But what precise methods (programming or exercise selection) will speed the hypertrophy process even if it means a slight loss in strength?
The confusion stems from the fact that the level of training advancement of the athlete is seldom considered when answering questions of this type. That is discussed in PPST at length. The easiest way to answer this is to remind you that for a novice -- with the ability to gain anywhere from 25 to 50 lbs. of muscular bodyweight in from 4 to 8 months -- the best hypertrophy program is the novice progression, and for more advanced guys the best way to gain mass is to do a combination of 5s and 10-12s on the basic exercises while adding in a limited amount of assistance work, all on a diet that will support continued growth.
Further, in your opinion, does pursuing hypertrophy necessarily come at a price to strength and/or strength increases?
This is a much more important question. Pursuing hypertrophy as a primary goal comes at a much higher price than the sacrifice of strength. It means that you have traded the ability to DO for the APPEARANCE OF BEING ABLE TO DO. Now don't get me wrong: most people that start training and stay with it did so at first because of a concern for their appearance. Nobody actively seeks to physically look like shit. But most people grow out of this as a primary motivation pretty quickly, as soon as they have to deal with actual competitive bodybuilders and their odd neuroses. Think about it just a second -- why would a normally adjusted person train that hard and diet that hard for the sole purpose of showing other people a particular version of their appearance? One that is transient, unnatural, and incompatible with a useful physical performance? Wanting to be bigger is perfectly natural for men that aren't big, because they know that bigger is stronger and stronger is better. But to make hypertrophy the sole purpose of training is to demonstrate an obsession with the perceptions and reactions of other people.
I saw a guy last year in the Columbus airport after the Arnold with his fitness chick girlfriend. The guy -- big guy, 6' 3", ~285, very lean -- was wearing a skinny tanktop, lycra knee pants, white gym shoes with ankle socks, tanned and I swear to god oiled, carrying his gym bag. In the middle of the airport in March in Ohio. He wanted me and everybody else in the building to see him and his big muscles. I was embarrassed for him, because he completely lacked the sense necessary to be embarrassed himself. And for a second I was embarrassed to be in this business. Just for a second.
The confusion stems from the fact that the level of training advancement of the athlete is seldom considered when answering questions of this type. That is discussed in PPST at length. The easiest way to answer this is to remind you that for a novice -- with the ability to gain anywhere from 25 to 50 lbs. of muscular bodyweight in from 4 to 8 months -- the best hypertrophy program is the novice progression, and for more advanced guys the best way to gain mass is to do a combination of 5s and 10-12s on the basic exercises while adding in a limited amount of assistance work, all on a diet that will support continued growth.
Further, in your opinion, does pursuing hypertrophy necessarily come at a price to strength and/or strength increases?
This is a much more important question. Pursuing hypertrophy as a primary goal comes at a much higher price than the sacrifice of strength. It means that you have traded the ability to DO for the APPEARANCE OF BEING ABLE TO DO. Now don't get me wrong: most people that start training and stay with it did so at first because of a concern for their appearance. Nobody actively seeks to physically look like shit. But most people grow out of this as a primary motivation pretty quickly, as soon as they have to deal with actual competitive bodybuilders and their odd neuroses. Think about it just a second -- why would a normally adjusted person train that hard and diet that hard for the sole purpose of showing other people a particular version of their appearance? One that is transient, unnatural, and incompatible with a useful physical performance? Wanting to be bigger is perfectly natural for men that aren't big, because they know that bigger is stronger and stronger is better. But to make hypertrophy the sole purpose of training is to demonstrate an obsession with the perceptions and reactions of other people.
I saw a guy last year in the Columbus airport after the Arnold with his fitness chick girlfriend. The guy -- big guy, 6' 3", ~285, very lean -- was wearing a skinny tanktop, lycra knee pants, white gym shoes with ankle socks, tanned and I swear to god oiled, carrying his gym bag. In the middle of the airport in March in Ohio. He wanted me and everybody else in the building to see him and his big muscles. I was embarrassed for him, because he completely lacked the sense necessary to be embarrassed himself. And for a second I was embarrassed to be in this business. Just for a second.
