People have different ways of working out and it all comes down to what kind of exercises they like to do and their preferred training style. There is an endless amount of exercises you can try but due to how your body is built, some exercises may not work for you. Strength vs hypertrophy, these training styles are some of the most popular ways of working out. Some people prefer a mix of both while others prefer to do each separately. If you want to implement these styles then read further to find the differences between strength and hypertrophy training.
Strength Vs Hypertrophy: Strength Training
Strength training is pretty self-explanatory but as the name suggests, it focuses on building and maximizing your strength level. This style of training usually follows a pattern of low-volume exercises with an increased level of intensity. It basically means you’re lifting more weight but you’re also doing fewer reps. You won’t be able to dish out as many reps with strength training due to how heavy the weight gets. Strength training puts more emphasis on compound lifts as these are where you usually lift the most weights. Any muscle gained from this will appear dense instead of appearing bubbly and toned.
Strength Training Nutrition
Since your main target is to maximize your strength levels you will need a lot of energy to lift so many heavy weights. Calories play a big role in any kind of fitness journey and it’s the same for strength training. Adopting a high-carb diet will likely put you where you need to be in terms of energy levels. Carbohydrates pack a lot of energy which is stored in your body. Try more carb-heavy foods such as rice or pasta and maintain protein and fat as they are.
Strength Training Recovery
Recovery is an important role in strength training because the more you rest the stronger you get. That being said you should take at least 24-48 hour breaks between workout sessions so that your muscles can recover. Rest periods between workouts are also important. You want to take longer periods of rest between each set and exercise. After finishing a set, wait for 1-3 minutes. This way you can recover with more energy so that you can lift heavy.
Strength Vs Hypertrophy: Hypertrophy Training
Muscular hypertrophy refers to training your muscles toward maximum endurance. Where strength training builds power, hypertrophy is more beneficial for building more muscle. Most workouts in hypertrophy training feature a lot of volume with moderate intensity. You want to pick a weight that you can control but it still takes effort to lift. Hypertrophy training includes performing a lot of reps usually in the range of 12-15 or more for some people. This style of training builds aesthetic muscle and builds endurance. If you want a lean and toned physique, hypertrophy is the way to go.
Hypertrophy Training Nutrition
Since the goal of hypertrophy is to build lean muscle, you want to be mindful of what you eat. A clean diet while helpful is hard to maintain so you can get away with a little bit of the things you like. Don’t go too crazy though, because you still need to watch what you eat. Carbohydrates are important and should take up most of your diet although you also need to keep your protein intake high. The advised amount of protein intake is 0.8g per kilo of your body weight. You also need to lower your fat intake because even the littlest amount of fat can add unwanted calories.
Hypertrophy Training Recovery
When you’re doing hypertrophy training you should focus on less rest between sets and workouts than you’d do during strength training. You want to focus on maximizing your endurance and lifting high volumes so the low rest periods help to save time. Take a break of 30 seconds between each set before continuing. This is better for muscular hypertrophy as you put your body under more stress. Make sure you get a proper night’s rest along with 24-48 hours for muscular recovery between each session.
Key Difference Between Strength And Hypertrophy
- Strength training is better with compound workouts where you can lift heavy. Hypertrophy Training puts more emphasis on isolation workouts where you can target each muscle individually. If you’re bulking then go for strength training but if you’re cutting then hypertrophy is more helpful.
- Appearance wise you might notice a difference between each training in muscle size and shape. Strength training improves muscle density and size whereas hypertrophy helps to build a more toned physique. The appearance of muscle is more pleasing in hypertrophy.
- Mind muscle connection is more important for hypertrophy. You need to put more emphasis on muscle building through isolation training and this is where the connection comes into play!
- You need to make sure you select the right exercises. Hypertrophy requires a larger variety of workouts because you want to get in as much volume as you can. For strength training you can stick to the same compound lifts every session and you’ll see progress as you increase the overall weight you lift each session.
Conclusion
It doesn’t matter how much you workout out. If you’re doing the exercises without proper form and safety along with following an unhealthy diet then you won’t see any progress. Now that you know more about the difference in strength vs hypertrophy, you have a broader view of what each training style entails. Try out what you want and if you like it, then stick to it. Keep consistency in mind and you’ll achieve the level of health you want.
