The SECRET Equation to Increase Strength For Calisthenics Explained

Summary

This video script delves into the fundamental principles of strength training, particularly for calisthenics skills like the planche. It explains the equation 'strength = neural adaptations x muscle cross-sectional area' and emphasizes the importance of both neural adaptations and muscle size for increasing strength. The video introduces the SAID principle and progressive overload, highlighting their roles in enhancing strength and muscle hypertrophy. It also addresses common concerns about muscle gain affecting bodyweight exercises and outlines the six ways the nervous system boosts strength. Finally, it touches on the mechanisms of hypertrophy and Heinemann's size principle, providing a comprehensive guide to effective strength training.

Takeaways

• 💪 The fundamental equation for strength is: Strength = Neural Adaptations x Muscle Cross-Sectional Area.
• 🧠 Strength training primarily focuses on neural adaptations, which is the training of the central nervous system.
• 🏋️‍♂️ To increase strength, apply the SAID principle (Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demand) through progressive overload.
• 📈 Progressive overload involves increasing stress on the body over time, leading to muscular hypertrophy and strength gains.
• 🚫 Ignore factors like angle of insertion and limb length as they are unchangeable and not impactful for training programs.
• 🤸‍♂️ Technique is crucial as it increases movement efficiency, conserving energy and enhancing force output.
• 💡 The size of the muscle is important for strength because larger muscles have a greater capacity for strength gains.
• 🏃‍♂️ Gaining muscle mass does not necessarily negatively affect relative strength; in fact, it can enhance it.
• 🧬 Understanding motor units (low threshold and high threshold) is key to designing effective strength and hypertrophy training.
• 🔬 The central nervous system increases strength through recruitment, firing rate, intramuscular coordination, inter-muscular coordination, antagonistic inhibition, and motor learning.
• 🛠️ Triggering hypertrophy involves mechanical tension, eccentric damage, and metabolic accumulation, which can be achieved through various training methods.

Q & A

What is the fundamental equation for increasing strength?

The fundamental equation for increasing strength is 'Strength = Neural Adaptations x Muscle Cross-Sectional Area'. This equation suggests that strength is a product of neural adaptations in the central nervous system and the size of the muscles involved.

What is the role of neural adaptations in strength training?

Neural adaptations play a crucial role in strength training as they refer to the improvements in the communication between the central nervous system and the muscles. Enhancing neural adaptations can lead to increased strength and better performance in exercises like the planche.

How does muscle size contribute to strength gains?

Muscle size, or muscle cross-sectional area, directly contributes to strength gains because larger muscles have a greater potential for force production. As muscles grow, they can generate more strength, which is beneficial for static skills and calisthenics movements.

What is the SAID principle and how does it relate to strength training?

The SAID principle stands for Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands. It means that the body adapts to the specific types of stress placed upon it through exercise. In strength training, applying intense stress through progressive overload leads to increased strength and muscle hypertrophy.

What is progressive overload and why is it important?

Progressive overload is the gradual increase of stress placed upon the body during exercise, which is achieved by increasing the weight lifted, increasing the number of repetitions, or decreasing the rest time. It's important because it causes the body to adapt by increasing strength and muscle size.

How does technique factor into the equation of strength?

Technique is a crucial factor in strength training as it allows for more efficient movement, reducing energy waste and increasing force output. Improving technique can lead to greater strength gains as the body becomes more adept at performing specific movements.

What are motor units and how do they relate to strength training?

Motor units consist of a nerve and the muscle fibers it innervates. They play a role in strength training as the activation of different types of motor units (low threshold motor units and high threshold motor units) can influence the potential for strength and hypertrophy.

How does the central nervous system increase strength?

The central nervous system increases strength through various mechanisms such as recruitment (activating more motor units), firing rate (increasing the speed of nerve signals to muscles), intramuscular coordination (synchronizing muscle firing), inter-muscular coordination (timing of different muscle groups), antagonistic inhibition (reducing resistance from opposing muscles), and motor learning (improving neural connections for movement execution).

What are the three mechanisms that trigger hypertrophy?

