How do you gain strength WITHOUT gaining mass?

[Jay_Dubya]

Is it possible for one to gain strength without gaining mass?
What would nutrition and workouts look like?

I was thinking about taking in my maintence level of calories, a lot of protein and lifting heavy compounds in either 3x3 or 3x5.
Am I on the right track?

[SuffolkPunch]

You can't - beyond the initial neuromuscular adaptation that occurs when you do a new exercise.

You can cut fat and replace the lost mass with muscle. That is what is likely to happen if you do what you are proposing.

[LegendKiller22]

if you stick in the 2-6 rep range you will gain strength. Will you gain mass? yes you will see some types of gains. But not if you would stick to the 8-12 range. I would look into working on your explosion.

I would look at doing powerlifting type lifts...

Just Curious. Why do you want to gain strength and no mass. A certain weight class restriction?

[TexAss]

Originally Posted by Jay_Dubya

Is it possible for one to gain strength without gaining mass?
What would nutrition and workouts look like?

I was thinking about taking in my maintence level of calories, a lot of protein and lifting heavy compounds in either 3x3 or 3x5.
Am I on the right track?

Yes eat at maintenance (and clean) and do a good strength based program. You should get stronger while maintaining your current weight.

This is what powerlifters do since they compete in weight classes.

[OKEN]

Powerlifting if Strength is More of a Goal than Size.

[Jay_Dubya]

Originally Posted by LegendKiller22

if you stick in the 2-6 rep range you will gain strength. Will you gain mass? yes you will see some types of gains. But not if you would stick to the 8-12 range. I would look into working on your explosion.

I would look at doing powerlifting type lifts...

Just Curious. Why do you want to gain strength and no mass. A certain weight class restriction?

I really have to keep my weight down or I get a lot of pain in my shins/ankles when I run.

[Mikael92]

Originally Posted by TexAss

Yes eat at maintenance (and clean) and do a good strength based program. You should get stronger while maintaining your current weight.

This is what powerlifters do since they compete in weight classes.

bingo.

[jgrube]

to put it simply, if you continue to get stronger, you will inevitably gain some amount of size over time. however, you can greatly minimize how much size you gain by eating at maintenance or less.

[RobWarpas]

In college during pre season training for soccer, we trained with 3-5 rep range on squats. We did not gein much weight as our calorie intake was restricted. We did get massive increases in stranght.

[magistr88]

Originally Posted by Jay_Dubya

Is it possible for one to gain strength without gaining mass?
What would nutrition and workouts look like?

I was thinking about taking in my maintence level of calories, a lot of protein and lifting heavy compounds in either 3x3 or 3x5.
Am I on the right track?

I wish I could gain both mass and not just strength. Seriously.

Do 5x5 from stronglifts.com

[jgrube]

Originally Posted by magistr88

I wish I could gain both mass and not just strength. Seriously.

Do 5x5 from stronglifts.com

i would have to disagree on recomending stronglifts.com's 5x5. this is from the starting strength wiki:

"Stronglifts has outstanding explanations of the main lifts and great supplementary information... but unfortunately it is also peddles a wannabe Kethnaab's version of Starting Strength, with an added 40% volume and additional mandatory accessory exercises. Here is how the designer of Stronglifts 5x5 justifies his approach:

Originally posted by Mehdi, founder of Stonglifts:

The Beginner Strength Training Program I has 5 sets of 5 vs. 3sets of 5 with rippetoe. Reason is that Rippetoe starts with weight on the bar. StrongLifts appraoch starts with empty barbells. Doing 5 sets of 5 = 10 reps more than with rippetoe's, 30 reps more a week. These are 30 reps more that allows you to learn the technique. That's the first reason. Second reason is that it gives more total volume (sets*reps*weight) at the end of the week. Which is useful as the weight is so low (empty barbell).


Exactly, it is "useful as the weight is so low," and it stops being useful as soon as respectable poundages are being moved (and isn't that the goal?).

Never-the-less, even at a lower weight this still isn't as useful:


StrongLifts 5x5:
5x5x45lb = 1125 lbs. tonnage (bar only)

vs.

Starting Strength:
3x5x75lb = 1125 lbs tonnage (bar + 30 lbs)

One might take this to mean that starting 'Stronglifts' with an empty barbell is equal to starting 'Starting Strength' with 75 pounds, but it's not. You also have to look at intensity, which is a percentage of your maximum strength. True, they both have equal volume, but Starting Strength has a higher Intensity which will result in stimulating more growth.

He also says that the extra 10 repetitions per lift will help with technique, but in Starting strength there are an extra 20 repetitions of warm-ups with lighter weight that accomplish the same goal.

One other thing: Getting to 3x5x315 on Starting Strength is very doable. Getting to 5x5x315 on StrongLifts 5x5 would require genetic perfection.

No, the original Starting Strength, Mark Rippetoe's version, is the best way to go about gaining strength as fast as possible for as long as possible. You will be doing just as much volume on Starting Strength, but you'll be doing it because of the increased intensity with heavier weight, not because of increased sets with lighter weights. Plus StrongLifts doesn't include powercleans in their program, and they are arguably one of the most effective exercises a beginner can do. "

[toad1]

you can't but you can limit your size buy doing low reps low sets like 3x3 3x5 and even a 5x5 my favorite 5x5 is the bill starr/madcow one i love that program.

as you get stronger your muscles will get bigger, they have to in order to adpat to the change of force you put on them when lifting wieght, can't remeber the exact sicince and how to explain it properly but as you lift wieghts you are tearing your muscles apart so that when they grow back they will grow back stronger so that the next time the same amount of wieght won't tear the muscle again, which inturn will have made the muscle stronger and bigger.

hope that makes sence, i know thats a very simple and quite a stupid way to explain the fact that as you get stronger your muscles become bigger.