What is the difference between training for strength, mass and relief
Often when discussing training programs, such concepts as strength training and mass training come up. It is rather difficult for a beginner to understand this issue, and even more so to answer what he is striving for: to be a powerlifter or a bodybuilder. Let's analyze these concepts and differences in conducting classes in each of the areas.
So, mass training aims to gain the most content in muscle tissue non-contractile proteins and metabolic reserves. These terms mean glycogen, creatine phosphate, myoglobin and others. In the process of increasing the concentration of these substances, the volume of the sarcoplasm of the muscle fiber, namely its non-contractile part, increases. For this reason, in the science of bodybuilding, building muscle mass thus, it is called sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. This area of \u200b\u200bclasses includes bodybuilders.
In turn, training aimed at increasing the strength of muscle tissue selects fast muscle fibers as an object for influence. This type of fiber is most predisposed to the growth of strength indicators of muscle tissue due to the increase. The self-contractile apparatus of a muscle cell is called "myofibril", and therefore an increase in tissue strength characteristics is called myofibrillar hypertrophy. With an increase in the density of the self-contractile apparatus of muscle cells with a slight increase in mass, strength indicators increase significantly. Representatives of this direction are powerlifters.
It is difficult to find a narrowly focused occupation that contributes to the growth of only strength or only mass. According to experts, the strength of a muscle is directly proportional to its cross section. In other words, different types of training will not play a key role in building one of the pursued indicators.
Below you can find a table of differences in the principles and exercises of training for strength and mass:
| Parameter type | Type of training program | |
|---|---|---|
| Ground | For strength | |
| Diet | Nutrition aimed at gaining muscle mass. | The diet differs depending on the goals. If the goal is to stay the same weight category, the diet is more strict, if not - standard for gaining muscle mass. |
| Nutritional Supplements | Protein, BCAA, gainer, creatine, pre-workout complex, testosterone boosters. | Creatine, pre-workout, protein, gainer, BCAAs, stimulants. |
| Types of exercises | Training program from basic and isolating exercises. | Training program of basic exercises. |
| Breaks between sets | Short, no more than 3 minutes. | Up to 5 minutes to fully restore the creatine phosphate depot. |
| Exercise speed | Slow or moderately fast. | Moderately fast or fast (you need to change from workout to workout so that the body does not have time to adapt). |
| Number of repetitions per set | Frequency tends to vary with individual performance, but the average is 6-12. | 1-6 - the frequency changes, just like in mass training. |
| Training frequency | 1 to 5 times a week depending on goals and program. | 3 to 5 per week depending on goals and program. |
| Workout duration | Not longer than 1 hour. | Up to 2 hours. |
| Inclusion aerobic exercise | Frequent activation. | Rare inclusion. |
However, starting to visit the hall, a completely logical question often arises - what to choose at the beginning of the mass or relief? Each of these states has both advantages and disadvantages. Today we will try to answer this rather difficult question.
What to choose at the beginning of mass or relief: advantages and disadvantages
It should be noted right away that muscles can develop in one of two directions - to be hardy or large. And they are opposite, and you need to choose what you want to achieve. It is on the athlete himself that the answer to the question of what to choose at the beginning of mass or relief largely depends.
To achieve each of these goals, there are special sets of exercises. Not every beginner bodybuilder knows what is in our body. different types muscle fibers responsible for endurance or strength. If you have already searched for information on this topic, then you have probably come across recommendations for consulting with an experienced trainer.
We also advise you to do this in order not only to decide on the purpose of training, but also to master the technique of all exercises. Since different muscle fibers perform a specific task, there are no athletes who compete in bodybuilding and powerlifting tournaments at the same time.
In bodybuilding, the focus is on gaining mass and giving the muscles a high-quality relief. At the same time, athletes are also working on increasing power parameters. In powerlifting, the amount of muscle mass is not of fundamental importance, and strength comes to the fore. Because training process representatives of power triathlon is aimed at achieving only this goal, then their body relief wants to leave the best.
In turn, bodybuilders cannot lift weights with the weight that is used in powerlifting. Once again, what to choose at the beginning of the mass or relief - the athlete himself decides. Of course, while working on strength parameters, muscle mass will also increase, but not as rapidly as during special training used by bodybuilders.
It is quite obvious that such a question is of interest only to those people who have a normal physique. If a guy comes into the hall with a lot of subcutaneous fat, then his first desire is to eliminate excess weight. If you have a thin physique, then it makes no sense to talk about the relief, because there are practically no muscles. In such a situation, you first need to gain weight and this is a fact.
But when a person's figure is close to ideal, the question of what to choose at the beginning of the mass or relief becomes very relevant. Today we will try to answer it, and for this it is necessary to consider everything from the point of view of the anatomy and physiology of our body.