The three mechanisms that trigger hypertrophy are mechanical tension, eccentric damage, and metabolic accumulation. Mechanical tension is created by heavy or fast movements, eccentric damage occurs during lengthening contractions, and metabolic accumulation results from repeated muscle use leading to a buildup of metabolites.

What is Heinemann's size principle and how does it influence exercise selection?

Heinemann's size principle states that motor units are recruited from smallest to largest in response to increasing neural stimulation. This principle influences exercise selection by suggesting that for strength and hypertrophy training, one should choose exercises that are intense and challenging to ensure the activation of high-threshold motor units, which have the greatest potential for hypertrophy.

Outlines

00:00

💪 Understanding Strength Training for Calisthenics

This paragraph introduces the fundamental principles of strength training, particularly for calisthenics skills like the planche. It explains that strength is a product of neural adaptations and muscle cross-sectional area. The video aims to educate viewers on how to apply these principles to improve their performance in dynamic and static skills. The information is based on research and the book 'Overcoming Gravity' by Stephen Lowe. It also touches on factors like muscle size and neural adaptations, which are trainable, versus factors like muscle insertion angle and limb length, which are not. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of technique in enhancing strength and efficiency, and introduces the SAID principle and progressive overload as methods to increase strength.

05:02

🏋️‍♂️ Balancing Hypertrophy and Strength Training

The second paragraph delves into the relationship between muscle size and strength, reassuring viewers that gaining muscle mass does not necessarily hinder performance in bodyweight exercises. It discusses the concept of relative strength and how even with increased muscle, one can still achieve strength gains. The paragraph features insights from experts like Brandon Nguyen and Dr. Mike Ezratarly, who agree that a certain amount of muscle mass is beneficial for strength. It also explains the role of motor units in the nervous system, differentiating between low and high threshold motor units and how they relate to endurance and strength training. The importance of training both neural adaptations and muscle size is highlighted, as well as the potential for cyclical changes in body weight to improve performance over time.

10:02

🧠 Central Nervous System and Its Role in Strength Gains

This paragraph focuses on the central nervous system's role in strength training, explaining how it can increase strength through six different methods: recruitment, firing rate, intra- and inter-muscular coordination, antagonistic inhibition, and motor learning. It provides a deeper understanding of how the nervous system adapts to stress and how these adaptations contribute to strength development. The paragraph also discusses the different types of motor units and their activation during exercise, emphasizing the importance of high-intensity training for activating high-threshold motor units, which have the greatest potential for hypertrophy. The information is crucial for understanding how to structure a training program to optimize strength and muscle growth.

🚴‍♂️ Triggering Hypertrophy Through Training

The final paragraph discusses the mechanisms that trigger muscle hypertrophy: mechanical tension, eccentric damage, and metabolic accumulation. It explains how high-intensity exercises can lead to muscle growth through these pathways and how different types of training can influence hypertrophy. The paragraph also introduces Henneman's size principle, which explains the recruitment of motor units from smallest to largest during muscle contractions. This principle is important for selecting exercises that effectively activate high-threshold motor units, leading to greater hypertrophy and strength. The video concludes with a teaser for a future guide on calisthenics programming, which will further elaborate on how to apply these principles to training.

Keywords

💡Strength

Strength, in the context of the video, refers to the force output of a muscle, which is a critical factor for performing calisthenics skills like the planche. It is defined by the equation 'strength equals neural adaptations times muscle cross-sectional area.' The video emphasizes that strength is not just about muscle size but also about how efficiently the central nervous system activates muscle fibers, which is crucial for dynamic and static skills.

💡Neural Adaptations

Neural adaptations are changes in the nervous system that enhance the ability to generate force. The video explains that when training for strength, the primary focus should be on neural adaptations, which involve improving the efficiency of the central nervous system in activating muscle fibers. This is integral to increasing strength for calisthenics movements, as it allows for better force output without necessarily increasing muscle size.

💡Muscle Cross-Sectional Area

Muscle cross-sectional area refers to the size of the muscle, which contributes to the overall strength. The video script mentions that while muscle size is a factor in strength, it is not as malleable as neural adaptations. The script suggests that focusing on neural adaptations is more beneficial for strength training, although muscle size does play a role in the potential for strength gains.

