This is a fascinating topic that can be much debated by strength and conditioning professionals. Some studies suggest that an increase in muscle size (cross sectional area) is strongly correlated with increased muscle strength while other studies believe hypertrophy has only little importance.
It is well known that undertaking some form of resistance training leads to a variety of physiological adaptions in the human body. In particular it can increase muscular strength and increase the size of the muscle known as hypertrophy. Maximum strength is the highest amount of force a muscle can produce. Increased force means it has a greater ability to lift higher loads. This translates to increased athletic performance.
When examining the training protocols for targeting hypertrophic gains it seems evident that a variety of loads are used, set and rep ranges are varied and rest intervals between exercises are relatively short (Kraemer & Ratamess, 2004). This is in comparison to targeting strength gains where the goal is to produce as much force as possible and this is conducted using high external loads with low repetitions.
Hornsby et al. (2018) argue that hypertrophy caused from resistance training can improve strength and therefore athletic performance. An example the study illustrated is the need for weight based classes in competitive lifting and combative sports such as mixed martial arts. For example, larger athletes compete in heavier weight divisions and demonstrate greater strength than their lower weight class counterparts. This makes sense as larger muscles have an increased ability to generate more force. The study also noted that strength training may be detrimental to increasing strength. It stated that training near or at 1RM consistently can have a negative impact on strength and performance measures. As well as this it may also lead to overtraining syndrome (Hornsby et al., 2018). This demonstrates that hypertrophic training methods may be beneficial for increasing strength.
A study by Loenneke et al. (2019) suggests that muscle function is not driven by these increases in muscular size. To emphasize its point the study noted that a strength test could be conducted once a month and maximal strength can be maintained despite a loss in exercise induced change in muscle strength. The study explores other mechanisms behind this increase in strength most notably neural adaptions. This study acknowledged the fact that many studies assume that strength gained beyond 4 weeks is driven by hypertrophy which limits our understanding of the nervous system to adapt to exercise.
A study by Fry (2004) compared fibre type content amongst bodybuilders, weightlifters and powerlifters. The results suggested that there was a decrease type II fibre content with bodybuilders when compared to powerlifters and weightlifters. Bodybuilders use hypertrophic training methods as their goal is to increase muscle size. What we know from the literature is that type II fibres generate higher forces. So with that knowledge it would seem that using hypertrophic methods to build strength may in fact decrease maximal strength and limit athletic performance.
After reviewing these studies it has become evident that we cannot overlook the relationship hypertrophy has with strength gains. However, it should also be acknowledged that bigger does not necessarily mean stronger. The study by Fry (2004) highlights this as bodybuilders are some of the biggest people and carry the most amount of lean body mass yet can be weaker than that of a powerlifter or weightlifter who can be smaller in size. When the goal is to increase maximal strength, hypertrophy is just one piece of the puzzle while there are many other variables that need to be taken into account.
Reference list:
Fry, A. C. (2004). The role of resistance exercise intensity on muscle fibre adaptations. Sports Med, 34(10), 663-679. doi:10.2165/00007256-200434100-00004
Hornsby, W., Gentles, J., Haff, G., Stone, M., Buckner, S., & Dankel, S. et al. (2018). What is the Impact of Muscle Hypertrophy on Strength and Sport Performance?. Strength And Conditioning Journal, 40(6), 99-111. https://doi.org/10.1519/ssc.0000000000000432
Kraemer, W., & Ratamess, N. (2004). Fundamentals of Resistance Training: Progression and Exercise Prescription. Medicine & Science In Sports & Exercise, 36(4), 674-688. https://doi.org/10.1249/01.mss.0000121945.36635.61
Loenneke, J., Dankel, S., Bell, Z., Buckner, S., Mattocks, K., Jessee, M., & Abe, T. (2019). Is muscle growth a mechanism for increasing strength?. Medical Hypotheses, 125, 51-56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2019.02.030
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