Strength or Hypertrophy First?

[Mars81 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mars81]

I just started lifting weights again almost 2 months ago. Through out the years I have been exercising off and on, mostly off though and when I would I wouldn't be consistent. I am stating all this to give a better understanding where I am at. I am 28 years old, 6'2", 220 lbs., with 21% body fat. I can lose 10-20lbs. of body fat mass, but that isn't what I need help on. My question is as far as weight training, is it better to go for strength or hypertrophy first?

My plan is to gain in strength/muscle mass, would it be more effective to train in hypertrophy after finishing a cycle of a strength program? To me this sounds effective because you make strength gains as best as possible, and afterward when you start training in hypertrophy you will get your muscle gains waay quicker since you are stronger and able to push more weight. What would it be like the other way around though? would it be smarter or even more effective? To get big first then strong instead?

I am going to school to become a personal trainer, the teachers are by the book when it comes to a lot of principles, and they don't know alot about new training methods, especially resistance training. Right now I designed myself a 3 day a week split weight training program where I am hitting back and chest, Biceps triceps & forearms, legs and shoulders, on different days, doing 4 sets of 6-10 reps to failure, 2:30 minute rest between sets, and 2-3 exercises per muscle group. I am unsure as to follow this for strength training first or to design more of a hypertrophy program and follow that first. Again, my goals are both strength and hypertrophy. What do you guys think?

[4toX Member Find all posts View Profile Close 4toX]

I think you should go for strength first. You will still gain muscle mass while training for strength anyways. Bodybuilders aren't necessarily stronger than let us say olympic weightlifters (Probably weaker). Bodybuilders don't care though as they train for hypertrophy, while oly lifters train to lift as much weight as possible. (Same applies for powerlifters) I guess you can train for both strength and hypertrophy by keeping the reps moderate and the intensity relatively high (5 reps around, heavy as possible). Or you can train for strength and do bodybuilding routines from time to time. I would put less importance on hypertrophy though but that's just me. I prefer strength.

Again, IMO I think you should definitely go for strength FIRST, and then hypertrophy. The training style is completely different for maximal strength vs hypertrophy.

[Mars81 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mars81]

Thanks 4toX, my views exactly! I am training for strength first and then hypertrophy.....I guess a hybrid routine wouldn't hurt either. I thought at 6 reps it would still be considered strength training and that hypertrophy is more on the 8-12 rep ranges. Do you think I should drop my rep ranges further below 6 reps for strength? What parameters would you say?

[4toX Member Find all posts View Profile Close 4toX]

I think 6 is perfect. I'm pretty sure this will both benefit your strength and it will also be equally good for hypertrophy. If you really want maximal strength, you basically have to do really heavy weights. 1-3 reps. (GOOD FORM IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT)

How strong do you want to get? How big do you want to get?

[Mars81 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mars81]

I want to get big and strong but I haven't set any specific goals like benching/squatting up to x amount of weights or chest/arms at x inches, you know? I should set some long term goals soon though...

[Big Al AdministratorPEGym EditorMale Enhancement Coach Rep.PEGym Hero Find all posts View Profile Close Big Al]

After neurological adaptation (a fancy way of saying "just getting used to the exercises"), structural strength should be the first thing on your list. Develop a good strength base first and then you can start specializing.

[Big Al AdministratorPEGym EditorMale Enhancement Coach Rep.PEGym Hero Find all posts View Profile Close Big Al]

Thanks 4toX, my views exactly! I am training for strength first and then hypertrophy.....I guess a hybrid routine wouldn't hurt either. I thought at 6 reps it would still be considered strength training and that hypertrophy is more on the 8-12 rep ranges. Do you think I should drop my rep ranges further below 6 reps for strength? What parameters would you say?

There are other factors to consider like rep speed. For size, you'll want to do a moderate number of reps and sets, at moderate speed with fairly short rest periods between sets. For strength, you'll want to use low reps, less sets, with longer rest between sets. For maximal strength your reps will be fairly slow because of the amount of weight used. For power (speed x strength), you should use weights in the 50-80% max range done at explosive speed.

