How To Get Bigger & Stronger At The Same Time (Powerbuilding Science Explained)

Summary

This script discusses the possibility of gaining both size and strength through a balanced approach to weightlifting. It challenges the common belief that heavy lifting is for strength and light lifting for size, citing a study that shows both heavy and moderate weights can build muscle. The video suggests a structured combination of different rep ranges to maximize muscle growth and strength, emphasizing the importance of technique and recovery. It also touches on periodization and deloads, offering a comprehensive guide for intermediate to advanced lifters.

Takeaways

• 💪 The belief that training for strength and size requires different approaches is a common misconception.
• 🏋️‍♂️ A study by Schoenfeld et al. showed that both heavy and moderate weights can effectively build muscle mass when total volume is matched.
• 🔍 There is no clear relationship between rep count and muscle hypertrophy; all rep ranges can cause muscle growth if trained hard enough.
• 🚫 Training very light (below 20% of one rep max) tends to see less muscle growth, suggesting a practical lower limit for effective training.
• 🏋️‍♀️ For strength, the rep range does matter, with heavy lifting leading to better strength gains, indicating the specificity of strength training.
• 📈 A structured combination of different rep ranges is recommended for balancing strength and size goals.
• 🏆 Power building involves a mix of heavy, moderate, and light lifting, with a focus on compound movements like squat, bench press, and deadlift.
• 🔧 Technique practice on big lifts is crucial for maximizing strength and should be done about twice a week.
• 🔄 Including accessory work is essential for addressing muscles not adequately hit by the big three lifts, such as lats, biceps, and abs.
• 📊 Periodization and deloads are important for managing recovery and preventing overtraining, especially for intermediate to advanced trainees.

Q & A

What is the common belief about training for strength versus size?

The common belief is that to get strong, one should lift heavy weights for low reps, while to get big, one should lift light to moderate weights for higher reps.

What did the study by Schoenfeld and colleagues show regarding muscle hypertrophy and rep ranges?

The study showed that both heavy and moderate weights were equally effective at building muscle mass when total volume was matched between the groups.

According to the script, is there a clear relationship between rep count and muscle hypertrophy?

No, the script indicates that there is no obvious relationship between rep count and hypertrophy, as all rep ranges can cause muscle growth if trained sufficiently hard.

What is the significance of training with heavy weights for strength?

Training with heavy weights is significant for strength because strength is a specific skill, and lifting heavy weights helps to get better at lifting heavy stuff.

Why can't heavy low rep work be done exclusively for both strength and size?

Heavy low rep work can't be done exclusively because it leads to longer training sessions, higher mental and physical fatigue, and doesn't adequately stimulate all muscle groups for size.

How should one balance strength and size training in a workout routine?

One should use a structured combination of different rep ranges, with a focus on heavy lifting for strength and lighter to moderate lifting for size.

What is the recommended rep range for most working sets if the goal is to get bigger but still strong?

For a goal of getting bigger but still strong, most working sets should be in the 6 to 12 rep range, with a third dedicated to heavy lifting for strength development.

How often should one practice the big lifts to refine their technique?

The big lifts should be practiced about twice per week to refine technique and maximize strength gains.

What is the importance of accessory work in a power building program?

Accessory work is important to hit key muscles that the squat, bench, and deadlift underemphasize, ensuring full muscle development.

What is periodization and why is it important for intermediate to advanced trainees?

Periodization is the organization of training over time to maximize gains and minimize overtraining. It's important for intermediate to advanced trainees to break through plateaus and continue driving progress.

How often should deloads be incorporated into a training program?

Deloads, which involve reducing weight and volume, should be incorporated at least once every couple of months to relieve soft tissue and joint stress and promote recovery.

Outlines

00:00

🏋️‍♂️ Training for Strength and Hypertrophy

The paragraph discusses the common belief that to get strong, one should lift heavy weights for low repetitions, while for size, one should lift lighter weights for higher repetitions. However, scientific studies, including one by Schoenfeld, show that both heavy and moderate weights can effectively build muscle mass when training volume is matched. The paragraph emphasizes that while there is no clear relationship between rep count and hypertrophy, there is a threshold below which gains decrease, suggesting that extremely light weights might not be as effective. The importance of combining different rep ranges for both strength and size is highlighted, as well as the need to balance heavy lifting with adequate recovery.

