Big vs Strong muscle?

[Slide]

I was hoping someone could shed some light on the difference between “strong dense” muscle and “big bulky “ muscle. I noticed that some AS like Test and Dbol bulk you up a lot (I know with dbol there is a lot of water…) but with AS like Masteron, Primo, Var, Halo they are said to add “strong” muscle.

What is the difference? And can a muscle really become stronger without getting bigger? That doesn’t make sense to me.

Thanks,

[sfour_tay]

Bump. Good topic slide. Should be a good chance for the vets to flex there brain muscles for us.

Just a thought. Could the ammout of muscle fiber vs th size of the fibers have something to do with it ?

[Roidbeginner]

would muscle conditioning be a more probable answer?

What I meant is that for a well-trained bodybuilder, doing a bench press is a much easier task than boat rowing (versus trained boat rowers) or gymnastics (versus gymnst) even though the AAS make them stronger and bigger in size.

Nonetheless, I did witness a few much smaller frames guys being stronger than bigger size guys. I reckon the fiber quality is more important than fiber size.

[Hamma Head]

Being strong has a lot to do with genetics and tendon structure. You find insanely strong little power lifters thats because their tendons connect at a lower point on the bone.

[ranging1]

if ur linking to strong dense to things like var, tren, primo, halo etc, then ur refering to steroids that dont cause much water retention

this gives muscles a leaner and more solid look

also things liek halo and tren and VERY androgenic, so they give alot of lifters aggression and power to help them lift more

as for big bulky muscles caused by dbol and testerone, im presuming ur talking about the large abilitly for these steroids to aromatize to estrogen causing large amounts of water retention giving them a more mass look

YES muscle can become stonger without becoming bigger, this is llinked to the type of muscle fibers its made up of, aswell as ur bodys condition and CNS abilities

many strength traininers have fast twitch mucle fibers, and their CNS is mainly orientated to acheieving short burst lifts, not continous

hope that ansers everything

[NEMESIS RR]

I think a large part of it is also pain tolerance and determination. I cant tell you how often I see huge guys in the gym training with light weight (for their size) talking as they lift, stopping a set to answer a cell phone, or guys not even breaking a sweat. This to me is all an over dependence on gear on not old fashioned hard work.

[mickdiesel]

ok hold on:

hard, "dry" looking mucsles from dht compounds (masteron, anavar, primo, etc) dont categorically mean strong. it means hard and dry looking. aesthetics when using steroids are really only aesthetics. obvioulsy big dudes are strong but a "wet" ass looking, flabby powerlifter will shatter most any weight the majority of pro bb'ers go near.

strength comes from genetics and training regimen. bb'ers do not train like powerlifters and vice verca, for a reason.

the two are polar ideas, diet requirements and lifestyles.

honestly when the pro's look their biggest and strongest theyre actually so depleted they couldnt lift much of anything, they use bands for thorough swells.

never caught magnus samuelson doin shit with bands except maybe tyin his horse of a wife up

and before anyone goes crazy, yes there are exceptions to the rule both ways:
marius pudzianowski*
dexter jackson
branch warren
that new american strong man dude that looks like a tan california mariusz
etc etc

[nilrac]

Ronnie Coleman is a strong dude as well.

[graeme87]

ok hold on:

hard, "dry" looking mucsles from dht compounds (masteron, anavar, primo, etc) dont categorically mean strong. it means hard and dry looking. aesthetics when using steroids are really only aesthetics. obvioulsy big dudes are strong but a "wet" ass looking, flabby powerlifter will shatter most any weight the majority of pro bb'ers go near.

strength comes from genetics and training regimen. bb'ers do not train like powerlifters and vice verca, for a reason.

the two are polar ideas, diet requirements and lifestyles.

honestly when the pro's look their biggest and strongest theyre actually so depleted they couldnt lift much of anything, they use bands for thorough swells.

never caught magnus samuelson doin shit with bands except maybe tyin his horse of a wife up

and before anyone goes crazy, yes there are exceptions to the rule both ways:
marius pudzianowski*
dexter jackson
branch warren
that new american strong man dude that looks like a tan california mariusz
etc etc

This is a good detailed reply.

I’d like to add, strength comes from training the CNS with heavy weight (powerlifting).
Also as mentioned previously the way muscle fibbers and ligaments attach to bone help (genetics)

As for comparing one steroid to another, var vs dbol for example.
You will gain more strength but also body weight on dbol with var you can gain strength with little to no weight gain.

[operationgetbig]

when strength goes up so will size. they go hand in hand.

[mickdiesel]

they occur simultaneously sometimes but are not necessarily together all the time. plenty of blown up dudes in the gym that are all puff no buff.

and plenty of 180lb dudes lifting heavy.

theyre not synonomous,unless were talking about vs joe average. then yeah, were all big strong monsters.

[PistolStarta]

when strength goes up so will size. they go hand in hand.

definately my experience.

[dec11]

when strength goes up so will size. they go hand in hand.

nope, ive powerlifted at 75kg for three years, in the past,, i got stronger but kept weight, obviousily as time goes on weight goes up but they do not go hand in hand like ppl think

[urbanbody]

When bodybuilders reach a certain level of size they do not wanna risk getting hurt is the reason why they don't go heavy on certain exercises. As for gaining strength and size , the size will come after the strength in most cases. But the tendons play a huge role as to how much weight you can move. As for the drugs the dht help in making you stronger and more aggressive with your intensity to move the weight.

[nilrac]

Ofcourse strength and size are related, but in terms of weight training, there are so many dynamics.

[graeme87]

Strength and size are related in that a heavy weight powerlifter is stronger than a gut at 75Kg for example but there are lots of 75Kg powerlifters that will out lift 100KG bodybuilders.

Also as stated above, it is possible to lift for years getting stronger and stronger but maintain the same weight. However we are talking about powerlifting here were the goal is strength not size if you’re going for size then your strength and size will go up together not necessarily inline with each other but strength can go up without increasing weight.

[alpmaster]

nope, ive powerlifted at 75kg for three years, in the past,, i got stronger but kept weight, obviousily as time goes on weight goes up but they do not go hand in hand like ppl think

It's because you got better at the lifts in those years. Muscle size is only increased as weights used are increased, if you bench 135 for your whole life you will only develop a chest that is big enough and efficient enough to press 135. There are multiple components to strength, and muscle size/amount of fibers is one of them, a bigger muscle will always be a stronger muscle.