Power vs. Bodybuilding For Hypertrophy Training Which hypertrophy program works best: power training or a traditional bodybuilding program? A study using subjects of young, resistance trained men (age 23.2 +/- 2.7 years), body mass 81.4kg +/- 13.4kg, lifting experience 4.2 years +/- 2.4 years from a university population were placed in 2 groups (bodybuilding group and power-lifting group). Below is a list of instructions the test groups adhered to. -Body building group performed 3 sets of 10 reps (approx. 17 minutes in duration each workout) -Power-lifting group performed 7 sets of 3 reps (approx. 70 minutes in duration each workout) -Training carried out 3 days/week for 8 weeks. -Each set was finished at a true momentary muscle failure. The findings were interesting. The Bodybuilding group gained average of 12kg of strength 11kg of muscle. The Power-lifting group gained 12kg of strength 13kg of muscle. Both saw similar results however the power-lifting group saw 2kg more of muscle mass. The initial conclusion appears that Power-lifting is better. The curve ball came when asked after the 8 weeks how each group felt. The Bodybuilding group said they felt great, loved how the felt, and wanted to keep training. The Power-lifting group said they were exhausted, some developed injuries, some felt they needed to completely stop working out due to burned out or due to ongoing injuries. While the Power-lifting group did slightly better, it doesnt appear that the program is sustainable over a long period of time. Takeaway: A variety of workouts do work for building muscle mass whether it is traditional bodybuilding or power-lifting. Stick to a Body-building workout (between 6 and 12 reps) for building the most muscle mass but every 2-4 months, incorporate Power-training (1-5 reps) for 1 month, then go back to the Body-building program. You can keep on the rotation between the Body-building and Power-training in order to maximize your results. Note: The key variable for developing muscle mass is that everyone must hit momentary muscle failure in order to overload the muscle fiber (as discussed in a previous article We Strive For Failure...The Overload Principle). Written by Steven Zahn Steven Zahn ACE Certified Personal Trainer NASM Certified Personal Trainer Pre and Post Partum Certified Dragondoor Publications: HKC Russian Kettlebell Certified
Posted on: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 20:13:26 +0000
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