Freeman, MD, MSc Amanda E. Graf, MD Amanda Goetz Amanda Smith, RN, BSN, CPN Amanda Sonk, LMT Amanda Whitaker, MD Amber Howell Amber Patterson, MD Amberle Prater, PhD, LPCC-S Amit Lahoti, MD Amy Brown Schlegel, MD Amy Coleman, LISW Amy Dunn, MD Amy E.

Valasek, MD, MSc Amy Fanning, PT, DPT Amy Garee, CPNP-PC Amy Hahn, PhD Amy Hess Amy Leber, PhD Amy LeRoy, CCLS Amy Moffett, CPNP-PC Amy Thomas, BSN, RN, IBCLC Amy Wahl, APN Anastasia Fischer, MD, FACSM Andala Hardy Andrea Brun, CPNP-PC Andrea M.

Boerger, MEd, CCC-SLP Andrea Sattler, MD Andrea Shellow Andrew Axelson Andrew Kroger, MD, MPH Andrew Schwaderer Andrew Tran, MD Andria Haynes, RN Angela Abenaim Angela Billingslea, LISW-S Ann Pakalnis, MD Anna Lillis, MD, PhD Annette Haban-Bartz Annie Drapeau, MD Annie Temple, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC Annie Truelove, MPH Anthony Audino, MD Anup D.

Patel, MD Ari Rabkin, PhD Ariana Hoet, PhD Arielle Sheftall, PhD Arleen Karczewski Ashlee Watson Ashleigh Kussman, MD Ashley Debeljack, PsyD Ashley Ebersole, MD Ashley Eckstein Ashley Karimi, MSW, LISW-S Ashley Kroon Van Diest Ashley M.

Bowers, PT, DPT, CHT, CFST Brendan Boyle, MD, MPH Brian Boe, MD Brian K. Kaspar, PhD Briana Crowe, PT, DPT, OCS Brigid Pargeon, MS, MT-BC Brittany Mikuluk, M. Haas, FNP Brooke Sims, LPCC, ATR Cagri Toruner, MD Caitlin Bauer, RD, LD Caitlin Tully Caleb Mosley Callista Dammann Cami Winkelspecht, PhD Camille Wilson, PhD Canice Crerand, PhD Cara Inglis, PsyD Carl H.

Baxter, MSN, RN, CPNP Cheryl Gariepy, MD Chet Kaczor, PharmD, MBA Chris Marrero Chris Smith, RN Christina Ching, MD Christina Day Christine Johnson, MA, CCC-SLP Christine Koterba, PhD Christine Mansfield, PT, DPT, OCS, ATC Christine Prusa Christopher Beatty, ATC Christopher Gerity Christopher Goettee, PT, DPT, OCS Christopher Iobst, MD Christopher Ouellette, MD Christy Lumpkins, LISW-S Cindy Iske Claire Kopko PT, DPT, OCS, NASM-PES Cody Hostutler, PhD Connor McDanel, MSW, LSW Corey Rood, MD Courtney Bishop.

PA-C Courtney Brown, MD Courtney Hall, CPNP-PC Courtney Porter, RN, MS Cristina Tomatis Souverbielle, MD Crystal Milner Curt Daniels, MD Cynthia Holland-Hall, MD, MPH Cynthia Zimm, MD Dana Lenobel, FNP Dana Noffsinger, CPNP-AC Dane Snyder, MD Daniel Coury, MD Daniel DaJusta, MD Danielle Peifer, PT, DPT David A Wessells, PT, MHA David Axelson, MD David Stukus, MD Dean Lee, MD, PhD Debbie Terry, NP Deborah Hill, LSW Deborah Zerkle, LMT Deena Chisolm, PhD Deipanjan Nandi, MD MSc Denis King, MD Denise Ell Dennis Cunningham, MD Dennis McTigue, DDS Diane Lang Dominique R.

Williams, MD, MPH, FAAP, Dipl ABOM Donna M. Trentel, MSA, CCLS Donna Ruch, PhD Donna Teach Doug Wolf Douglas McLaughlin, MD Drew Duerson, MD Ed Miner Edward Oberle, MD, RhMSUS Edward Shepherd, MD Eileen Chaves, PhD Elena Camacho, LSW Elena Chiappinelli Elise Berlan, MD Elise Dawkins Elizabeth A.

Cannon, LPCC Elizabeth Grove, MS, RD, LD, CLC Elizabeth Swartz Elizabeth T. Murray, MD Elizabeth Vickery, PhD Elizabeth Zmuda, DO Emily A. Stuart, MD Emily Decker, MD Emma Wysocki, PharmD, RDN Eric Butter, PhD Eric Leighton, AT, ATC Eric Mull, DO Eric Sribnick, MD, PhD Erica Domrose, RD, LD Ericca Hewlett Ericca L Lovegrove, RD, LD Erika Roberts Erin Gates, PT, DPT Erin Johnson, M.

