So flipping to volume training is not the solution for producing size gains
for typical trainees.. e explanation for the non-linear non one-to-one relationship between
strength and size, at least for many trainees, may lie in the composition of
the muscles. Muscle cells are not made up of just the contractile elements
(myofibrils) that produce strength. ere are three major components of
muscle cells—the myofibrils, sarcoplasm (plasm within the cell) and mito-
chondria (the energy converters). e latter two yield muscle cell volume
but are not contractile elements. Strength-focus training acts substantially
on only the strength-yielding contractile components of the muscle cells.. Trainees who seem to respond in size pretty much linearly with strength
may have a larger proportion of myofibrils in their muscle cells than other
trainees.. To build size at an optimal rate—for all trainees—it may be necessary to
address the components of muscle cells other than just the pure strength-
yielding ones. But there is a big danger here—try to do too much at the same
time and you are likely to overtrain and thus kill progress in both size and
strength.. Many people seem to find that substantial strength gain is less difficult to
achieve than substantial lean muscle gain. It may be that consistent practice
of certain exercises in a specific strength-focus manner produces greater skill
and neurological efficiency that yields greater strength without any enlarge-
ment of any volume-related element of muscle cells.. For function-first strength-focus trainees, muscle gain is of secondary
importance. For some trainees, e.g., competitive lifters, strength gain is
required without any size gain. But for many of you, lean muscle gain is the
priority. Different trainees have different goals and values.. If you are more interested in size than strength—more concerned with
appearance than function—you may need to train more frequently and per-
haps in a different style too, to get closer to your particular genetic “ceiling.”
is does not, however, mean a lurch to mainstream routines. A bit more
frequency, a bit more volume and a different set/rep format can still keep
you in the confines of abbreviated training, albeit not as abbreviated as it can
be for pure strength training.