Hypertrophy and strength training are both types of resistance training. Focusing on one area doesn’t mean you won’t see gains in the other, but varying your workouts can optimize your results. Resistance training is a form of exercise that includes body weight and weightlifting exercises to help increase muscular strength, size, and endurance. Hypertrophy refers to increasing the physical size of your muscles and their cells. Strength refers to increasing the amount of external force your muscles can move. Training for hypertrophy and training for strength are interconnected because they often occur at the same time. For example, when you train for hypertrophy, the increased muscular size can increase your strength. Conversely, the ability to move heavier loads during strength training can lead to bigger muscles. However, there may be some key differences to consider when it comes to your own fitness goals. Keep reading to learn more. According to the National Association of Sports Medicine (NAMS), your muscles respond differently to certain types of training.

This is known as muscular adaptations and is important to understand if you have specific goals in mind. Training for hypertrophy means you’re looking to increase the physical size of your muscles. Hypertrophy occurs when there is more protein synthesis than protein breakdown in your muscles. This may result from resistance training and eating more protein. In the early stages of resistance training, hypertrophy may occur due to increased water retention in the muscle. Research suggests muscle growth will eventually plateau, so you may have to adapt your resistance training program over time to keep experiencing hypertrophy. Training for strength involves training your nervous system to use as many muscle fibers as needed to overcome an external force. Neuromuscular adaptation is a key aspect of increasing muscular strength. This means your nervous system learns to communicate better with your muscles to produce movement and Prime Boosts force. Other aspects of muscular strength include changes in muscle tissues and the cross-sectional area (CSA), which is sometimes referred to as muscle size.

Strength training plays a vital role in most sports and everyday life. Starting out: Strength or Prime Boosts size? When you start resistance training, the NASM suggests first focusing on strength training to develop a strong foundation. Once you have a stable base, you can move into hypertrophy-focused training. Also, when first starting out, you may not see major gains in size right away. A 2018 review found that strength gains are typically noticeable after 8 to 12 weeks of strength training. However, the authors note that some studies found results in as little as 2 weeks. Early gains in strength are most likely due to neural adaptations. If you don’t see results right away, don’t get discouraged. Resistance training provides many health benefits besides getting stronger. What are the benefits of strength and hypertrophy training? Limited research focuses on the benefits of choosing one specific type of resistance training instead of the other. The type of training you choose may influence volume load and central nervous system activity.