strength without weight gain

[Meguro]

I've read very little about Bruce Lee's one-inch punch. I've never seen a video of it either. Of course he's no longer around to demonstrate, so let me ask those who know, how much power can a 130 lbs guy put into a one inch punch? Wasn't it more of Lee putting his hip into it? If so, isn't it more a matter torque than hand speed over a distance of one inch?

[elbows_and_knees]

short power...

[DragonMike]

That is the toughest part. In college I was into heavy wieghtlifting. I did not pay much attention to my diet and before I knew it, I had put on abot 15lbs of muscle. It was tough to slim down again.

When you gained the 15 lbs. did you feel like it slowed you down? When you slimmed down, did you feel weaker but faster, just as strong and as fast, any change at all?

I did feel like it slowed me down-quiet abit actually. After I slimmed down I felt like I kept 90% of the power, but I gained speed and flexibility as well.

[Meguro]

Interesting. If you kept most of the strength while losing the weight, you must have kept all the lean muslce and lost fat.

I wonder if it's like bulking up on creatine. If you stop takig creatine, do you keep the strength while losing all the water weight? I'm not advocating taking drugs, just wondering.

Edited December 16, 2005 by Meguro

[DragonMike]

Interesting. If you kept most of the strength will lost the weight, you must have kept all the lean muslce and lost fat.

I wonder if it's like bulking up on creatine. If you stop takig creatine, do you keep the strength while losing all the water weight? I'm not advocating taking drugs, just wondering.

Possibly,

As I slimed down, I kept doing the same amount or reps with close to the same wheight, but a little les. I really started to watch my diet. I also added alot of cardio-I wasn't doing hardly any before.

It worked out for the best. I think now I'n in the best shape I have ever been in.

[Aodhan]

Interesting. If you kept most of the strength while losing the weight, you must have kept all the lean muslce and lost fat.

I wonder if it's like bulking up on creatine. If you stop takig creatine, do you keep the strength while losing all the water weight? I'm not advocating taking drugs, just wondering.

Creatine doesn't really increase strength, it increases available energy.

Adenosine Tri Phosphate (ATP) is what produces energy in the muscle. The phosphate bond breaks, which produces energy and turns ATP into ADP (Di phosphate, Di meaning two, Tri meaning three). Creatine monophosphate (Mono meaning one) donates its phosphate to the ADP molecule creating another ATP available for use.

So, the more creatine you have, the more you can sustain energy production, so you can work out longer, which will increase muscle size.

Also, creatine attracts fluid into the muscles, so you get sort of a "bloat/pump" effect as well.

Aodhan

[Meguro]

Creatine doesn't really increase strength, it increases available energy.

Adenosine Tri Phosphate (ATP) is what produces energy in the muscle. The phosphate bond breaks, which produces energy and turns ATP into ADP (Di phosphate, Di meaning two, Tri meaning three). Creatine monophosphate (Mono meaning one) donates its phosphate to the ADP molecule creating another ATP available for use.

So, the more creatine you have, the more you can sustain energy production, so you can work out longer, which will increase muscle size.

Also, creatine attracts fluid into the muscles, so you get sort of a "bloat/pump" effect as well.

Aodhan

Will the following biochemistry exam be multiple choice? The use of creatine allows the user to work-out beyond what would normally be failure. Overtime this results in strength and or endurance depending on the type of exercise. Or perhaps not. Are you saying there is no strength gain that goes along with an increase in muscle size?

[Aodhan]

If the increase in size is solely due to more fluid being in the muscle, then no, there is no increase in strength. Also, there is no real increase in strength when you are "pumped" after a workout.

Most of the time you are correct though, there usually is a corresponding gain in strength when the muscle increases in size through direct stress (i.e. weightlifting.)

Aodhan

[elbows_and_knees]

If the increase in size is solely due to more fluid being in the muscle, then no, there is no increase in strength. Also, there is no real increase in strength when you are "pumped" after a workout.

correct. the "artificial pump" is merely the increased blood flow through the veins. This is why the "pump" disappears after a few hours.

[Meguro]

Thought I'd revive this thread as I recently found the answer I was looking for. The answer also seems to address the strength vs. speed question that frequently pops up in this and many other forums. While going through the articles in dragondoor, a very interesting site, I think I found the answer: deadlifts. It seems that a track coach found that by having his sprinters do heavy deadlifts of 2 reps/set, he was able to increase the strength and speed of his sprinters with very little weight gain. In the study, sprinters only gained about 2-3 pounds, in exchange for faster sprint times and heavier deadlifts. Since sprinting and ma fighting are basically anaerobic activities, I'm thinking of adding deadlifts to my training regimen.

You can find the article here:

http://www.dragondoor.com/articler/mode3/269/