We have already determined that you do not have excess subcutaneous fat (in large quantities) because otherwise this question would not exist. However, in percentage terms, muscle mass is still less compared to fat. As a result, you need to gain muscle mass and get rid of excess fat. To answer the question of what to choose at the beginning of the mass or relief, you need to consider the various options for your possible actions.
First mass, then relief
If you go this route, then you will gain muscle mass, but fat will also increase. It is impossible to avoid this, and the best option is the situation when with every kilogram of muscle mass comes a pound or a little less fat. Admittedly, for most men, this option is very attractive, because they do not worry about fat as much as girls.
Relief first, then mass
In this case, you will actively get rid of fat, but at the same time you will lose muscle mass, which you do not yet have very much. The ratio of muscle and fat loss is almost the opposite of the case we considered above - with every kilo of fat, 500 grams of muscle mass is lost. As a result, you can get rid of fat, but at the same time remain without muscle.
You may begin to feel that in each of the situations we have considered, the outcome is unsatisfactory. However, this is not the case if a man’s weight turned out to be less than the difference between height and 100 (100 must be subtracted from your height), then you have lost weight. By the way, for girls, 112 must be subtracted from the growth rate. In this case, we recommend that you first gain muscle mass, and then start working on the relief.
Let's take as an example a guy whose height is 180 centimeters and his body weight is 75 kilos. First, you should increase the mass and bring it to at least 90 kilos, and only after that think about the relief. If a man's body weight turned out to be more than height minus one hundred, then it is necessary to do the exact opposite and first get rid of fat, and then gain muscle mass.
Mass and relief at the same time
This is the third option, which is also possible, and in a certain situation is the most acceptable. However, this is only possible for novice athletes and only for a few months. This fact is due to the fact that in an untrained person the body's response to strength training significantly different from experienced athletes.
If your body is trained, then it is already used to physical activity. This leads to the fact that the rate of gaining muscle mass slows down, as does the process of burning fat. You simply cannot “surprise” your body much and put it into a strong stressful state. Beginning bodybuilders who have not trained before are another matter, any load for their body is a powerful stress.
As a result, even with not the strongest loads, muscles grow, and fat goes away. But once again we say that this is possible only during the first two or maximum three months. After that, you have to decide what to choose at the beginning of the mass or relief.
What conclusions can be drawn from all of the above? First, if you have just started visiting the gym, then you can work on solving two problems at the same time. Choose a program for relief and train. As we have said, for the first two or three months, you may be able to achieve two goals at once. After that, you will again be faced with a choice.
Secondly, if your body weight is below the physiological norm, then start gaining muscle mass, and then dry out. If the body weight exceeds the norm, then do the exact opposite. It is also necessary to say that all the figures that we talked about today are averages. Each person has a unique body and it is necessary to use an individual approach to training and nutrition.
What is the difference between mass and relief training?
The differences between these training programs are not very large. In any case, the basis of your training should be basic movements. But the number of sets and repetitions, as well as the number of isolated movements, will differ. For example, representatives of power triathlon may not perform special exercises for the development of biceps and triceps, and bodybuilders actively use simulators during the drying period.
You can often find statements that in order to gain mass in one set, you need to perform from 8 to 10 repetitions, and for relief, their number will be from 12 to 15. However, athletes with experience will tell you that body type is of great importance in this matter. The figures given just above can only be used by mesomorphs, and lean athletes, when performing 12-15 repetitions, will completely “dry out”. If you have excess weight, then you must always perform a minimum of 12 repetitions.
If you seek the help of a professional athlete, he will tell you about the presence of different types of muscle fibers, the list of movements and the number of sets - all these parameters have a strong influence on the number of repetitions that must be performed to solve the task.
You must understand that bodybuilding is not just lifting weights and in this sport you need to think and constantly improve your knowledge. If you do not have at least basic information from the field of anatomy, physiology and nutrition, then it will be very difficult to achieve the desired result.
There are a lot of nuances that need to be considered when training each specific muscle group. For example, when working on the muscles of the legs, it is necessary to perform many repetitions, since these muscles are extremely hardy. Another example is when doing pull-ups every day, don't expect your strength parameters to skyrocket when you press the barbell.
While working on improving the strength parameters, you may not notice tangible results for quite a long time, but you must continue to increase the working weights. To obtain a high-quality relief, many repetitions will have to be performed using average working weights.
As you can see, everything is quite complicated in bodybuilding, and even if you want to train for yourself and do not think about competing in tournaments in the future, you need to approach training with full responsibility. Otherwise, a long lack of results has brought you disappointment, and you may stop exercising.
What to choose relief or mass? More information in this video:
Find out where to start training, proven tips in practice that will help you make the right choice - first mass or relief!
Many beginners, having come to the gym, think for a long time, first gain muscle mass and volume, or improve relief in order to have an athletic figure with well-defined muscle groups.
