Hypertrophy vs. Strength

What is your goal? 

When going to the gym, different people have different goals and thats awesome. Some common goals may include general health, longevity, supporting a sport, injury prevention, powerlifting (lifting heavy weights), endurance, gaining muscle mass, or achieving an aesthetic physique. In order to spend your time as efficiently as possible in the gym to achive your personal goals, there are different ways you can train. Today, we're going to go over two main types of training that will work for most people's goals.   

How it works & How to do it 

Individuals looking to gain size should aim to hit each muscle group 3-4 times per week with about 3 sets each time. These sets should be done with moderately heavy weights. Aim for 8-12 reps each set. Hypertrophy training works by creating micro-tears in your muscle fibers, which your body then repairs during your recovery period. Over time, as your body keeps recovering and filling in the gaps between your muscle fibers, your muscles will increase in size and strength. Key things to keep in mind while training for hypertrophy are volume, intensity, progressive overload, time under tension, rest periods, and frequency. 

• Volume 

10-20 sets per week per muscle group

• Intensity 

Weight should be challenging, especially during later reps. Weight should be 60-80% of 1 Rep Max (ORM).

• Progressive Overload

Every week, aim to increase the weight, reps, set count, or you can improve technique and form throughout the set. This constant progression stimulates muscles to grow more over time. Without this, progress will eventually stall. Every now and then, change things up. Try a new exercise, lift heavier, do some half reps, or do something to stimulate your muscles beyond what it is used to.

• Time Under Tension (TUT)

30-60 seconds of work time per set.

Aim for controlling the weight and slow down the eccentric (lowering of weight)

• Rest Periods

30-90 seconds of rest to maintain metabolic pressure

• Frequency 

Train each muscle group for 2-3 days per week, 3 exercises per day, 2-3 sets per exercise, 8-12 reps per set. 

(2 days) x (3 exercises) x (2-3 sets) =  15-18 sets per week

How it works & how to do it 

Strength training involves higher intensity (heavy weights), low reps. To allow ATP (a quick energy source in muscle) to recover fully, rest periods are typically about 2-5 minutes long. Strength training is typically done by powerlifters, but many athletes who use the gym to support their sport do as well. For example, swimmers may incorporate strength training into their routine to improve their swimming strength. Similarly to hypertrophy, there are some key pillars to keep in mind for strength training: high intensity, low reps, longer rest, less total volume, progressive overload (for all training), speed & technique, and the 3 main lifts.

• High Intensity, Low Reps

The weight should be at or near your max exertion (like a sprint, but for weights). Reps should be from 1-5 to focus on power

• Longer Rest Periods

In order to allow your muscles to completely recover for the next set and to give time for the ATP in your muscles to regenerate, you should rest for about 2-5 minutes between each set. 

• Less total Volume  

Aim for about 10-15 sets per week to give muscles more time to recover from the high intensity

• Progressive overload 

 Similarly to hypertrophy training, you will need to aim to increase weight or improve form small a   small margin every week to continue to stimulate muscles to improve and grow 

• Speed & Technique 

 Strength training focuses on speed because having power and force allows you to carry more weight, and having a proper bar path and technique gives you protection from injury and better form.

• 3 Main Lifts

The 3 main lifts that powerlifters and athletes focus on are the bench press, deadlift, and squat, all done with a barbell. These movements are compound movements, meaning that they target many muscle groups with one exercise. 

Both hypertrophy and strength training are good ways to work out in the gym, but they yield different results. Most people incorporate a blend of the two, but to ensure constant growth and improvement in the gym, make sure you continuously have progressive overload and you're in a slight calorie surplus to gain muscle.