05:00

💪 Balancing Strength and Size Training

This section delves into the specifics of how to train for both strength and size, suggesting a structured approach that includes heavy lifting for strength and lighter weights for hypertrophy. It mentions the need to practice the technical aspects of lifting to maximize strength gains and the importance of not overloading on heavy lifts to prevent poor technique and recovery issues. The paragraph also discusses the role of accessory exercises to target muscles that may be underdeveloped by focusing solely on the big three lifts (squat, bench press, and deadlift). It advises on the frequency of training for these lifts and how to incorporate technique work and accessory exercises to ensure comprehensive muscle development.

10:02

📈 Periodization and Recovery for Optimal Gains

The final paragraph touches on periodization, explaining it as the organization of training over time to maximize gains and minimize overtraining. It suggests different phases of training, such as power building, hypertrophy, and strength blocks, as part of a yearly plan. The paragraph also introduces the concept of top sets, which are heavy sets added to workouts to improve strength without compromising size goals. Lastly, it emphasizes the importance of recovery, suggesting occasional deloads and focusing on technique during lighter weeks to promote better lifting form and muscle mind connection.

Keywords

💡Hypertrophy

Hypertrophy refers to the increase in muscle size due to an increase in the size of muscle fibers. In the context of the video, it is one of the primary goals of training, alongside strength. The script discusses how different rep ranges can contribute to hypertrophy, challenging the common belief that only moderate weights with higher reps are effective for this purpose. The video emphasizes that both heavy and light weights, when trained with sufficient intensity, can lead to muscle growth.

💡Strength

Strength, in the video, is defined as the ability to exert force against resistance, typically measured by one's ability to lift heavy weights for lower repetitions. The script explains that strength is a specific skill that requires lifting heavy weights to improve, unlike hypertrophy, which can be achieved through a broader range of rep ranges. The video highlights the importance of incorporating low-rep, heavy lifting into a training program to develop strength.

💡Rep Ranges

Rep ranges refer to the number of repetitions performed for a given exercise. The video script discusses how different rep ranges can be used to target different training goals. For instance, heavy weights with low reps (1-5) are typically used for strength, moderate weights with higher reps (6-12) for hypertrophy, and lighter weights with even higher reps for endurance. The script challenges the oversimplification of this concept and presents research suggesting that all rep ranges can contribute to hypertrophy when trained with sufficient intensity.

💡Volume

Volume in the context of the video refers to the total amount of work done during a training session or program, often quantified by the total number of sets and reps performed. The script mentions that matching volume between different rep ranges is crucial for fair comparison in studies, and it also plays a role in overall training effectiveness. The video suggests that a combination of different rep ranges can be used to maximize both strength and hypertrophy gains.

💡Periodization

Periodization is the strategic manipulation of training variables such as volume, intensity, and rep ranges over a specific period to optimize progress and avoid plateaus. The video script explains that while beginners can focus on simple progressive overload, more advanced trainees may benefit from longer-term periodization plans, such as block periodization, to cycle through different training phases focused on strength, hypertrophy, or a combination of both.

💡Deloads

Deloading is the practice of reducing training volume or intensity for a short period to allow the body to recover and adapt, potentially leading to improved performance upon resuming normal training. The video script suggests that incorporating deloads every few months can help manage recovery, especially when training for both strength and hypertrophy, which can be demanding on the body.

💡Accessory Movements

Accessory movements are exercises that target specific muscles or muscle groups in addition to the primary compound lifts like squats, bench presses, and deadlifts. The video script highlights the importance of including accessory work in a training program to ensure that all muscles are adequately stimulated for hypertrophy, as the big three lifts do not fully address all muscle groups.

💡Mechanical Tension

Mechanical tension is a stimulus for muscle growth that results from the resistance and tension placed on the muscles during weightlifting. The script mentions that lower rep sets primarily signal muscle growth through mechanical tension, which is why heavy lifting is effective for building strength and size.

💡Metabolic Stress

Metabolic stress refers to the buildup of metabolic byproducts during intense exercise, which can also stimulate muscle growth. The video script suggests that higher rep sets likely signal for growth primarily through metabolic stress, contributing to hypertrophy when combined with mechanical tension.

💡Power Building

Power building is a training approach that aims to develop both strength and size simultaneously. The video script outlines a program and strategy for power building, which includes a combination of heavy, moderate, and light rep ranges, with a focus on technique and recovery to optimize results.

Highlights

It's possible to train for both strength and size simultaneously, contrary to common belief.

Heavy weight training for low reps is commonly recommended for strength, while moderate weight for higher reps is suggested for size.

A study by Schoenfeld et al. showed that both heavy and moderate weights can effectively build muscle mass when total volume is matched.

