Relative Strength

 Relative Strength

On the discussion forums, you can find multiple threads on the concept “Absolute strength” or “Relative Strength” and if either one is “Functional Strength”.

First of all what are they and h ow can we use them for our athletic or bodybuilding use?

First of all in this context “genetics” play an important role. On the funny picture on the left, Strongman Brian Shaw 6’8 weighing 415 lbs, dwarfs Jay Cutler 5’9 290 lbs. Your body height is something you’ll have to work with. Just like your bone structure and your disposition to gain muscle and fat. And just think of the numerous articles about bone structure, the meso- ecto- and endomorph.

People have an idea on how athletes should look, a stereotype, powerlifters should be big, fat guys with a thick waist. The bodybuilders are relatively more muscular, the Olympic lifter more athletic and strongmen real beasts. In the old USSR boys where picked to become weightlifters, based on their bodystructure, their predisposition to become successful.

Nowadays many iron warriors look different than a few decades ago, just look at Mariusz Pudzianowski a Polish former strongman competitor and current mixed martial arts, in the header compared with Arnold, he could just as easy train as a bodybuilder.

Relative Strength

Relative strength = Absolute Strength/Body weight

Many athletes want to increase or maintain their relative strength (get stronger without putting on weight), by example to fit into a weight class. Or like Mariusz P needed to lose weight to be able to fight in MMA, that has heavyweight limit of 265 lbs.

The highest relative strength levels in competitive weightlifting are exhibited in the lower weight classes. A featherweight weightlifter can clean and jerk up to 3x bodyweight, while a super-heavyweight can only manage about 1.8x bodyweight. However, you can apply relative strength to many situations—for example, the number of pull-ups one can do is a commonly-used rough measure of relative strength of the upper body.

Ben Johnson, juiced or not juiced, was an absolute beast on the track and in the gym. With a 600lb+ squats at 175lbs, he squatted approx. 3.42 x his own bodyweight, he was absolutely stronger and relatively stronger than his competition.

But would training to improve his squat as the primary mode of training necessarily improve his performance if other training suffers and he potentially gains weight to accommodate his training?

Let’s say his squat is emphasized and bodyweight also increases ten pounds.

Here are hypothetical numbers: 625lbs squat at 175lbs= 3.57x/bw 650 lbs squat at 185lbs= 3.51x/bw. On the other hand if he dropped weight from 175 to 160lbs while maintaining his leg strength, he would be able to accelerate—and reach maximum sprint speed—faster

Let’s compare that with Ronnie Coleman, who of course has a much higher absolute strength, Ronnie had a max squat of about 800-900 lbs. and that he weighed about 315 lbs. This means that he can squat approx. 2.53-2.67 his own bodyweight.

Muscle Fiber Type

Muscle fiber type composition is also largely genetically determined and has very important muscle-specific training implications. Fast twitch fibers respond best to low volume, long rest intervals, high intensity and low frequency. Slow twitch fibers, in opposition, respond best to high volume, short rest intervals, low intensity and high frequency.

Perhaps most importantly, fast twitch muscle fibers have significantly greater growth potential than slow twitch fibers. Even in untrained individuals, they're normally more than 20% larger and it's not uncommon for them to be over twice as large. The fiber type composition of each muscle varies per individual, but as with most physiological characteristics, people don't differ that much. In the general population, differences in percentage of slow twitch muscle fibers are normally above 5% and usually below 10%.

Large Muscles

Larger muscles, as seen in bodybuilders, do not necessarily equal stronger muscles, as seen in powerlifters, who in general possess a bigger absolute strength.

To end the discussion a Squat Challenge was held at The FIBO in Germany in 1993. Tom Platz - the bodybuilder with the freakiest legs of all time - and "Mr. Squat" Fred Hatfield. At 45 years old, Fred Hatfield set a squat world record by lifting 1014 pounds in the 110 kg weight class. Tom Platz was the 1981 Mr. Olympia 3rd., the bodybuilder with the freakiest legs of his time.

  With his much bigger legs, Tom Platz managed to squat 600 pounds in the one-rep max squat.  However world class powerlifter Fred Hatfield defeated him with a 840 pounds squat (765-855 lbs depending of the source).

In the max reps squat, with a colossal weight of 525 pounds (495-525 lbs depending of the source), tree-trunks legged bodybuilder Tom Platz managed to do 23 ass-to-floor reps with relative ease.  The powerful Hatfield "only" managed to squeeze 11 reps.

Probably because powerlifters never perform high repetitions (volume), they train for competition that requires only one maximum rep, a deadlift, a squat and a bench press.

Heavy loads will stimulate gains, but in the absence of high significant volume most will result in myofibrilar hypertrophy—actively strengthening the muscle fiber itself.

Essentially, lifting heavy the majority of the time will always get you stronger, but not necessarily much bigger. That’s why Bodybuilders train with a higher amount of reps.

The drugs are different too.

• Powerlifting is the squat, bench press and deadlift.

• Olympic weightlifting is the snatch and the clean & jerk.

• Strongman is a variety of events such as atlas stones, farmer’s walk, log clean and press, carrying/loading medley.

• Bodybuilding involves lifting weights, but the goal is aesthetic, not a performance goal

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Functional Strength.

Powerlifters are extremely strong, but it is no functional strength. It’s not the kind of strength that you can apply to daily life tasks. Bodybuilders, in general, are not always equipped to perform heavy task like tossing a washer around, most bodybuilders are to stiff, but that isn’t true for all bodybuilders some really stretch and try to stay athletic.

Power is the application of strength and speed guys in the World's Strongest Man competition are more well-rounded (also better fitted for everyday situation) then Power lifters that do 1 max rep. Its nicely explained here.