What’s The Difference Between Strength Training and Muscle Building?

Strength training and muscle building are similar enough for most people to use the terms interchangeably but different enough for practitioners to disagree on their importance.

Strength training and muscle building don’t only make muscles in different ways and at different speeds, they actually make different kinds of muscle.

The Difference Between Strength Training and Muscle Building

Strength Training

Strength training is about endurance. It involves lifting by lifting less more times – the “low weight, high rep” system. Exercises of this kind build muscle over time, but they are better at toning muscle and making it more defined. Exercises of these kind take a bit more time to show results, but people who are more interested in staying and looking fit than they are in “getting ripped” prefer the results.

Muscle Building

When you think muscle building, think body building – it’s all about size. Size is usually achieved by lifting about as much as you safely can only a few times – the “high weight, low rep” system. Exercises of this type build large muscles quickly. According to WebMD, just two workouts per week can be enough to see results, but that doesn’t mean that you won’t be working for them.

Aren’t Muscles Just Muscles?

There are three basic types of muscle fibers:

1. Those used for intense exercises carried out over a short duration.
2. Those used for moderate activity for moderate duration.
3. Those used for lighter activity over a longer duration.

Muscle building increases the number of the first kind of fibers. Strength training increases the number of the second kind of fibers. The third kind are increased more through aerobic activities like running or swimming. All of these kinds have advantages for different activities but don’t worry, you always have some of each.

Starting an Exercise Program

Finding a strength training exercise that works for you is a lot safer than finding a muscle building exercise that works for you. This is because muscle building requires lifting heavier weights. This increases the risk of pulling something. If you build some muscles too big and ignore others, they can also create problems with your posture and cause other serious problems.

Finding a strength training exercise that works for you can take a long time too, as it can involve doing exercises with different weights and different reps to find out what challenges you just the right amount.

Can Your Diet Keep Up with Your Exercise?

Both strength training and muscle building require a lot of protein. Be sure that you’re also focusing on iron, which is another big component of muscles. Most people forget about calcium and magnesium when they start an exercise regimen. Your muscles attach to bones, and the bones undergo a lot of force when the muscles are used, which leads to bone health and growth – but only if you get enough minerals in your diet.

In fact, your bones are one of the last places that calcium goes in your body. It’s also very important for conducting the electrical charges that your nervous system uses to activate your muscles, which is another good reason to get more calcium in your diet if you’re about to start a new workout program.

Don’t Believe The Myths – Women Should Lift Weights!

Women can, and should, lift weights. It builds strength, helps you lose weight, improves sleep, sex, and so much more. Whether you use free weights, weight machines or resistance bands, the point is to mix weight training into your workout schedule to get the body you desire or the body back that you once had.

Women don’t get bulky from lifting weights. That’s a myth. It will not happen. To get the real facts about strength training and muscle building for women, download my free report Strength Training Myths For Women.