Program For Relative Strength

For many sports it is important to increase strength without increasing muscle mass.  Such sports are ones with weight classes (wrestling, judo) and ones where you have to propel your own body (any sport with jumping) .  In sports with weight classes, with all things being equal the stronger athlete is thought to have the advantage. In other sports where an athlete must propel their own bodyweight there becomes a point when adding strength through extra muscle mass is detrimental for performance.  This will vary for athlete to athlete and should be figured out where the optimal ratio is.

So if you want to gain strength without muscle mass you must train the nervous system with low reps, many sets, and long rest breaks.  Training like this will cause the following adaptations that lead to gains in strength:

• Increase in recruitment of motor units
• Increase in firing (rate coding) of motor units
• Increase synchronization of firing of motor units
• Selective inhibition of Golgi Tendon Organs (GTO)

Here is a program that I would give someone who wants to increase strength without gains in muscle mass.  Only perform each workout 6 times with an unload of 40%(volume) every 3^rd and 6^th workout.

Day 1 Chest and Back

Day 2 Legs

Day 3 Off

Day 4 Shoulders and Arms

Day 5 Off

Day 1 Chest And Back

 

Exercise Order	Exercise	Sets	Reps	Tempo	Rest Break (Sec)
A1	Incline Bench Press 45 Degree	6	3	40X1	120
A2	Chinup	6	3	41X1	120
B1	Flat Dumbell Press	5	5	30X1	120
B2	1 Arm DB Row	5	5	30X0	120

 

Day 2 Legs

 

Exercise Order	Exercise	Sets	Reps	Tempo	Rest Break (Sec)
A1	Front Squat	6	3	40X1	120
A2	Leg Curl Prone Dorsi Flex	6	3	30X1	120
B1	Split Squat Rear Foot Elevated	5	5	30X1	120
B2	Romanian Deadlift	5	5	30X1	120

 

Day 3 Arms

 

Exercise Order	Exercise	Sets	Reps	Tempo	Rest Break (Sec)
A1	Dips	6	3	40X1	120
A2	Barbell Curl	6	3	31X1	120
B1	Decline Tricep Extenstion DB	5	5	30X1	120
B2	Reverse E-Z Barbell Curl	5	5	31X0	120