Not knowing important points training is likely to take the wrong path, which will reduce the motivation to train and may lead to their complete abandonment, so that this does not happen. Let's look at 3 ways to train.
1. FIRST RELIEF, AND THEN MASS
This training option involves first reducing the fat layer and only after increasing the volume of muscles. On average, each 1kg. lost fat carries 0.4-0.5 kg. lost muscles, in other words, at the end of the journey, you can become thin without, but also without muscles.
To do this, use a simple formula:
- for women: your height - 112, for example, if with a height of 165cm. - 112 \u003d 53 kg., If your weight is above 53 kg., Then you have chosen the correct training scheme, in which first the relief, and then the quality mass, if 53 kg. and less then this scheme can not be used.
- for men: in principle, the same thing, only the formula for your height is 100, if a man with a height of 180cm is 100 = 80kg. weighs, then at the beginning you don’t need to lose weight, if the weight is more, then this training scheme is just right.
2. FIRST MASS AND THEN RELIEF
From the formula described above, it is immediately clear that this training method is suitable for those whose weight is below the number calculated by the formula. Usually a man gains mass, women less often, with the exception of rounding and creating athletic legs.
Therefore, this method of training can be called in a historical manner - gladiatorial, and the first - the method of Cleopatra;). Remember that a set of fat mass in the region of 0.4-0.5 kg is considered normal. per 1 kg. pure muscle mass, if more fat is gained. then pay attention to your diet.
3. MASS AND RELIEF SIMULTANEOUSLY
There is also such a scenario, only it works effectively for beginners in the gym and only for the first time 6 months of training, then if you train in this manner, there is mainly a maintenance of shape and a gradual slowdown in growth. Remember that everyone has their own genetic maximum, then go to sports nutrition and that anabolic steroids are not desirable.
This is due to the fact that an untrained body receives severe stress due to physical activity, for him this is a new and not at all comfortable state, in order to eliminate it, our body begins to concentrate efforts as much as possible to remove this discomfort. This manifests itself in the form of damaged muscle fibers, when the site of a micro-rupture of the muscle becomes overgrown with denser muscle fibers to prevent another break
CONCLUSION
Let's highlight the main points of solving the problem of mass or relief, so as not to go down the wrong path:
1. If the weight is equal to or less than after calculating the above formula, then first you need to select the mass gain method, if on the contrary it is more, then you should first work on the relief.
2. If you are a "teapot" in sports, then work for the first 6 months at the same time on relief and mass, and then calculate your weight based on the formula, and then switch to the first or second training method.
3. These calculations are averaged, our body is unique system, so look in the mirror, it will not deceive.
I wish everyone to feel the pleasure of training and get a great result!
Bodybuilding is now very affordable and actively gaining popularity among different age groups and segments of the population sport. But in bodybuilding, there are two key concepts - mass training and terrain training.
At the very beginning, many people make a key mistake: they try to start training on their own without consulting. And then, without understanding the intricacies, those who are just starting to practice quit training without understanding what they really needed.
Let's imagine that you acted smarter than most beginners and turned to me for help, and I, in turn, give you valuable advice. In order to see the desired result and training brought the right benefit, initially it is enough to choose one of two options:
- Do you want to reset overweight, develop endurance, and make your body more beautiful?
- You are of a lean build and want to develop voluminous muscles, have strong muscles and nice body?
This question is very important before the first trip to Gym, since by answering it to yourself, you can choose the right training program for you, for mass or for relief.
If you belong to the first group, those who want to lose weight, become a hardy, beautiful and athletic person, then relief training programs are better for you. This approach is due to the fact that the formation of a relief figure is, on the one hand, an intensive pumping of the entire body or the desired muscle group, and on the other hand, the process of burning subcutaneous fat through intense and constant training. Wherein physical exercise V gym are performed with small and medium weights, with short breaks. It is recommended to add running to the training program for relief at the end of each. With this approach, training is repeated more often than with mass training.
If you belong to the second group and want to have developed and voluminous muscles, while gaining total weight body and muscle, respectively, then mass training is definitely more suitable for you. Their fundamental difference from terrain training is that when they train for mass, the muscles are no longer loaded on an ongoing basis, they are loaded less often, but stronger. Sets of exercises are done with more weight for fewer repetitions. Due to such a load, many micro-tears appear on the muscle tissue, in place of which new muscle tissue cells grow during rest, which causes muscle growth in volume. When choosing training for mass, you need to eat a lot of carbohydrates, a little less protein and even less fat. There are certain proportions of nutrients, but the numbers will change with each person, everything is purely individual here.
It should also be remembered that initially choosing one of the training methods does not prevent you from switching to the opposite over time, this usually helps to achieve new results.
Contact me for a consultation, and I will select a personal training program for you, calculate the optimal load, select sports nutrition and develop a personal diet that will help you achieve the desired result faster.
