Strength training or hypertrophy training — differences, pros, and cons

Even though strength building and hypertrophy training sound the same, they differ in their inner meanings. Strength training is about building strength and hypertrophy training is all about muscle gaining.

Strength Training

Strength training is also known as weight or resistance training which is designed to improve muscular strength and fitness by exercising a specific muscle or muscle group against external resistance, including free weights, weight machines, or your own body weight. Strength training if properly performed, can provide significant functional benefits and improvement in overall health and well-being, including increased bone, muscle, tendon, and ligament strength, and toughness, improved joint function, reduced potential for injury, increased bone density, increased metabolism, increased fitness, improved cardiac function, and elevated HDL (“good”) cholesterol. Training commonly uses the technique of progressively increasing the force output of the muscle through incremental weight increases and uses a variety of exercises and types of equipment to target specific muscle groups.

And what’s essential for everyone to know is that strength training is not just about bodybuilders lifting weights in a gym. Regular strength or resistance training is good for people of all ages and fitness levels to help prevent the natural loss of lean muscle mass that comes with aging. It can also benefit people with chronic health conditions, like obesity, arthritis, or a heart condition. Strength training is mainly based on functional movements like lifting, pushing, and pulling. Strength training can help you regulate the body fat percentage and preserve and enhance your muscle mass at any age. Sports, where strength training is central, are bodybuilding, weightlifting, powerlifting, archery, shot put, discus throw, and javelin throw. Strength training for other sports and physical activities is becoming increasingly popular.

Strength training may also help you to develop strong bones, manage chronic conditions, reduce fat from your body and it even enhances your quality of life.

Hypertrophy Training

Hypertrophy training is best suited for professional bodybuilders and fitness models who are known for their lean, muscular, and aesthetic physiques. It also works pretty well for athletes who want to improve their physical conditioning and for fitness enthusiasts who want to put on muscle size. Hypertrophy is the increase and growth of muscle cells through exercises.

The reason hypertrophy occurs is because your body is constantly adapting to your environment. If your environment involves lifting heavy things and physically demanding tasks, your body will build extra muscle to accommodate this. Similarly, if you live in an environment that lacks physical stress and activity, your body will get rid of unnecessary muscle to conserve its valuable energy Hypertrophy training has a number of potentially valuable benefits to your strength, physique, and physical health. Some of the potential benefits of this training are:

-Strength and Power Gains

-Improved Anaerobic Endurance

-Whole-body strength

-Improved Joint Health

-Increased Caloric Expenditure

-Boosts the happy chemicals in your body

But overusing your muscles while engaging in strength training and sports results in varying degrees of pain that may persevere for several days and it can also cause psychological fatigue and high injury risk . Lifting too much weight or moving in an unusual manner in an effort to build muscles could result in a muscle tear as well as damage to ligaments and tendons as well as the surrounding soft tissue. The above mentioned are some of the demerits of this training.

Few training strategies for hypertrophy training are:

-Engage in strength and training regularly

-Increases resistance over time

-Aim to overload the muscle or muscle group

-Reduce your rest periods

-Eat your protein

At the end of the day, both types of training are designed to use the principle of progressive overload on the nervous system to break down muscle fibers so they can be rebuilt stronger, in a larger quantity. It all depends on whether you want to focus on muscle building to gain size, or you’d rather improve functional, short-burst strength by focusing on training fast-twitch muscles, performing some kind of resistance training is important for your health. Whichever route you decide, you can change your body and achieve your strength goals by creating a routine that works for your specific needs, staying consistent over the long term, and providing your body with adequate rest and nutrition.