Erin M. Cornelius, MSN, FNP Erin McKnight, MD, MPH Erin Tebben Farah Khan, MD Farah W. Brink, MD Fatimah Masood Frances Fei, MD Gabriella Gonzales, MD Gail Bagwell, DNP, APRN, CNS Gail Besner, MD Gail Swisher, AT Garey Noritz, MD Gary A.

Smith, MD, DrPH Geri Hewitt, MD Gina Hounam, PhD Gina McDowell Gina Minot Grace Paul, MD Gregory D. Pearson, MD Griffin Stout, MD Guliz Erdem, MD Hailey Blosser, MA, CCC-SLP Hanna Mathess Hannah Barton, PhD Hannah Hays MD, FACMT, FACCT, FACEP Heather Battles, MD Heather Clark Heather L.

Terry, MSN, RN, FNP-C, CUNP Heather Yardley, PhD Henry Spiller Henry Xiang, MD, MPH, PhD Herman Hundley, MS, AT, ATC, CSCS Hersh Varma, MD Hilary Michel, MD Hiren Patel, MD Holly Deckling, MSSW, LISW Homa Amini, DDS, MPH, MS Howard Jacobs, MD Hunter Wernick, DO Ibrahim Khansa, MD Ilene Crabtree, PT Irene Mikhail, MD Irina Buhimschi, MD Ivor Hill, MD Jackie Cronau, RN, CWOCN Jacqueline Taylor, BSW Jacqueline Wynn, PhD, BCBA-D Jacquelyn Doxie King, PhD Jaime-Dawn Twanow, MD Jaimie D.

Nathan, MD, FACS James MacDonald, MD, MPH James Murakami, MD James Popp, MD James Ruda, MD Jamie Macklin, MD Jane Abel Janelle Huefner, MA, CCC-SLP Janice M. Moreland, CPNP-PC, DNP Janice Townsend, DDS, MS Jared Sylvester Jason Jackson Jason P.

Thackeray, MD Jonathan Finlay, MB, ChB, FRCP Jonathan M. Diefenbach, MD Karen Allen, MD Karen Days, MBA Karen Rachuba, RD, LD, CLC Karen Texter, MD Kari A. Meeks, OT Kari Cardiff, OD Kari Dubro, MS, RD, LD, CWWS Kari Phang, MD Karla Vaz, MD Karyn L.

Kassis, MD, MPH Kasey Strothman, MD Katelyn Krivchenia, MD Katherine Deans, MD Katherine McCracken, MD FACOG Katherine Redden Kathleen Katie Roush Kathleen Nicol, MD Kathryn Blocher, CPNP-PC Kathryn J. Junge, RN, BSN Kathryn Obrynba, MD Katia Camille Halabi, MD Katie Brind'Amour, MS Katie Donovan Katie Thomas, APR Katrina Boylan Katrina Ruege, LPCC-S Katya Harfmann, MD Kayla Zimpfer, PCC Kaylan Guzman Schauer, LPCC-S Keli Young Kelli Dilver, PT, DPT Kelly Abrams Kelly Boone Kelly Huston Kelly J.

Kelleher, MD Kelly Lehman, MSN, CNP Kelly McNally, PhD Kelly N. Baker, MD Linda Stoverock, DNP, RN NEA-BC Lindsay Kneen, MD Lindsay Pietruszewski, PT, DPT Lindsay Schwartz Lindsey Vater, PsyD Lisa Golden Lisa Halloran, CNP Lisa M.

Humphrey, MD Logan Blankemeyer, MA, CCC-SLP Lori Grisez PT, DPT Lorraine Kelley-Quon Louis Bezold, MD Lourdes Hill, LPCC-S Lubna Mazin, PharmD Luke Tipple, MS, CSCS Lynda Wolfe, PhD Lyndsey Miller Lynn Rosenthal Lynne Ruess, MD Maggie Rosen, MD Maggy Rule, MS, AT, ATC Mahmoud Kallash, MD Mandy Boetz, LISW-S Manmohan K Kamboj, MD Marc Dutro Marc P.

Michalsky, MD Marcel J. Larouere, MBA, BSN, RN Mark E. Ed Meghan Cass, PT, DPT Meghan Fisher, BSN, RN Meika Eby, MD Melanie Fluellen, LPCC-S Melanie Luken, LISW-S Melissa and Mikael McLaren Melissa McMillen, CTRS Melissa Winterhalter, MD Meredith Merz Lind, MD Michael Flores, PhD Michael T. Brady, MD Michelle Ross, MHA, RD, LD, ALC Mike Patrick, MD Min Jeong-Cho Mindy Deno, PT, DPT Mitch Ellinger, CPNP-PC Molly Dienhart, MD Molly Fuchs, MD Molly Gardner, PhD Monica Ardura, DO Monica Ellis Monique Goldschmidt, MD Motao Zhu, MD, MS, PhD Muhammed A.

