brain, it is all just math, apply it and do it". I see the results of a poor mental game all the time at the gym.
Also while not in construction, my mothers fsther was a short end of average skinny dude and he was a LUMBER JACK (and he's ok.... yeah i cant help it gotta reference Montey Python) yeah once he hit his mid 30's he filled out and was broad shouldered for his height, but okd pics he was skinny AF and slung wood all day, years later as an architect or late in life as a investment guru he was CRAZY STRONG! My fathers late stepdad, he was a cement finisher for 30 years, OKFG his grip was insane, at my powerlifting peak he could crush my grip the way i could a childs, and he didnt look like much, completely average skinny guy with a beer belly. And Jay Cutlers forearms.
They did crazy stuff without being BIG. When inwas in school i got well over a 300lb bench at 150lb, inwas stocky and really short. The mind can do some crazy shit!! Having some muscle behind it also helps.
I almost didn’t leave a comment, but wanted to offer just a tad bit more nuance, to ensure all audiences understand the difference between long term strength gains and beginner level hypertrophy/strength gains.
I agree that over the course of a long, long time of hard work, the right stimulus, sufficient nutrition, and stellar recovery, muscle size does not equal strength.
But for unconditioned or deconditioned individuals who are wondering what to focus on when they first hit the gym, I’m often asked “should I do high weight low reps with more sets? (High intensity) or high reps, lower weight with possibly fewer sets (high volume)?”
The honest answer for folks first starting out is it straight up doesn’t matter - you will get both myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic growth. The only thing that’s important is adherence, so do whatever you enjoy more because it gets your butt to the gym.
At the beginning of your fitness journey, quite literally size does equal strength. It’s not until you’ve been training beyond novice does training style truly impact your outcomes, and you need to decide if strength or muscle gains are your North Star.
So if you’re just getting back to the gym after a long time or going for the first time ever, do whatever makes you excited to go. Make sure it’s difficult but not so hard you get injured. Sleep, eat a lot of protein. You’ll get both huge strength gains and throw on muscle like you’ve never seen before.
Not disagreeing with the ostensible point of this post, just adding perspective.
I think as you gain muscle size you will gain some strength just not NEARLY. as much as many think. Look at peak Ronnie Coleman vs peak Mitchell Hooper, ask the masses who is stronger and by how much, people would be shocked.
Size and strength are heavily conflated. Also mental game is soooo huge. For the most part my mental game is really good for lifting, as some people i know say "It's that engineer's brain, it is all just math, apply it and do it". I see the results of a poor mental game all the time at the gym.
Also while not in construction, my mothers fsther was a short end of average skinny dude and he was a LUMBER JACK (and he's ok.... yeah i cant help it gotta reference Montey Python) yeah once he hit his mid 30's he filled out and was broad shouldered for his height, but okd pics he was skinny AF and slung wood all day, years later as an architect or late in life as a investment guru he was CRAZY STRONG! My fathers late stepdad, he was a cement finisher for 30 years, OKFG his grip was insane, at my powerlifting peak he could crush my grip the way i could a childs, and he didnt look like much, completely average skinny guy with a beer belly. And Jay Cutlers forearms.
They did crazy stuff without being BIG. When inwas in school i got well over a 300lb bench at 150lb, inwas stocky and really short. The mind can do some crazy shit!! Having some muscle behind it also helps.
I almost didn’t leave a comment, but wanted to offer just a tad bit more nuance, to ensure all audiences understand the difference between long term strength gains and beginner level hypertrophy/strength gains.
I agree that over the course of a long, long time of hard work, the right stimulus, sufficient nutrition, and stellar recovery, muscle size does not equal strength.
But for unconditioned or deconditioned individuals who are wondering what to focus on when they first hit the gym, I’m often asked “should I do high weight low reps with more sets? (High intensity) or high reps, lower weight with possibly fewer sets (high volume)?”
The honest answer for folks first starting out is it straight up doesn’t matter - you will get both myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic growth. The only thing that’s important is adherence, so do whatever you enjoy more because it gets your butt to the gym.
At the beginning of your fitness journey, quite literally size does equal strength. It’s not until you’ve been training beyond novice does training style truly impact your outcomes, and you need to decide if strength or muscle gains are your North Star.
So if you’re just getting back to the gym after a long time or going for the first time ever, do whatever makes you excited to go. Make sure it’s difficult but not so hard you get injured. Sleep, eat a lot of protein. You’ll get both huge strength gains and throw on muscle like you’ve never seen before.
Not disagreeing with the ostensible point of this post, just adding perspective.