The 3 main factors that determine strength

digitor · 10-04-2006, 04:49 PM

The 3 main factors that determine strength

Innervation

Without your nervous system, you couldn’t lift a blade of grass. To be strong, you need to have an efficient nervous system that innervates a large quantity of your muscle mass. Motor nerves end in the muscle at synaptic junctions called motor end plates. From there, multiple parallel muscle fibres are innervated by the dendrites of the neurons or nerve cells. The more efficient your nerve supply, the stronger you are. Think of a powerlifter or an Olympic lifter. They are incredibly strong for the amount of muscle mass they have, compared to a bodybuilder. This is because they lift very heavy weights for low reps in a high number of sets. Lifting very heavy means you have to recruit more muscle fibres than if you lift a lower weight. As a result your nervous system becomes accustomed to recruiting all your muscle fibres in order to provide the necessary strength.

Cross-sectional area

The main component of strength is muscle mass, or to be more precise, the cross-sectional area of that mass. It is not the length of your muscles that affects your strength, it is how massive they are in cross-section. This is because the greater the cs-area, the greater the number of myofibrils contracting for you to lift a weight.

All skeletal muscle exerts the same force if it is recruited by the nervous system, so how strong you are will mostly depend on how much muscle you have, obviously so. By increasing the number of sarcomeres in the myofibrils found in muscle fibres, you increase the contractile strength of your muscles.

Leverage

Someone with long arms, and therefore long levers is technically at a disadvantage if their bone structure does not match. A person with long thin arms will not have the necessary connective tissue and musculature to overcome the poor leverages associated with their bones. Consider two bodybuilders that are identical, only one is six inches taller and all their levers are longer. They may have the same muscle mass, but the one with the shorter levers will be stronger because the weight they are moving through a range of motion is closer to their body and leverage is more efficient. If the person with the longer levers happened to have thicker bones, more muscle mass and more connective tissue, they will be stronger despite their mechanical disadvantage because they are a bigger person and will be proportionally stronger.

Malley · 01-29-2007, 10:33 PM

I cannot believe this has not been commented on. This is one of the best posts at EBB. Very nice. Is this a find or did you write it?

trav1809 · 01-30-2007, 07:58 AM

interesting post.....other than that I have no idea how to comment. thats probably why no one else has said anything about it...i bet it has a ton of views though.

Malley · 01-30-2007, 10:40 AM

Well if you read the first section where you discusses the nervous system, then you will realize why I suggest everyone take a week off every 6 weeks or so. Give your central nervous system a rest.

digitor · 01-31-2007, 09:42 AM

Thanks malley, yeh I wrote it myself.

I'm fully agreed on CNS rest and not training to failure, and having a break etc...you always end up coming back stronger

1quick1 · 01-31-2007, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by digitor

you always end up coming back stronger

I do everytime.

stealth_swimmer · 01-31-2007, 11:02 AM

nice post, very nice.

1quick1 · 06-29-2007, 05:32 AM

ChRis_StuaRt · 08-10-2007, 09:47 AM

another quality read dig. reps.

Newfiechick · 08-10-2007, 12:21 PM

Def a great read digitor.....thanks!

1quick1 · 10-15-2007, 02:36 AM

Bump.

wala · 10-15-2007, 03:28 AM

Good post, makes alot of sense...

Striker · 04-03-2008, 06:03 PM

Great article.

1quick1 · 04-04-2008, 02:36 AM

Definitely an awesome read.

10-04-2006, 04:49 PM	#1
digitor Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: L'Inghilterra/England Age: 21 Posts: 637 Rep Power: 1224	The 3 main factors that determine strength The 3 main factors that determine strength Innervation Without your nervous system, you couldn’t lift a blade of grass. To be strong, you need to have an efficient nervous system that innervates a large quantity of your muscle mass. Motor nerves end in the muscle at synaptic junctions called motor end plates. From there, multiple parallel muscle fibres are innervated by the dendrites of the neurons or nerve cells. The more efficient your nerve supply, the stronger you are. Think of a powerlifter or an Olympic lifter. They are incredibly strong for the amount of muscle mass they have, compared to a bodybuilder. This is because they lift very heavy weights for low reps in a high number of sets. Lifting very heavy means you have to recruit more muscle fibres than if you lift a lower weight. As a result your nervous system becomes accustomed to recruiting all your muscle fibres in order to provide the necessary strength. Cross-sectional area The main component of strength is muscle mass, or to be more precise, the cross-sectional area of that mass. It is not the length of your muscles that affects your strength, it is how massive they are in cross-section. This is because the greater the cs-area, the greater the number of myofibrils contracting for you to lift a weight. All skeletal muscle exerts the same force if it is recruited by the nervous system, so how strong you are will mostly depend on how much muscle you have, obviously so. By increasing the number of sarcomeres in the myofibrils found in muscle fibres, you increase the contractile strength of your muscles. Leverage Someone with long arms, and therefore long levers is technically at a disadvantage if their bone structure does not match. A person with long thin arms will not have the necessary connective tissue and musculature to overcome the poor leverages associated with their bones. Consider two bodybuilders that are identical, only one is six inches taller and all their levers are longer. They may have the same muscle mass, but the one with the shorter levers will be stronger because the weight they are moving through a range of motion is closer to their body and leverage is more efficient. If the person with the longer levers happened to have thicker bones, more muscle mass and more connective tissue, they will be stronger despite their mechanical disadvantage because they are a bigger person and will be proportionally stronger.