Hello friends! Today there will be a short, but no less interesting and important post! Now we will consider how not only to gain a couple of tens of kilograms of muscle mass, but also to have great shape muscles. We will also touch on errors that can lead to a non-aesthetic physique, as well as how the mass and relief of muscles differ from their shape.
When it comes to the beautiful shape of your muscles, you MUST pay attention to the technique of performing exercises. You need to do this for two reasons:
- The load may go to other muscles or muscle bundles.
- The load can be unevenly distributed along the working muscle.
This can lead to the formation of a non-aesthetic, non-proportional physique.
What affects the beautiful shape of the muscles?
There are only two factors to be considered here:
- Genetics.
- Exercise technique.
Many will disagree with me and say that steroids can also determine the shape of the muscle. This is not true. Steroids can really change the volume of the muscle, but they are not able to change the shape of the entire muscle.
Does genetics really determine muscle shape? Yes, definitely! Your muscle length, thickness, etc. and is really determined by genetics, BUT TECHNOLOGY REVEALS their form, or vice versa destroys if you have problems with and correct execution exercises.
As thin couch experts and fat women like to say: “What kind of constitution is given by nature, you have to walk with such! You can't go against nature!" There is also an opinion that the main thing is the mass (especially for a man), and everything else is gloss, smacking of metrosexualism with admixtures of homosexuality.
Wrong guys. If you are a bodybuilder, then form will be decisive! In bodybuilding competitions, being the biggest and heaviest doesn't guarantee victory.
Mass is great, but it's just material that you've built up that still needs to be worked on. Create your sculpture. Sculpt from yourself an ideally built, in YOUR opinion, athlete.
This is all great, but what if genetics were not lucky and nature tried to outrage your desire to become an amazingly built athlete?
How to correct the shape of the muscles
OK. Everything is clear, but how exactly can you influence the shape of the muscles and mitigate the consequences of not quite good genetics?
Errors can be corrected using right choice training programs. We will not change the shape of the muscle, but we can develop its bundles (parts) in different ways. For example, we can easily shift the load from the long head of the biceps to the short head.
I'm talking specifically about stressing the load. Don't think what I mean, if you have flat biceps, then you need to bomb it every workout until your arms are dead. No. Emphasizing is almost a jeweler's work.
Your technique must be perfect! You must feel which muscle you are contracting, you must think about it, imagine how the movement is carried out. That's why I don't advise thinking about every muscle group until you have gained at least 10-15 kg of lean muscle mass. You just can't feel what you're cutting.
Usually, beginners make a few hard mistakes that prevent them from building a truly great body with great muscle shape.
The first mistake is related to the weight on the projectile. Usually, in order to show off with super-powerful biceps, they take TOO HIGHER WEIGHT. Naturally, there is no question of at least some, not to mention the ideal, technique.
The second mistake is elementary ignorance. Just a lack of knowledge about the biomechanics of the movements of a particular muscle or muscle group.
A lot of technical errors are associated with a decrease in control over the weight being lifted in any part of the amplitude.
Common mistakes in technology
- hunch your back in any back row. This takes the load from the back and working muscles and transfers it to the spine, for which he will not thank you. Keep your back straight;
- lowering the bar too quickly (throwing the weight down). For example, lower the barbell very quickly when lifting for biceps. It loads a lot elbow joints and ligaments;
- amplitude reduction in exercises (truncated amplitude). Although in some cases it may be appropriate, but often this is because at the bottom point of the movement (lower phase) the muscle is weaker anatomically and therefore there is a desire not to lower the barbell to the end (for example, in the same rise to the biceps). With a regular repetition of such a mistake, the lower section of your biceps will lag behind;
- non-symmetrical arrangement of the limbs when performing exercises (one arm is lower or higher, legs are at different distances, etc.);
- beat the bar of the bar from the chest with bench presses. This means that at the bottom of the range you are not in control of the barbell. You must keep the weight under control at all points of the amplitude;
- too strong jerky movements in basic exercises. Uneven, multidirectional load can easily lead to injury to the joints and ligaments;
- tilting the body back when you do a dumbbell or barbell press while sitting (for the shoulders). So the load goes from the deltas to the chest;
If you recognize these mistakes and also make them, then correct them as soon as possible, because. this will negate your efforts to form a great muscle shape.
Remember
- The control of the lifted weight should be in all parts of the range of motion (do not take a weight that is not lifting for you).
- In the initial stages, do not use a truncated amplitude.
- Take a picture and analyze your physique. Only visual analysis will give you a clear understanding of what works and where you went wrong.
OK it's all over Now. I hope that the article was useful for you. Watch the shape of your muscles so that you look not like a bag full of potatoes, but harmoniously, proportionately and amazingly.
All the best to you, friends.
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With respect and best wishes, !
