Why Bigger Muscles Don't Make You Stronger

Strength is the body's ability to produce force, not muscle size, and is primarily determined by nervous system adaptations including motor unit recruitment, firing rate, and intermuscular coordination; while hypertrophy increases muscle size through contractile proteins and fluid/glycogen storage, pure strength training at 80-100% of one-rep max with 1-6 reps specifically develops the nervous system's capacity to access more motor units and produce force more rapidly, making it essential for both performance and longevity as fast-twitch fibers are the first to atrophy with age.