Research does not support the idea that there is an optimal rep range for hypertrophy; all rep ranges can lead to muscle growth with sufficient training.

Light weights below 20% of one's one-rep max may lead to less muscle growth.

For strength training, the rep range does matter, with heavy lifting leading to better strength gains.

A structured combination of different rep ranges is necessary to balance strength and size goals.

Heavy lifting should be complemented with moderate to high rep ranges to avoid burnout and promote recovery.

Technique practice on the big lifts is crucial for maximizing strength gains.

Accessory lifts are necessary to target muscles that are underemphasized by the squat, bench press, and deadlift.

Beginners can focus on progressive overload for the first year or two of training.

Intermediate to advanced trainees can benefit from long-term block periodization or top sets.

Recovery management is key, with a recommendation to avoid failure on heavy lifts and to deload periodically.

A new 10-week power building program is introduced, designed for intermediate to advanced lifters aiming to gain size and strength.

The program includes a technique handbook and a customizable spreadsheet for tracking progress.

For beginners, a fundamentals program with full body and upper lower splits is recommended.

Transcripts

how can we get really jacked and also

really strong

at the same time a lot of people seem to

think you can't or at least

you shouldn't because how you should

train to get strong is very different

from how you should train to get big

they say but i don't really agree with

this

it's extremely common to hear that if

you want to get strong you need to lift

heavy weight for low reps

and if you want to get big you need to

lift light to moderate weight

for relatively higher reps and there is

sort of some truth to this

i mean if you just look in any old

personal training handbook you'll

probably find a table that looks

something

like this one outlining clear and

distinct rep zones for strength

hypertrophy and endurance for strength

you lift heavy

for size you lift moderate and for

endurance you lift light

and this has led to a flurry of

instagram infographics like this one

perpetuating the oversimplified idea

that training heavy will get you strong

but not that big and training light to

moderate will get you big

but not that strong but this isn't quite

what the science says

one important study from schoenfeld and

colleagues split 20 trained men into two

groups

one group trained with moderate loads

doing 10 reps for each exercise

and the other group trained with heavy

loads doing three reps for each exercise

total volume was matched between the

groups and after eight weeks

both groups gained the same amount of

muscle heavy weights and moderate

weights were equally effective at

building muscle mass

and this wasn't just one isolated

finding either i printed out every study

i could find looking at the effect of

high reps versus low reps on muscle

hypertrophy now obviously we won't have

time to go through each of these in

detail

but luckily research reviewer greg

knuckles has already done that work for

us

so each dot here represents a different

data set now if the instagram

infographics were right

we'd expect to see a curve something

like this where you see

the best growth with moderate weights

and you see worse growth with heavy

weights

and light weights but this isn't what we

actually see what we instead see

is this no obvious relationship between

rep count and hypertrophy

at all obviously there are differences

from study to study just like there'd be

differences from person to person

but overall heavy weights moderate

weights and light weights

all clearly can cause muscle growth as

long as you're training sufficiently

hard now as a quick aside there does

seem to be a bottom end

to how light you can go one 2018 paper

found that once you dip down to 20

percent of your one rep max

you do tend to see less growth but that

would be really

really lightweight at least 50 to 100

reps for most people

so it isn't really a practical concern

anyway the bottom line is that unless

you're going really

ridiculously light heavy weights and

light weights are both effective at

building muscle but what about strength

do you need to lift heavy to get strong

or is it the same as with size as long

as you're training hard enough you'll

see gains in any rep range

well it turns out that for strength the

rep range really does matter

in that schaunfeld study the heavy group

doing three reps per set

saw significantly better strength gains

on the bench press than the moderate

load group

and this is because strength is a

specific skill this means if you want to

get better at lifting heavy stuff

you've got to lift heavy stuff and so

far this is all good news for the power

builder because it means we can do some

heavy

so-called pure strength work and it'll

still count toward our size goals

and so this brings me back to the

question i posed at the beginning how

can we train for strength and size

at the same time well we definitely need

to do some low rep

heavy lifting to get strong but even

though it might be tempting

we can't just do heavy low rep work

exclusively

because even though the results of the

schoenfeld study seem to indicate that

low reps are the best on the surface

you get the same hypertrophy gains with

better strength gains

if you dig into the details you'll learn

that the heavy sessions took more than

four times as long to complete and the

subjects reported higher mental and

physical fatigue as well

so clearly if we want to balance both of

these goals we definitely need to use a

structured combination of different rep

ranges

this is especially important because