💡Said Principle

The Said Principle, as mentioned in the video, stands for Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demand. It is a fundamental principle of exercise physiology that states the body adapts to the specific types of stress or demands placed upon it. In the context of the video, this principle is used to explain how progressive overload leads to increased strength and muscle size, which are essential for mastering calisthenics skills.

💡Progressive Overload

Progressive overload is a training principle that involves gradually increasing the stress placed upon the body during exercise. The video explains that this principle is essential for causing the body to adapt by increasing strength, muscle size, and connective tissue integrity. It is the method by which an individual can improve their performance over time, either by adding more weight or making bodyweight exercises more challenging.

💡Motor Units

Motor units are the basic functional units of the muscular system, consisting of a single motor neuron and all the muscle fibers it innervates. The video discusses the importance of understanding motor units, particularly the distinction between low threshold motor units (LTMUs) and high threshold motor units (HTMUs), for designing effective strength training programs that target both endurance and strength.

💡Hypertrophy

Hypertrophy, as used in the video, refers to the increase in muscle size. It is one of the key components of strength training, as larger muscles have a greater capacity for strength gains. The video script explains that hypertrophy is an important phase in a strength program, where the focus is on building muscle size through moderate intensity and higher repetitions.

💡Mechanical Tension

Mechanical tension is one of the three mechanisms that trigger hypertrophy, as discussed in the video. It is created during heavy or fast movements and is a response to high-intensity stress on the muscles. The video script explains that mechanical tension is essential for muscle growth, as it stimulates the body to compensate by increasing muscle mass.

💡Eccentric Damage

Eccentric damage is another mechanism for triggering hypertrophy, as mentioned in the video. It occurs during the lengthening phase of a muscle contraction, such as when lowering a weight. The video script suggests that to effectively trigger hypertrophy through eccentric damage, exercises should be performed with a focus on time under tension and a sufficient number of repetitions.

💡Metabolic Accumulation

Metabolic accumulation is the third mechanism for triggering hypertrophy, as explained in the video. It occurs when metabolites build up in the muscles due to repetitive stress, such as from cycling or physical labor. The video script uses the example of cyclists having large quads to illustrate how this accumulation of stress markers signals the body to increase muscle size for safety and efficiency.

💡Heinman's Size Principle

Heinman's Size Principle, as discussed in the video, is a principle that dictates the order in which motor units are recruited, from smallest to largest. The video explains that this principle is important for calisthenics training because it influences the selection of exercises. Exercises that require near-max effort, like the planche, activate both low and high threshold motor units simultaneously, which is beneficial for strength and hypertrophy training.

Highlights

The fundamental equation for strength is strength equals neural adaptations times muscle cross-sectional area.

Strength training primarily focuses on neural adaptations in the central nervous system.

The SAID principle states that the body adapts to stress by increasing strength and muscle size.

Progressive overload is the method of increasing stress on the body over time to cause strength and size adaptations.

Muscle size and neural adaptations are both crucial for strength gains in calisthenics skills like the planche.

Gaining muscle does not necessarily negatively affect relative strength for bodyweight movements.

The bodyweight muscle conundrum is addressed, suggesting that more muscle can lead to greater strength.

Experts agree that hypertrophy is necessary for strength development.

Motor units are composed of a nerve and the muscle it stimulates, playing a role in strength development.

There are six ways the nervous system can increase strength, including recruitment and firing rate.

Mechanical tension, eccentric damage, and metabolic accumulation are three mechanisms that trigger hypertrophy.

Heinman's size principle explains the recruitment of motor units from smallest to largest during muscle contraction.

Intense and difficult exercises ensure activation of high-threshold motor units, which have the greatest potential for hypertrophy.

Training to failure can be detrimental to strength and skill development, such as learning the planche.

A full calisthenics programming skill guide is mentioned for future release, focusing on strength principles for programming workouts.