01-29-2007, 10:33 PM	#2
Malley The EB Super Mod! Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Illinois Posts: 2,613 Rep Power: 66570	I cannot believe this has not been commented on. This is one of the best posts at EBB. Very nice. Is this a find or did you write it? __________________ Personal Training Director in Alton Illinois (Club Fitness) http://www.crossfit.com/ http://www.cloud9fitness.com/

01-30-2007, 10:40 AM	#4
Malley The EB Super Mod! Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Illinois Posts: 2,613 Rep Power: 66570	Well if you read the first section where you discusses the nervous system, then you will realize why I suggest everyone take a week off every 6 weeks or so. Give your central nervous system a rest. __________________ Personal Training Director in Alton Illinois (Club Fitness) http://www.crossfit.com/ http://www.cloud9fitness.com/

01-31-2007, 09:42 AM	#5
digitor Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: L'Inghilterra/England Age: 21 Posts: 637 Rep Power: 1224	Thanks malley, yeh I wrote it myself. I'm fully agreed on CNS rest and not training to failure, and having a break etc...you always end up coming back stronger __________________ "Why should the fans get behind a champion who can’t present an aesthetic image of what bodybuilding is supposed to be all about? I’m talking about classical proportions, perfect symmetry and ideal conditioning." - Levrone speaking of Coleman

01-31-2007, 11:02 AM	#7
stealth_swimmer Getting Muscular Join Date: Oct 2006 Age: 20 Posts: 50 Rep Power: 807	nice post, very nice. __________________ take it for what it's worth, my birth was a blessin sent to live and die on earth as a lesson we each have a star, all we have to do is find it once you do, everyone who sees it will be blinded

01-30-2007, 07:58 AM	#3
trav1809 Gym Rat Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Ontario Posts: 219 Rep Power: 48	interesting post.....other than that I have no idea how to comment. thats probably why no one else has said anything about it...i bet it has a ton of views though.

06-29-2007, 05:32 AM	#8
1quick1 Crossfit what? Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: U.S. Posts: 6,367 Height: 5'9'' Weight: 182lbs. Rep Power: 105922	bump

08-10-2007, 09:47 AM	#9
ChRis_StuaRt Bodybuilder Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: LIVERPOOL Posts: 410 Rep Power: 271	another quality read dig. reps. __________________ Use Yourself AS Your Own Role Model !

08-10-2007, 12:21 PM	#10
Newfiechick Bodybuilder Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Newfoundland, Canada Posts: 656 Rep Power: 1541	Def a great read digitor.....thanks!

10-15-2007, 02:36 AM	#11
1quick1 Crossfit what? Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: U.S. Posts: 6,367 Height: 5'9'' Weight: 182lbs. Rep Power: 105922	Bump. __________________ Crossfit Journal

10-15-2007, 03:28 AM	#12
wala Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Merseyside Age: 26 Posts: 4,937 Height: 5'11" Weight: 195lb Rep Power: 222093	Good post, makes alot of sense... __________________ Email: wala[@]extremebodybuilding.net

04-03-2008, 06:03 PM	#13
Striker Gym Legend Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: New York Age: 17 Posts: 1,458 Height: 5'10 Weight: 155 lbs Rep Power: 1515	Re: The 3 main factors that determine strength Great article. __________________ "There is no destination in bodybuilding, this is our lifelong journey." -Striker bench 230 squat 315 deadlift 350 bulkin to 165 Striker's Workout Journal

04-04-2008, 02:36 AM	#14
1quick1 Crossfit what? Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: U.S. Posts: 6,367 Height: 5'9'' Weight: 182lbs. Rep Power: 105922	Re: The 3 main factors that determine strength Definitely an awesome read. __________________ Crossfit Journal

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