Leading sports scientist, Vladimir Zatsiorsky, has identified three ways to develop maximal tension (and therefore, size and strength) in a muscle
The Repetition Method: Higher reps with submaximal weights to spark muscle hypertrophy. More size equals better leverage. Someone with a pancake chest pushes the bar farther on the bench press than a lifter with a barrel chest assuming same arm length. The literature unanimously agrees that a bigger muscle is a stronger one.
Training in “bodybuilding” rep ranges will get you stronger—anecdotal evidence supports this and many of top strength athletes off-season train high reps, giving their central nervous systems a break and for hypertrophy.
The Dynamic Method: Force = Mass x Acceleration. The key is violently exerting as much force possible into the barbell with each repetition, not pumping out res. This is Compensatory Acceleration Training (CAT). Lots of bodybuilders do this unknowingly when doing a set of 12 reps – the first 3-4 reps are explosive, while the next 8-9 reps lose steam. Knowingly or not, they are getting beneficial adaptations from the dynamic method for strength gains in the first few reps. Your first rep is always your strongest – from that point on you are getting weaker – so exerting maximum force from the get-go can help you increase muscle tension.
The Max Effort Method: Lifting weights over 90 percent for 1-3 reps.
This is how most powerlifters train when prepping for a meet. It’s very intense but doesn’t involve very many repetitions, providing some of the same benefits as the Dynamic Method. Bodybuilders like Ronnie Coleman have used the max effort method as little as three weeks out from the Olympia.
Strength is primarily gained by lifting heavy weight for low reps and lots of sets, mostly as a result of adaptations in the central nervous system (CNS). This maximizes neural efficiency or, in other words, gets you more coordinated at the movement. Greater coordination leads to leads to more efficiency of a lift, allowing all participating muscles to more fully contribute to each rep.
It takes longer to get strong with <80% but happens faster with CAT 📸
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