It would be a good idea to cycle your training to develop a good balance of all of the above, and this will also keep you from getting caught up in plateaus too. It also keeps your training interesting and your motivation up.

[4toX Member Find all posts View Profile Close 4toX]

I want to get big and strong but I haven't set any specific goals like benching/squatting up to x amount of weights or chest/arms at x inches, you know? I should set some long term goals soon though...

You should allow yourself some time to think about your goals but you should definitely just go to the gym and DO SOMETHING, and do it consistently for the time being since you don't have any specific goals yet. I'll mention it again, be sure to always be thinking about improving your form to prevent any injuries.

Before you start training seriously, get the form down pat!

Force yourself to go to the gym consistently, no matter what. EVEN IF YOU ARE SICK, you can still do a light workout.

Just do SOMETHING for now, and do it CONSISTENTLY anything is better than nothing. You'll figure out what you want soon enough.

[kingpole Retired ModeratorPEGym Hero Find all posts View Profile Close kingpole]

I say hypertrophy, i see guys in the gym lifting heavy with no muscle to show for it. all the heavy work is useless when nothing is developing. Me on the other hand i have to keep weight level on the bench press around 100-140 lbs. If i go higher i will throw my body out of balance. You see my chest is 48" i can get it bigger, that area develops faster than everything else does.

Hypertrophy comes when your not use the weight your ligting. Strength then follows suit so hypertrophy should come before strengh. but really they come together.

[kingpole Retired ModeratorPEGym Hero Find all posts View Profile Close kingpole]

There are other factors to consider like rep speed. For size, you'll want to do a moderate number of reps and sets, at moderate speed with fairly short rest periods between sets. For strength, you'll want to use low reps, less sets, with longer rest between sets. For maximal strength your reps will be fairly slow because of the amount of weight used. For power (speed x strength), you should use weights in the 50-80% max range done at explosive speed.

It would be a good idea to cycle your training to develop a good balance of all of the above, and this will also keep you from getting caught up in plateaus too. It also keeps your training interesting and your motivation up.

Yeah this is right on target.

[gosh Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close gosh]

Strength and hypertrophy go pretty much together. If you go for strength you'll be getting some size as a side effect. If you go for more muscle mass you'll be getting stronger as a side effect. It's important though to focus on one because if you try to go for strength and hypertrophy at the same time you'll end up with two side effects instead of one full. And also at some point strength can become a limiting factor for hypertrophy and vice versa - you might need more muscle to get stronger, so it's important to cycle the training as Big Al said.

To answer your question - I think either way is good. If you're new to weightlifting your body will be very responsive to all kinds of training so you'll gain quite a lot of strength with a hypertrophy program (of course for optimal effect food and rest are just as important as the training). I think in the beginning it's a good idea to start with a training plan with high volume (more reps) so you can get used to the lifts. And whatever you do in the beginning focus on the basic movements, they should be the main focus of your workouts. You can go a long way by doing only the main lifts (squat, deadlift, bench press, military press, chin ups/pull ups, dips, rows).

BTW if you're going for strength I would suggest not to go to failure too often. In my experience the best results come when you leave just a little bit in the tank.

It's very important to have some goal so you know where you want to get, then you can find the way. I would suggest reading as much as possible (tmuscle.com is a pretty cool place for that) but the most important thing is to train, just go to the gym and train hard, over time you'll get the hang of it.

[Mars81 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mars81]

Thanks guys! I think I will first focus on strength first just to have a good strength base before I begin my quest on building my muscles, and then go back to strength before I train for different types of muscular fitness goals.

[CaptainC0ck Member Find all posts View Profile Close CaptainC0ck]

strength all the way!!!! If you start off with HIIT or hypertrophy you wouldn't be strong enough to overload you muscle fibers thus leading to a lack of results and more often injury.