Transcripts

the equation that will increase your

strength for casting skills such as the

planche and for whatever other strength

support you participate in is strength

equals neural adaptations times muscle

cross-sectional area now let's break it

down so by the end of this video you'll

know the exact fundamental strength

principles you can apply to your

training to obtain whatever dynamic and

static skill such as the planche that

you might want to obtain during your

training a lot of the information in

this video is coming from research or

this book overcoming gravity by stephen

lowe a gymnastics coach so none of this

is it's all fundamental

strength principles that are backed by

research so if you're wondering that's

where it's coming from and if you want

any more insight then you want to read

this book now with that said let's get

started the force output of a muscle

also known as strength is determined by

two factors which are cross-sectional

area of the muscle which is basically

how big your muscle is so muscle size

and neural adaptations of your central

nervous system and this is probably the

most important and what you are training

when you're training strength so when

you're training strength you're training

your central nervous system strength is

also determined by a few other factors

such as the angle of insertion of a

muscle to a joint as well as limb length

but these are things you can't really

change so there's not really much point

in including these in the equation

because there's not much you can do

about them so you can pretty much ignore

these because as you know whether you're

big small a gymnast or a bodybuilder

you're still able to build huge amounts

of strength so you might as well not

think about this so for example if you

feel like you have really short arms and

feel like you'll never get the front

lever this is a bad idea and you

shouldn't have this mentality there is

one thing i'd like to note for this

equation and that is technique if you're

able to increase technique you're able

to increase how efficient you are at

that particular movement and that means

less waste of energy so a greater force

output which is strength this is now why

i want to explain to you guys the said

principle the said principle is specific

adaptations to impose demand all this

means is if you apply enough stress to

the muscles and central nervous system

through intense exercise then the body

will adapt to this stress by increasing

your strength and muscle hypertrophy so

you come back stronger and bigger if you

do this enough and over a long period of

time you'll cause large scale changes to

the body in terms of size and strength

and the method you use to do this is

called progressive overload progressive

overload is the addition or increase in

stress to the body over time so the body

has to adapt in terms of muscular

hypertrophy strength and muscle

connective tissue integrity

so the said principle is the concept of

adaptation to stress over time while

progressive overload is the increase of

stress on the body to cause changes

which of course in practice is either

putting more weight on the bar or making

our body weight movements harder okay so

that's the same principle and

progressive overload and keeping that in

mind then we know that strength training

is mainly focused on neural adaptations

and increasing that so if we increase

our neural adaptations over time we can

increase our strength for calisthenics

skills such as the plunge and be able to

hold it longer but what we can also do

is work on muscle size that will also

help our strength before the casting

moves such as the planche this is

because the bigger a muscle is then the

bigger capacity it has for strength

gains so essentially the bigger the

muscle the greater strength you could

have this is why in a strength program

usually you have a hypertrophy phase

first which is moderate intensity but

higher reps so you work on building that

muscle then you go into a strength phase

which is going to be much higher

intensity for lower reps where you work

on that neural adaptation

this is going to be really important

when you come to making your own

training programs because you don't want

to miss out either part of that equation

you don't want to miss out on the new

adaptations which is the strength

training and you don't want to miss out

on building muscle because that will

also help with your strength but this

brings into question the body weight

muscle conundrum the body weight muscle

conundrum really relates to any athlete

that relies on relative strength in

gymnastics you need a lot of strength

relative to your body weight so does

this mean if you keep gaining muscle and

making your body weight go up is your

strength going to be negatively affected

by this and in the short the answer is

no the more muscle you have the bigger

capacity you have for strength gains so

you shouldn't worry about putting on

muscle or having hypertrophy phases in

your program and it affecting your

strength movements such as learning the

planche you only really should worry

about putting on muscle when you get to

that professional bodybuilder size so

where your mobility is severely reduced

because of all the muscle mass on your

frame and this is really going to impede

your strength performance when it comes

to body weight movements but unless

you're taking androgenous steroids then

you're probably fine you don't need to

