How do you get stronger without getting bigger?

[ImTheDoubleGreatest!]

It was flat barbell bench press. Now I max out at around 80kg 3 x 5 as I haven't trained frequently enough from 17 onwards. I am 5'10 & 170lbs at around 16-17% bf. I used to be 150 @12%. Aiming to be 12% bf without a focus on weight too much.

Edit: I put on the most mass using German Volume Training, but the strength wasn't there to back it up. When I was 15 and lifting relatively heavy weights for my frame it must have looked quite weird.

I think the right way to train is to build strength first and size will come somewhere down the road. I did a LOT of cardio when I was 15, I think probably had something to do with how light I was then. When I had a few months straight of training without much cardio @ 20 years old, I found it a lot easier to gain muscle. Elevated testosterone probably had something to do with it as well.

Like I say I don't know the exact science behind it all, just know what has worked for me when I have trained!

I think you are right about cardio. I did a fvckton of cardio back when I was 175 lbs yet still looked 160. I notice a lot of athletes are like that actually, especially those top tier elite athletes like Olympians. Maybe that's what I need to do. I was honestly thinking that may have had something to do with it but I know so many people who say how cardio fvcked with your gains. Maybe gains in size is what they were talking about rather than gains in strength. That's also insane how you were able to do that too. That's what I want to be like. Where it looks like I'm lifting much heavier weights than I should.

 

[marmel75]

It was flat barbell bench press. Now I max out at around 80kg 3 x 5 as I haven't trained frequently enough from 17 onwards. I am 5'10 & 170lbs at around 16-17% bf. I used to be 150 @12%. Aiming to be 12% bf without a focus on weight too much.

Edit: I put on the most mass using German Volume Training, but the strength wasn't there to back it up. When I was 15 and lifting relatively heavy weights for my frame it must have looked quite weird.

I think the right way to train is to build strength first and size will come somewhere down the road. I did a LOT of cardio when I was 15, I think probably had something to do with how light I was then. When I had a few months straight of training without much cardio @ 20 years old, I found it a lot easier to gain muscle. Elevated testosterone probably had something to do with it as well.

Like I say I don't know the exact science behind it all, just know what has worked for me when I have trained!

Elevated Testosterone has been found in numerous studies to have ZERO impact on muscle gain unless it's at supraphysiological levels via exogenous Testosterone(aka steroids).

It does however, have significant impact on fat loss, particularly abdominal fat loss.

 

[ImTheDoubleGreatest!]

Elevated Testosterone has been found in numerous studies to have ZERO impact on muscle gain unless it's at supraphysiological levels via exogenous Testosterone(aka steroids).

It does however, have significant impact on fat loss, particularly abdominal fat loss.

What are these studies and how can I find them? And how does it have 0 impact on muscle gain unless it's synthetic?

 

[marmel75]

What are these studies and how can I find them? And how does it have 0 impact on muscle gain unless it's synthetic?

Because it only effects muscle growth at levels that are supraphysiological...meaning at levels that are impossible to produce naturally in the human body and can only be possible when steroids are taken. The research found it significantly impacted fat loss/gain even at modest increases/decreases but had no effect on muscle gain.

Google "Testosterone doesn't increase muscle growth"...I have the study but it keeps crashing when I try and paste the link...if you can't find it I'll post it once I get home on my desktop

 

[ImTheDoubleGreatest!]

Because it only effects muscle growth at levels that are supraphysiological...meaning at levels that are impossible to produce naturally in the human body and can only be possible when steroids are taken. The research found it significantly impacted fat loss/gain even at modest increases/decreases but had no effect on muscle gain.

Google "Testosterone doesn't increase muscle growth"...I have the study but it keeps crashing when I try and paste the link...if you can't find it I'll post it once I get home on my desktop

I've found several of these studies. But a problem with all of the studies that I read is that all of these participants were essentially beginners; they were nowhere near their biological limit. Obviously someone who hasn't lifted at all can make more gains in one year than someone who's been lifting for 5+ years. Another thing that got me questioning this even more is that transvestites who were formerly men notice a significant decrease in strength after being castrated, and men who haven't lifted any weights at all still tend to be stronger than women who have never lifted any weights. Even if you compare weightlifters, natty men are still stronger than natty women too. Shoot, I see one women at the gym I go to who must have been lifting for almost 10 years and seems to be juicing, but I can still lift a fvckton more than her; several of the studies I've read stated that exogenous test is more effective on women's performance than on men's, yet I am able to outperform said woman. Even in the Olympics, the men of today are still smashing through world records set back when taking steroids was still allowed, whereas women aren't even coming anywhere close to some of those that were set decades ago.

 

[marmel75]

I've found several of these studies. But a problem with all of the studies that I read is that all of these participants were essentially beginners; they were nowhere near their biological limit. Obviously someone who hasn't lifted at all can make more gains in one year than someone who's been lifting for 5+ years. Another thing that got me questioning this even more is that transvestites who were formerly men notice a significant decrease in strength after being castrated, and men who haven't lifted any weights at all still tend to be stronger than women who have never lifted any weights. Even if you compare weightlifters, natty men are still stronger than natty women too. Shoot, I see one women at the gym I go to who must have been lifting for almost 10 years and seems to be juicing, but I can still lift a fvckton more than her; several of the studies I've read stated that exogenous test is more effective on women's performance than on men's, yet I am able to outperform said woman. Even in the Olympics, the men of today are still smashing through world records set back when taking steroids was still allowed, whereas women aren't even coming anywhere close to some of those that were set decades ago.

Men are just physically stronger than women. They have far more muscle and the chain of movements by the muscles/tendons/bones and attachments all play a role in this. Men were simply designed for strength more than women. This has Nothing to do with hormones it has to do with design.

 

[ImTheDoubleGreatest!]

Men are just physically stronger than women. They have far more muscle and the chain of movements by the muscles/tendons/bones and attachments all play a role in this. Men were simply designed for strength more than women. This has Nothing to do with hormones it has to do with design.

Testosterone still promotes protein synthesis in the muscle though, and seeing as though men have more test than women so it would make sense how that's one of the reasons why men are stronger. Males and females are basically the same until puberty hits too. That's why strength is pretty much even across the board among children. It's only during and after puberty that our bodies change. One of the reasons for this is because of test. I know that men naturally have more muscle than women and a bone structure that's greater for transmitting and receiving force, but it happens because of the androgens in our body causing this change.

And plus that still does not address transvestites getting MUCH weaker after they transition.

 

[marmel75]

Testosterone still promotes protein synthesis in the muscle though, and seeing as though men have more test than women so it would make sense how that's one of the reasons why men are stronger. Males and females are basically the same until puberty hits too. That's why strength is pretty much even across the board among children. It's only during and after puberty that our bodies change. One of the reasons for this is because of test. I know that men naturally have more muscle than women and a bone structure that's greater for transmitting and receiving force, but it happens because of the androgens in our body causing this change.

And plus that still does not address transvestites getting MUCH weaker after they transition.

1) IGF-1 is far more important than Testosterone in the production of muscle.
2) Testosterone is not even the most anabolic hormone in your body. Insulin is roughly 4 times more anabolic than Testosterone(although indiscriminantly so---it will create fat just as easily as muscle).
3) To a degree yes, the hormones do cause the changes in strength, etc, but there are far more factors in play than simply testosterone. That is far, far too simplified. Considering plenty of men these days have low testosterone levels, 1/3 of the men would be the same size and stregnth as the average women and that just isn't the case.