Ironically, when I stopped caring so much about building strength – my physique got way better. I
In fact, when I stopped caring so much about building muscle, even, my physique got way better.
If this seems counterintuitive or clickbait-y, then just hear me out because it actually makes an awful lot of sense.
And it’s genuinely been my lived experience. See, I’m a “functional fitness guy” as you know. In all honesty, I train because I want to be like Jackie Chan or, of course, Batman. I want to be able to do cool tricks like handstands but I also want to be able to sprint and to hurdle high objects. And I want to keep doing this as I’m older, as I’ve come to realise it’s so important to be able to MOVE well if you want to enjoy life to the fullest.
Of course, I also want to look like an anime character. I’m not claiming to be completely without vanity! Looking like Goku, or Toji, or Bruce Wayne adds a whole extra layer of appeal. Mimicking your heroes is always fun.
But this was part of the problem. Because I would start training for my movement goals and so often end up getting distracted by strength training. I’d see that my pecs were looking pretty good from all the high rep push ups and dips and handstands… so Id start doing dumbbell press and bench press, eating more protein, and I’d get sidetracked.
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The other issue for me was trying to appeal to a broad audience. Turns out people aren’t that bothered about how high they can jump or how to do one arm push ups. But when you tell them how to get ripped abs or big biceps, they seem to care a lot more.
And people always got angry when I said that max strength on specific lifts wouldn’t actually be that useful for functional performance, beyond a certain point. Batman wouldn’t need to be constantly pushing his max weight on the bench because he’s never going to push that much from a lying down position outside the gym.
Getting a bigger and bigger squat will help you to jump higher in a standing vertical. But that’s not how most people jump. And there are diminishing returns – where pushing your max strength at
But people don’t want to hear that. YouTube is SO obsessed withs strength that if you say anything against this narrative you get accused of cope or not knowing what you’re talking about.
So, I’d always include a large max strength component in my training because it’s what people wanted to learn about.
But the more I focused on strength and hypertrophy the more things would go wrong. I’d quite often end up getting heavier than I wanted to be and carrying more fat from all the extra protein and carbs I was eating. My muscles would grow but with certain areas lagging behind and looking disproportionate.
I’d often end up looking softer. Worse, I’d often end up burning out. Constantly depleting my nervous system by training near fairly, or with tons of different exercises for the same muscle groups… it takes a ton out of you. And when you are a Dad or two hyperactive kids who barely sleeps, you’re practically inviting colds and other illnesses that will only mean weeks away from the gym.
PLUS when you’re constantly pushing near your max on a bunch of exercises, you need a LOT of recovery. You inevitably end up doing less of everything else – less cardio, less skills training, less of the stuff that can make you look more ripped and jacked.
The result is that the more I focussed on strength and hypertrophy, the more I tended to look “puffy” or “soft.”
My New Approach
Lately, I decided to switch lanes. I decided to train the way I want to train. I went back to my original way of training with higher rep ranges targeting more strength endurance. I stopped eating for muscle. I stopped hitting muscles from different angles. I stopped pushing max strength on the bench.
And I started dedicating serious time and effort to skills training, even where that means less time to stimulate specific muscle groups.
I pretty much stopped going to the gym. I now train almost exclusively from home (and the woods) with bodyweight, kettlebells, dumbbells, and occasionally the odd log or rock. I decided to reduce calories, even if it meant losing some muscle.
The result is that my physique actually looks way better.
And… like… of course it does!
The advice from many creators is that in order to build muscle, you need to build strength. Focus on getting stronger on key lifts and you will get bigger.
This is true to an extent, although the two are not precisely correlated. If they were, bodybuilders would train like powerlifters. Bodybuilders need isolation moves that target specific muscles groups that aren’t involved in the lifts that move the most weight.
But even just building max strength in isolated muscles doesn’t lead to the most growth. If it did, then bodybuilders would train their biceps with 3-6 reps at near maximum weight. They don’t. They use higher rep ranges, partials, drop sets, and more. This isn’t just about total volume – it’s because metabolic stress and muscle damage to play some role in hypertrophy. Some will tell you that mechanical tension is all that matters but there is so much evidence to tell us otherwise.
So, higher rep ranges, while till building some strength, with some isolation work, is possible may be ideal for increasing muscle size.
And you know what? When it comes to those smaller muscles that are hard to train, a lot of the skills work I’ve been doing actually brings them out better. Even most bodybuilders usually neglect their obliques and never move in the rotational plane. But doing so is how you build all that detail on either side of the six pack that look so good.
But notice the big underlying assumption, here, that “size” equates to aesthetics. That the more size you get, the better you’ll look.
Thing is, I always wanted to look like a fighter or a gymnast or an anime hero. These physiques aren’t necessarily gigantic. Sure, Goku has been pretty huge at times, but the typical aesthetic is lean, ripped, and powerful looking. More Bruce Lee than Ronnie Coleman.
Rather than focussing purely on building size, the average person would get a better looking physique by focussing more on body composition. That means doing strength AND endurance – not listening to the bodybuilding ethos of avoiding cardio at all costs. Not sneering at kettlebells because they’re not heavy enough.
This should be obvious: but higher rep ranges and strength endurance build a combination of muscle size AND lower body fat that look great. Eating enough protein but not obsessing over it, not bulking and cutting, not packing in carbs… that all helps you to bring out a more natural physique.
And the thing is… this is much quicker and easier. And it CAN be done from home with not much equipment.
One of the reasons I made this switch was necessity – I was burning out trying to run this channel, run the website, work on apps, raise the kids, have a social life… all while doing lots of super intense workouts at the gym. But by training more casually from home with bodyweight, I’m able to get workouts in in less time and with less fatigue.
The result is I’m WAY more consistent. And that alone results in a better physique.
And I also feel lighter and more energetic and can do more cool stuff – just like I always wanted to.
I’m not saying there’s no place for bodybuilding or powerlifting. Great bodybuilders and powerlifters are incredible athletes and if you’re looking for that – go get after it! But training in a more balanced and more MODERATE way is likely to be more manageable for most people and ironically may get them closer to the more athletic physique they perhaps wanted in the first place.
Just don’t let all your other goals be derailed in the singular pursuit of strength.