worry about gaining too much muscle i

will note that most people have a range

or body weight that they're going to

work best with but for most cases

especially beginners the more muscle you

gain the stronger you're going to be and

if you still don't believe me look at me

and the barca as examples the barca has

so much muscle on his frame but he's

still able to perform all the bodyweight

movements because that muscle helps him

with the strength same with me i bulked

out a bit put on muscle and i'm still

able to perform all my strength

movements because i really work on that

neural adaptations in the strength phase

of my program so in short don't worry

about putting on too much muscle you

should prioritize both your strength and

hypertrophy because you will both

overlap and help your strength and even

brandon nguyen a gymnast he also talked

about this and agreed the same i think

you need hypertrophy to create strength

another expert in strength training dr

mike ezratarly i hope i'm saying that

right he's got a phd in sports science

and he also agrees with this stain where

people just try to stay skinny as long

as possible and they don't have a ton of

muscle and someone's like have you ever

tried lifting and gaining muscle like

yeah every time i gain weight i get

worse it's like well yeah temporarily

you might get worse but over the long

term as you build muscle and strength

months later you might be about the same

and then you lose that excess fat you

used to be 60 kilos now you're 65 and

you're hitting your all-time best pr's

so some of that cyclicity is going to

make you better over the long term

basically my big point here is in

calisthenics don't get complacent don't

just assume your body it's going to be

whatever don't assume you're at the

optimal body weight until you have good

data to back that up he also explains

why size or neural adaptations equal

strength so he also agrees with the

equation now if you're more than five or

ten reps off of your goal

you're probably suffering from one of

two things one major strength deficiency

and two a major muscle size deficiency

so now we know in strength training

we're really training our central

nervous system and gaining those neural

adaptations so when we train our statics

like the planche we're really working on

your adaptations and putting our body

and central nervous system under stress

so now i'm going to explain a bit more

about the central nervous system so when

you guys put a training plan together

you guys know what exactly is going on

in the strength phase of your training

program first okay we're talking about

the central nervous system we need to

know what motor units are motor units

are just a nerve plus the muscle it

innervates innervates is just a fancy

name for stimulates so a motor unit is

just a nerve plus a muscle that it

stimulates so when your muscle fibers

contract this is done by a neuron or

nerve and this nerve plus the muscle

contracting is called a motor unit now

there are different types of motor units

but the only ones you need to know are

low threshold motor units and high

threshold motor units ltmus and hcmus

ltmus innovate slow twitch muscle fibers

and slow twitch muscle fibers are the

fibers that adapted to endurance sport

so if you're jogging it's going to be

your slow twitch muscle fibers that

aren't contracting hdmus innovate fast

twitch muscle fibers these are more of

the muscle fibers that are adapted for

strength movement or high intensity

sports fast twitch muscle fibers have

the greatest potential for hypertrophy

so this means if we can activate the

hdmus over the ltmu's in our training

then we can gear our training towards

hypertrophy which we know the bigger

muscles that's going to help with our

strength now you might be wondering how

do we activate those hdmus over the

ltmu's and i'll talk about this more in

another video but just know that high

intensity training so heavy weights or

really hard intensity body weight

movements that's going to trigger the

hdmus over the ltm use and there's

different ways of doing this different

methods but that's all you need to know

for now okay so now you know about motor

units but let's go back to the nervous

system how does the nervous system

increase strength

well there are six ways that the nervous

system can potentially increase your

strength the first method is called

recruitment that is an increase in the

number of motor units being activated

for a specific movement second method

the central nervous system uses to

increase strength is called the firing

rate this is a decrease in the time

between each signal sent to the muscles

which increases the rate of contraction

third method the central nervous system

uses to increase strength is called

intramuscular coordination this is a

decrease in the amount of time between

motor units firing and working together

next method is inter-muscular

coordination this is how effectively

time the different contributing muscles

of the movement are fired so if you can

find all the muscles and muscle fibers

at the same time you're gonna get more

strength fifth method the central

nervous system uses to increase strength

is antagonistic inhibition so this is a

decrease in the resistance from the

muscles opposite of those performing the

movement so imagine my bicep and my

tricep so if my bicep contracts my

tricep relaxes if my tricep is not

providing any resistance then my bicep

can contract harder and the last and

