Fitness Volt
  • Bodybuilding
  • Powerlifting
  • Strongman
  • Workouts
    • Training
    • Exercise Guides
    • Workout Plans
    • Celebrity Workouts
    • Training Programs
  • Nutrition
    • Supplements
    • Diet
    • Diet Plans
    • Nutrition Tips
    • Food Facts
  • Reviews
  • More
    • CrossFit
    • News
      • Mr. Olympia
      • Arnold Classic
      • Results
      • 2022 WSM
    • Fitness Calculator
    • Profiles
    • Motivation
    • Videos
    • MMA
No Result
View All Result
Fitness Volt
  • Bodybuilding
  • Powerlifting
  • Strongman
  • Workouts
    • Training
    • Exercise Guides
    • Workout Plans
    • Celebrity Workouts
    • Training Programs
  • Nutrition
    • Supplements
    • Diet
    • Diet Plans
    • Nutrition Tips
    • Food Facts
  • Reviews
  • More
    • CrossFit
    • News
      • Mr. Olympia
      • Arnold Classic
      • Results
      • 2022 WSM
    • Fitness Calculator
    • Profiles
    • Motivation
    • Videos
    • MMA
No Result
View All Result
Fitness Volt
No Result
View All Result
Muscle Science

Muscle Size Vs Muscle Strength

Justin Robertson

Written by Justin Robertson

Last Updated onMay 30, 2018

When most of us see a big bodybuilder, we tend to draw the conclusion that they must be extremely strong. If they look really strong, the assumption is that they must also be very strong. Today’s top pro bodybuilders are literally the most muscular men and women to have ever existed in human history, but the facts of the matter are that they are far from the strongest of humans.

Don’t get me wrong, these people are plenty strong, but the strongest of human beings are nowhere near as muscular. That is because the truth is that the size of a muscle is not directly proportional to the strength of a muscle. It is actually a fact that as mass increases, it becomes more difficult to be as relatively strong. It is also true that if muscle size increases, then strength does as well, but not as much as you would think.

When it comes to building strength, we can call muscle size the weak force, and the motor unit activation and fiber types are the strong forces. The qualities that make up both muscle size and muscle strength are very different. To understand their differences, we have to look at each of these attributes to see how they are composed.

Muscle size is made up of a few different ingredients. Contractile proteins are what are responsible for the mechanical work of the actual moving of your body.  The sarcoplasm (an article on how to increase the size of yours here) is the fluid in your muscle cells. This is where it becomes more apparent as to why muscle size and strength are not relative, because the size of your muscle is made up of as much water, as they are made from contractile proteins. Sarcoplasm (water ‘size’ in simple terms) does play an important role in strength, but not to the degree that contractile proteins do. Even with a maximum amount of both sarcoplasm and contractile proteins, it is still possible for someone with half as much of these to be stronger. To understand why, we need to look at what makes up the strong forces of a muscle.

The first of the strong forces is at least part of what accounts for the fact that top middleweight powerlifters, and olympic weightlifters are considerably stronger than the world’s top heavyweight bodybuilders, even though they are almost half of their size. Part of this is because our bodies are extremely efficient. Just because you have a certain amount of muscle fibers, does not mean that you will be able to contract all of those fibers at the same time, because this is an extremely energy draining process. This is why the more advanced you become in strength, the longer your rest periods have to become. At this point you are working harder than someone who is a beginner can work. This is because the development of strength is in fact the training of your body to recruit more muscle fibers at the same time. You aren’t growing more of them, just using them to their capacity.

We also have to factor in the difference in fiber types. There are many kinds, but to keep things simple, there are two main types: fast twitch fibers and slow twitch fibers. In simple terms, the fast twitch fibers are the ones you use when you want to go fast, and the slow twitch fibers are better at endurance. The fast ones are more efficient at bursts of energy that result in both speed and strength, and the slow twitch ones are more efficient for a more moderate use of energy, and for a longer period of time.

You can have two different people who are of identical size, that are composed of entirely different muscle fiber types. One would be built for endurance, and the other would be built for strength. There are also things like leverage as dictated by limb-length, tendon and ligament attachment points – all of which will contribute greatly to strength if in an advantageous proportion.

As you can see, there are many factors that make up muscle, and many different combinations and possibilities that will determine your genetic potential for both muscular strength, and muscular size. The method you choose to train will of course be a huge determining factor as well, to what the end result will be regarding both muscle mass, and muscle fiber recruitment ability. The choice is yours as to which you see the most value in. Do you want to look strong, or be strong, or a little of both?

Happy Lifting!

Add Fitness Volt to your Google News feed. Follow us on Google News
For the latest news and updates please follow us on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Facebook Twitter Reddit Flipboard LinkedIn
Categories: Muscle Science
Previous Post

The Science of Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) Training

Next Post

Carb Backloading – Complete Guide

Justin Robertson

Justin Robertson

Related

Core Rotation Exercises

The Best Rotation and Anti-Rotation Exercises for Functional Core Strength

When it comes to abs training, many exercisers focus too much on the anterior or front abdominal muscles. They pump...