using a mixture of different rep ranges

can likely trigger for growth through

different mechanisms as well

it seems lower rep sets signal for

muscle growth primarily through

mechanical tension

whereas higher rep sets likely signal

for growth primarily through

metabolic stress and rep counts in the

middle would use more of a combination

of the two

so to maximize growth overall it makes

sense to me to use some combination of

all three

now if you're slightly more concerned

with getting bigger but still want to

get stronger you might want to set up

your training

something like this most of your working

sets coming in the 6 to 12 zone

but you still have a solid third

dedicated to heavy lifting for strength

development

on the other hand if you care a bit more

about getting stronger you should

allocate more of your sets to the lower

rep ranges

with the majority of your volume now

coming in that heavier one to five rep

zone but regardless of how you split it

up

that heavy slice should be directed

toward the lifts you want to get

stronger on the most

probably the squat bench press and

deadlift for most of us so let's go

ahead and narrow in on those lifts a bit

more now

i already said that strength is a skill

this means it isn't quite enough to just

lift heavy

you also need to practice and refine the

technical aspect of lifting

to get as strong as you can be and even

though it technically counts as lifting

heavy

just amping yourself up for one poorly

executed balls to the wall set once

every couple weeks

unfortunately probably isn't going to do

a whole lot for your max

instead i'd recommend intentionally

practicing the big lifts around twice a

week

and maybe more personally i hit the

squat two to three days a week

bench two to three days a week and

deadlift one to two days a week

depending on the squat frequency and

because deadlifts tend to take more of a

recovery tool

than the other two and in my new power

building program which alternates

between full body weeks and upper lower

weeks

the full body week might look something

like this where you hit the squat bench

press and deadlift

all twice a week earlier in the week you

can go pretty hard and heavy

so you can take these sets to something

like an rp of 8 maybe 8.5

where you're leaving just one or two

reps in the tank and then later in the

week you focus more on technique work

where you're training a bit further from

failure

but really honing in on your form now

it's important to remember that if you

were just going to go in and max out on

the power lifts every session

not only would you likely run into

recovery issues you'd also start

ingraining poor technique habits

which could end up hurting your strength

return over the long run and i think

getting better with technique is an

extremely important and

under-appreciated form of progression

and so if there's a part of the lift

that you struggle with

you can use this technique work later in

the week to address those issues

for example if you find your deadlift is

slow off the floor you can pull from a

deficit to help address and strengthen

that technical sticking point or if you

find your back rounding increases as you

lose tightness throughout the positive

you can do paused deadlifts with lighter

weights to help strengthen that weak

link for you

paused squats can also be helpful for

improving posture and explosive power

out of the hole and then to make sure

your bases are covered for bodybuilding

you sort of just sprinkle in so-called

accessory movements

to fit your goals for hypertrophy in a

way that doesn't interfere with your

recovery from the other lifts

for example putting a heavy pendlay row

the day before heavy deadlifts

might fatigue your lower back and impede

your performance the next day

so do a chest supported row instead and

most of these accessory sets should come

in the 6 to 12 rep range

with a few in the higher more metabolic

12 plus zone and this is going to allow

you to accumulate more volume quite

easily

and scratch that beast mode high effort

mentality without the same

recovery cost that approach would have

on the heavy power lifts and including

sufficient accessory work is extremely

important for the power builder

because even though science tells us

that we can get jacked off low rep sets

the squat bench press and dead lift

don't hit every muscle adequately

on their own so only focusing on the big

three will leave

some muscles insufficiently stimulated

squats are amazing for the quads and

quite good for the glutes

bench is amazing for the pecs and front

delts and quite good for the triceps and

deadlifts are amazing for the spinal

erectors glutes

and good for the hamstrings but that

still leaves five key bodybuilding

muscles that will go

underdeveloped if you focus on these

power lifts exclusively

the lats biceps rear inside delts calves

and

abs so in sprinkling in the accessory

work you really need to emphasize

these muscles now generally speaking

aiming to hit at least eight to ten

sets for each of those muscles every

week is a good idea

which is why i like the idea of having a

roaming hypertrophy day where you can

kind of just

go in and smash any body parts that

didn't quite get enough volume

during the main workouts for the week

this is when i'll hit most of my bicep

side delt and ab work personally so that

covers how i'd set up a sample week of

training now i want to take a step back

and take a quick look at periodization

and deloads

now periodization would need a full

video to do justice just

look at that definition from the nsca

but for now we can just take

periodization to simply mean

how you organize your training over time

to maximize gains

and minimize overtraining now in my