final method the central nervous system

uses to increase strength is motor

learning this refers to the neural

connections and programs within your

brain that will affect your development

of learning movements so if your brain

can really understand the movements and

where your body needs to be for the

planche for example then you're gonna be

stronger and be able to fire the correct

muscles a lot easier don't worry if you

didn't catch with that you can always go

back later come back to this video save

it for later i just thought it was

really important to explain why the

central nervous system is what we train

in strength and how it increases our

strength okay so that's the central

nervous system done without all the

fancy biology the minimal amount you

need to know to why the central nervous

system increases your strength so now

let's go back to hypertrophy how can we

really trigger hypertrophy and what are

the methods you can use in your training

to trigger hypertrophy there are three

mechanisms that trigger hypertrophy

mechanical tension eccentric damage and

metabolic accumulation the mechanical

tension pathway is triggered during

really heavy or fast movements this is

because doing really high intensity so

heavy or fast movements really triggers

those hdmus we talked about so if we

trigger a lot of hdmus under high

intensity or high stress then the body

is going to compensate and really put on

muscle mass

the eccentric damage pathway triggers

hypertrophy by analyzing and measuring

time under tension to trigger

hypertrophy intensity or the stress

needs to be high enough but also you

need the weight or load to be light

enough so you can do multiple

repetitions to get into that rep range

where you're building muscle and not

strength so if you only do one rep of

something you're not going to suddenly

start building muscle but if you do

maybe 10 to 15 reps then you're gonna be

in a rep range where you're gonna start

building muscle by doing the repetitions

over and over you're accumulating stress

which the body recognizes and then it

compensates by putting on muscle the

last pathway metabolic accumulation

explains why cyclists have really large

quads or even physical labor workers

might have really large forearms from

using a hammer all day so although these

are really light loads so they're just

pedaling a lot and doing a lot of

repetitions or a hammer it's not too

heavy but you're doing a lot of

repetitions this accumulates metabolites

and stress markers indicating to your

body that there's a buildup of stress

and you're using that muscle a lot for

continual repetitions so to compensate

the body triggers hypertrophy and puts

on muscle so that area is safer now you

know all the pathways the body uses to

trigger hypertrophy which we know helps

with our strength when learning

calisthenics skills okay so there's one

final strength principle i want to go

over okay so this strength principle is

called heinman's size principle this

principle determines what exercises we

want to select to do in our calisthenics

program and that's why it's important to

know because it really defines how we

train heinemann size principle all this

principle says is that motor units are

recruited from smallest to largest

ltmu's are the smallest and hdmus are

the largest so it takes less of a signal

from your nerves to innervate the ltmu's

that's why they're low threshold motor

units hdmus the high threshold motor

units take a larger signal to really

activate so when we contract a muscle

the ltmu's activate first because they

need a much weaker signal and then once

the signal increases in intensity the

htm use can then be activated but when

we do near max effort movements or lifts

such as the planche that's going to be

pretty max effort the ltmus and hdmus

activate at the same time because you

get such a large neural signal sent to

the muscles to contract and hold

yourself in that planche position so

what this means for strength and

hypertrophy training is you want weight

or body weight exercises that are

intense and pretty difficult this will

ensure you activate hdmus which have the

largest potential for hypertrophy and

thus will help us strength so you can

still build muscle doing the planche or

front lever or whatever static skill if

you hold it long enough because of that

mechanical tension and metabolic

accumulation that we talked about

earlier that triggers hypertrophy if you

want me to dive deeper into how to build

muscle using statics any further then

let me know down in the comments and you

guys know i'll make a video about that

as well and if you're enjoying this

video getting value out of it just hit

like for me

okay so literally the single reason why

this equation is even important at all

is because it determines how we program

our training if we have all this

knowledge for how to get strong but we

don't actually get strong it's pretty

pointless so what comes next is

programming and how you program your

workouts to increase those neural

adaptations and hypertrophy to build

muscle and increase your strength so i'm

going to have a full calisthenics

programming skill guide coming out and

when that is out i'm going to put that

here but for now watch this video it's

going to be telling you why training to

failure is going to be killing your

planche and it's going to be taking into

account a lot of strength principles

that you don't want to miss that's going

to be helpful for your programming