why aren't i bigger?

[speese]

i lift more weight in the gym than guys who are bigger than me and/or have better bodies. i know genetics play a huge role but could this be b/c i do not work out for hypertrophy well enough and perhaps my workouts are more strength geared workouts and i just don't know it? or is it just genetics plain and simple?

[hellapimpin]

i feel ya bro...i feel the exact same way...i kind of like it though, cuz it seems to turn heads when you shock people with the wieght you use

[mac55]

What does your work out split look like? What kind of set and reps?

[speese]

yeah, its fun to see a guy bigger than me and then work in with him and add weight and surprise people but outside the gym, it kind of sucks. i do a traditional split 5 on 2 off anywhere from 6-12 reps per set and about 12 worksets per workout working 1 bodypart a day except for bi's and tri's are worked together and hams and quads are worked together. i used to strength train (strength training for sports and then olympic weightlifting) which is probably how i got strong but not i do more of a hypertrophy workout.

[dangit]

Sometimes I can't lift half the weight of some guys that are half my size.

I like to beleive it's because I use super strict form and go real slow

Everyone is built differently for sure. I was working out with my roomate for two years. We did the exact same workout and ate the same stuff. My arms and legs got way bigger than his, while his chest is huge and his lats came right out.

Still pisses me off that my strenght isn't what it should be for some exercises.

[Pete235]

Originally posted by dangit
Still pisses me off that my strenght isn't what it should be for some exercises.

I'd say your leg strength is pretty decent , sure we're not pushing PL numbers, but strict form with moderately heavy wieght packs on muscle...and that's what we train for.

[mac55]

Speese: If you want mass you need to be doing very low reps, and high sets,nothing higher than 6 reps on your "core lifts". Core lifts include, bench, squat, deadlift, military, power clean, and lat pull down. For your auxilary lifts you should be doing higher reps for fewer sets.

[superjew]

I'm in the exact same boat as dangit. My muscle "look" exceeds my strength levels. By the way Dangit, I just checked out your web page. How many of those sets are taken to failure? I'm guessing you are increasing the weight on each set and failing on the last set of each exercise. Is that right?

[dangit]

It all depends on how I feel I guess. Most times I do drop sets. I put as much weight as I can do for like 6 reps, then drop some weight and finish my set.

I do a lot of my sets to failure. I don't feel like I get a good pump otherwize.

BTW Pete... I wasn't really refering to my leg strengh. It's not too bad at the moment. I'm sure they'll be sore as hell tomorrow though. My calves are certainly sore though. Thanks alot Pete

[superjew]

I see. So instead of increasing the weight on each set, you decrease the weight on each set. I've actually been thinking of giving that a try. I'm a little confused by your wording though. Is your training like this for example: You do a set of bench presses to failure at 10 reps. You would consider that one set correct? Than you would lower the weight and do another set to failure at 10. And than again for two more sets. Do you rest between each set, or are they one right after another? Sorry for all the question bro.

[speese]

the way i used to train used to involve having the reps somewhere around 3 for multiple sets but again that was strength training and i got a lot stronger that way but not really a lot bigger. a lot of muscle memory and speed work comes with that too. i think now my form is pretty strict, the only time i'll cheat is maybe on the last rep or 2. now i usually do about 2 exercises where i pyramid down in weight and put less weight on the bar for more reps each time and 2 exercises where i pyramid up in weight and put more weight on the bar for less reps each progressive set. i've heard people say how many guys do you see lift big weight who aren't big and after being in olympic weightlifting for a while and witnessing some powerlifters, i can say "a lot". don't get me wrong, i think they're both admirable, just different.

[dangit]

Originally posted by superjew
I see. So instead of increasing the weight on each set, you decrease the weight on each set. I've actually been thinking of giving that a try. I'm a little confused by your wording though. Is your training like this for example: You do a set of bench presses to failure at 10 reps. You would consider that one set correct? Than you would lower the weight and do another set to failure at 10. And than again for two more sets. Do you rest between each set, or are they one right after another? Sorry for all the question bro.

I rest between each set... sorta. I sometimes put enough weight to get 6 reps, throw some off, then go on until I can squeeze 4 more reps, then consider that a set.

The workout I have up is what I did last year. I pretty much do the same now, just in a different order. I don't write anything down or follow a log book. I just play it by ear.

I do try and go till failure on every set though. I also like doing 10 reps for every set. So if I don't do 10 reps in a set, then I'll take some weight off and finish my 10 reps. Just my preference. Everyones different.