opinion beginners don't really need to

worry too much about periodization

if you're still in your first year or

two of lifting you should be able to

simply focus on progressive overload

by adding a little bit of weight to the

bar each and every workout

just simple linear progression is the

way to go for you

but at a certain point you'll hit a

plateau doing that and that's where

bigger picture periodization becomes

important

so the broadest way to periodize for

power building would be over a full

calendar year

also known as the macro macrocycle here

i like to use a version of block

periodization

where we break the full year up into

discrete phases each with a unique

primary focus

for example you could kick off the new

year with a power building phase where

you're focused equally on gaining size

and strength

then if you start a cut for summer you

might want to transition into more of a

pure hypertrophy block

where you decrease the heavy strength

work down to just what's needed to

maintain

and then after summer's over you might

want to bump the calories back up and

run a pure strength block

where you have just enough accessory

work to keep your size on and then you'd

finish off the year with another pure

hypertrophy block

leveraging those new strength gains from

block 3 so now you can apply

more overload to break through any

plateaus that you may have encountered

in block 2.

but if you don't want to map everything

out like that you can totally shortcut

the periodization planning

by simply incorporating top sets into

your workouts

even if the only change you make for

your current programming is simply

adding one heavy top set

once per week before the bodybuilding

volume that you'd normally do

you should see solid strength

improvements without detracting from

your size goals

as long as you continue to monitor your

recovery so for example if you normally

do three sets of ten reps on the bench

press

but you'd also like to get your strength

up just throw one heavy set of one to

three reps beforehand

and in my experience this is a simple

and effective way to build

top end strength while still having

almost all of the rest of your pie

dedicated to moderate to high rep ranges

and then over time you just gradually

add some weight or a rep to that heavy

top set

and again it doesn't have to be and

shouldn't be to failure every session

it just needs to be reasonably heavy and

reasonably challenging

in a lower rep zone and lastly one

concern with combining strength and size

goals simultaneously

is recovery this is why i've emphasized

throughout the video the importance of

generally avoiding failure on the heavy

lifts

and always prioritizing technique

overweight however i still think

most lifters will benefit from

occasional deloads to relieve soft

tissue and joint stress

and promote recovery so at least once

every couple months reduce the weight on

the bar

and the volume by roughly 25 to 50

percent of what you'd normally do

now this isn't a time to just be lazy

instead as a power builder

you should take this single week to

focus on ways to really improve your

technique on the big lifts

and improve your mind muscle connection

on the accessories both of which will be

much more effective with slightly

lighter weights

so how can we get really jacked and

really strong at the same time

let's break it down into five simple

steps first we need to combine rep

ranges doing some heavy lifting because

strength is specific

and some light to moderate lifting to

avoid burnout we need to refine our

technique on the big lifts by practicing

them about twice per week

and then use accessory lifts to hit five

of the key muscles that the squat bench

and deadlift underemphasize

beginners should use a simple linear

progression to overload for at least the

first year of training

while intermediate to advanced trainees

should consider long-term block

periodization

and or top sets to continue driving

progress then we need to continually

manage recovery by generally avoiding

failure on the big lifts

and deloading at least once every couple

months and finally if you guys would

like to have

all of that information put into an

actionable routine many of you guys know

i just launched my new

10 week power building program designed

for intermediate to advanced level

lifters with the goal of gaining size

and strength at the same time

and that'll be on sale for the first

week of launch this is the program that

i've been running myself for the last

few months and i've test run it with a

few friends

clients and some coaches and i really do

think it's my best work to date as far

as programming goes

i also wrote it so that all you need is

some pretty basic equipment and i ran it

through the first time myself in a

garage with just a power rack some

dumbbells and bands

and if there are any exercises that

require equipment i always provide

substitutions to make it more accessible

it comes with a separate technique

handbook for addressing sticking points

on the big lifts

and a fully customizable spreadsheet for

tracking progress

so you can just plug in your current

lifts and it'll autofill the weights

that you need to do now if you're still

in your first year or two of training

i'd recommend running my fundamentals

program instead

which also includes a full body split

and an upper lower split but the

programming is more geared toward

beginners

so i'll put a button to the new program

over here next to my head if you guys

would like to check it out

i'll also leave a link to everything

that i discussed in this video in the

description box down below

don't forget to leave me a thumbs up if

you enjoyed the video subscribe if you

haven't already and i'll see you guys

all here

in the next one