Chest and Biceps Workout

Top 5 Best Chest and Biceps Workout Routines For Building Muscle Mass, Symmetry, and Conditioning

Chest and biceps are amongst the favorite muscles to train for most people. However, lifters usually train the two muscle...

Best Bodyweight Exercises

The 21 Best Bodyweight Exercises for Muscle Size and Strength

A lot of bodybuilders and experienced lifters are very quick to dismiss bodyweight exercises, believing that they’re not challenging enough...

Pre Workout Weight Gain

Does Pre-Workout Make You Gain Weight?

Contrary to what a lot of people think, performance-boosting supplements are nothing new. In fact, for as long as humankind...

Muscle Atrophy

Muscle Atrophy – Causes and How to Avoid

Building muscle is a process called hypertrophy. When you train, you cause microscopic damage to your muscles and deplete your...

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest

Levator Scapulae Stretches to Alleviate Neck Stiffness and Pain

Lee Haney Cautions Bodybuilders Against Dehydration and Unqualified Coaches, Shares Tips for Safe Contest Prep

Powerlifter Phillip Herndon Lands 910-lb (412.8-kg) Unofficial Raw Squat All-Time World Record In Training

Jimmy Kolb Sets 612.5-kg (1,350.3-lb) Equipped Bench Press World Record & Heaviest Lift In Powerlifting History

Mike O’Hearn and Joseph Baena Crush An Intense Shoulder Training Session

Triple H Workout and Diet Program

Reviews

Best Bone Broth Supplements

10 Best Bone Broth Supplements of 2023 (Reviewed & Ranked)

Body Fortress Whey Protein Review

Body Fortress Super Advanced Whey Protein Review

Best Coffee Creamer

10 Best Coffee Creamer For Intermittent Fasting of 2023 (Review & Ranked)

Fitness Volt

At FitnessVolt.com Our mission is to help our readers to achieve their fitness goals, regardless of where you’re at on your journey, we are on a mission to educate You with the latest from strength and fitness space. Read more.

Email: sm(at)fitnessvolt.com

Disclosure: FitnessVolt.com has an affiliate relationship with different brands and is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. However, our reviews are based on well research backed analysis.

Follow Us

Trending Topics

  • Mr. Olympia
  • Bodybuilding
  • Strongman
  • Powerlifting
  • CrossFit
  • At Home Workouts
  • Bodyweight Exercises
  • Best Pre-workout
  • Best Fat Burners
  • Bodybuilding Diet
  • Bicep Workouts
  • Triceps Workouts
  • Chest Exercises
  • Back Workouts
  • Leg Workouts
  • Front Squat Guide
  • Calf Workouts & Exercises
  • Forgotten Exercises
  • Jefferson Deadlift

Calculators

  • Calorie Burning Calculators
  • IF Calculator
  • TDEE Calculator
  • Calorie Calculator
  • Keto Calculator
  • RMR Calculator
  • Macronutrient Calculator
  • Creatine Calculator
  • Wilks Calculator
  • EER Calculator
  • FFMI Calculator
  • IBW Calculator
  • LBM Calculator
  • Fat Intake Calculator
  • Calories Burned Swimming
  • Calories Per Meal Calculator

  • Food Nutrition Analysis
  • Carb Cycling Calculator
  • Weight Gain Calculator
  • Weight Loss Calculator
  • Calories Burned Calculator
  • Strength Standards
  • One Rep Max Calculator
  • Body Fat Calculator
  • EER Calculator
  • Weight Loss Percentage
  • Treadmill Calorie Calculator
  • Body Surface Area Calculator
  • Running Pace Calculator
  • Bench Press Calculator
  • Protein Calculator
  • Water Intake Calculator
  • Body Type Quiz
  • Steps to Miles Calculator
  • Calorie Deficit Calculator
  • Home
  • About
  • Jobs
  • Accessibility
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Syndication
  • Sitemap
  • DMCA
  • Copyrights
  • Terms
  • Privacy

© Copyright 2010 - 2022 Fitness Volt IBC. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Bodybuilding
  • Powerlifting
  • Strongman
  • CrossFit
  • Workouts
  • Exercise Guides
    • Arms
    • Back
    • Chest
    • Core
    • Legs and Glutes
    • Shoulders
  • Training
  • Nutrition
  • Reviews
  • More
    • News
    • Mr. Olympia
    • 2022 WSM
    • Diet
    • Arnold Classic
    • Motivation
    • Videos
    • Food Facts
    • Fitness Calculator

© Copyright 2010 - 2022 Fitness Volt IBC. All Rights Reserved.