Comment by throw0101c | Hacker News Reader

Comment by throw0101c | Hacker News Reader

> A low repetition scheme with heavy loads (from 1 to 5 repetitions per set with 80% to 100% of 1-repetition maximum (1RM)) optimizes strength increases.

> A moderate repetition scheme with moderate loads (from 8 to 12 repetitions per set with 60% to 80% of 1RM) optimizes hypertrophic gains.

> A high repetition scheme with light loads (15+ repetitions per set with loads below 60% of 1RM) optimizes local muscular endurance improvements.

* https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7927075/

One must also be clear on what one means when "build muscle" is said, as there are different types:

> Human muscle fibers are generally classified by myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoforms characterized by slow to fast contractile speeds. Type I, or slow-twitch fibers, are seen in high abundance in elite endurance athletes, such as long-distance runners and cyclists. Alternatively, fast-twitch IIa and IIx fibers are abundant in elite power athletes, such as weightlifters and sprinters.

* https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8473039/

* https://blog.nasm.org/fitness/understanding-fast-twitch-vs-s...

One can train to be 'bulky' to compete in bodybuilding competitions but not be as strong as someone who trains to be strong for powerlifting competitions, yet both have 'built muscle'.

> One can train to be 'bulky' to compete in bodybuilding competitions but not be as strong as someone who trains to be strong for powerlifting competitions, yet both have 'built muscle'.

What’s often missing from this point is that the strength of power lifters comes from technique and CNS adaptation. They train to be strong at just three specific movements. Any pro bodybuilder who refocused their efforts into powerlifting would quite quickly be putting up impressive numbers.

> Any pro bodybuilder who refocused their efforts into powerlifting would quite quickly be putting up impressive numbers.

This seems interesting. Do you know of an example of a pro bodybuilder who turned to powerlifting? I wonder how their total muscle mass would change/redistribute.

Ruh, they are on steroids, of course they'd have impressive results.

There are plenty of people on steroids who don't get impressive results, you will find dozens in your local gym. To be truly impressive you need a combination of steroids, hard work and excellent genetics.

Steroids give you an edge, but they don't make you go to the gym and put in the work

its way more than an edge imo. You get bigger/stronger faster, regenerate faster, have more libido and energy. All of those affect ones motivation to workout

It gives you 10-25% advantage. That is not an "edge".

An "edge" IMO is something that gets you a 1% advantage ... maybe ... at the top end of competition.

The problematic aspects if PEDs isn't that they are a minor advantage. A 10% advantage in top athletics is game over for non-PED users.

Steroids are mostly equivalent to EPO in terms of advantage it provides to top end competition: as in there isn't one. If the next 1000 athletes in ability dope with steroids (fast twitch) or EPO (slow twitch) but the top naturally gifted athlete doesn't, guess what rank he'll be in the world? Probably in the 100-200 range, fighting to barely stay in the top pro ranks.

If the PED gives your competitors a 20% advantage? Maybe you're an ok starter in Division 1 NCAA or a second-tier pro league.

I don't know about pro bodybuilders who completely turned to powerlifting, there must be examples but not any that I know of.

There are plenty of examples of bodybuilders who also took powerlifting movements quite seriously. For example, here's Ronnie Coleman deadlifting 800lb: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYm7SJn_6ZI

Impressive but not record-setting or even really competitive in most cases. Powerlifting and Olympic lifting success depends on skeletal structure- for various lifts that's things like arm length, hip width, upper torso to lower torso proportions. These things count for and against you in various lifts and go to mechanical leverage advantage.

This accounts for the frequent success over the years of little people in the lightest weight classes and the similarity of champions' appearances.

To speak to just one lift, in general the narrower the hips, the stronger the person has to be to squat the same weight. What squat aspirants want is wide hips that transmit the power being generated up through the torso in a straight line.

Deadlift would-bes want short torsos and long arms, a mid-80s lefter named Lamar Gant being the clearest expression of this type of physique.

And so on and so forth. Bodybuilders want impossibly narrow hips accompanied by impossibly broad shoulders.

I agree with this, and I should have mentioned structure.

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