Khan, MD, MPH, FASGE Murugu Manickam, MD Nancy Auer Nancy Cunningham, PsyD Nancy Wright, BS, RRT, RCP, AE-C Naomi Kertesz, MD Natalie DeBacco Natalie I. Romero, RD, LD, CLC Reggie Ash Jr. Reilly Harrington, CCC-SLP Reno Ravindran, MD Richard Kirschner, MD Richard Wood, MD Robert A.

Kowatch, MD, Ph. Resistance training helps your muscles adapt or change. In addition to strength and hypertrophy adaptations, resistance training can help with:.

To achieve different results, you need to make modifications to your resistance program by making changes to what is known as the acute training variables. The National Academy of Sports Medicine NASM defines acute training variables as the most fundamental component of any training program.

The variables determine the amount of stress you put on your body, which will eventually lead to the adaptations you want to achieve in your muscles. In other words, making changes to any of these factors, when done correctly, can help your body adapt the way you like.

NASM warns that you should not jump straight to training for hypertrophy. You need to first develop a strong foundation and move into a more advanced phase once you have a stable base.

Also, when first starting out, you may not be likely to see major gains in size right away. According to a review , when you first start out, you will gain strength rapidly at first, along with neural adaptations.

After the initial strength gains, you will likely start to see some slow, but likely steady gains in size. Training for hypertrophy and training for strength are interconnected.

Training for hypertrophy means you are looking to increase the physical size of your muscles. It can take several months for you to notice any results. Bodybuilders focus on resistance training for hypertrophy, but you may be interested in this form of training to change the appearance of your own muscles.

Training for strength involves training your nervous system to use as many muscle fibers as needed to overcome an external force. It is a neuromuscular adaptation, meaning your nervous system learns to communicate better with your muscles to produce movement and create force.

Strength training plays a vital role in most sports training as well as everyday life. It also plays an important role in keeping you healthy. They interconnect because they often occur at the same time.

When you train for hypertrophy, the increased muscular size can increase your strength. When you train for strength, the ability to perform tasks for longer periods can lead to hypertrophy. However, you can adjust the acute training variables to focus on either hypertrophy or strength training.

According to NASM , the 5 key variables you need to consider when picking between focusing on hypertrophy or strength are:. Muscle adaptations require muscles to become damaged, stressed, and fatigued. Intensity affects how quickly your muscles reach fatigue. To be effective, the intensity you select needs to be enough to generate stress while allowing you to do enough reps to reach fatigue.

Reps refer to the number of times you perform the action of a particular exercise. For example, you may do 10 reps of squats while at the gym as part of your routine. Reps and intensity have an inverse relationship: as your intensity increases, you need to decrease the number of reps you do.

You should perform each rep as fast as safely possible. Safety with lifting involves using proper form for the exercise you are performing.

Hypertrophy training often involves more reps with a lower level of intensity. Hypertrophy training should involve a rest period of between 60 and 90 seconds. Too long a rest period may prevent the hypertrophic effect from occurring.

For strength training, your rest period should be between about 3 to 5 minutes. Sets are the number of times you perform the same exercise.

Using the above example, you may do 3 sets of 10 reps of squats as your full routine with rest periods in between each set. To train for hypertrophy, you will want to focus on doing between 3 and 5 sets of each exercise.

To train for strength, you will want to focus on about 4 to 6 sets per exercise. To train for either, you will need to vary your intensity and reps so that you can reach the ideal number of sets. Exercise selection can make a difference in your overall resistance training program.

Training for hypertrophy or strength benefits from a multiple-joint approach. In other words, your routines should include exercises that involve several muscle groups and joints in one action — these are often called compound exercises.

Squats , deadlifts , and rows are a few examples of exercises that involve several muscle groups in one action. For hypertrophy, working several groups at once may promote uniform growth.

For strength, working multiple groups at once can improve overall strength. The following chart provides a basic example of the difference between training for hypertrophy and training for strength using the same exercise. Resistance training can offer several potential health benefits.

The American Heart Association AHA recommends you perform strength training at least 2 days per week to help keep you healthy. When done properly, resistance training is generally safe and effective in building size and strength. When performing an exercise, you need to make sure you use proper form.

If you are not sure how to perform an exercise, you can often find videos, images, or instructions online. You could also work with a personal trainer to learn proper form when performing various strength exercises. For example, if you struggle to complete 10 reps of squats with your body weight, you should not add additional weight right away.

Instead, focus on finishing your reps and sets at your base level and then increase your intensity once you can comfortably finish your routine. To help decrease risk, you should focus on building a strong base first.

Building muscle size and maximum strength requires a solid foundation to build from, though you will build strength naturally first as you build up your base. Resistance training for one will naturally increase the other, but there are steps you can take to focus on one over the other.

To do this, you need to modify the fundamental aspects of your workout, including the intensity, reps, rest period, sets, and type of exercises.

By contrast, training for hypertrophy involves moderate weight, higher reps, and more sets with limited rest in between.