I love talking Olympic lifting. I want the sport to grow and am always willing to talk shop when it comes to the sport. Recently we had a semi-private client propose an excellent question: “Can you obtain muscle hypertrophy by doing snatches.”
The quick answer is yes, you most certainly can. But, hypertrophy doesn’t occur in the way it is traditionally conceptualized.
Traditionally hypertrophy has been thought of as something that occurs when a submaximal weight is moved for somewhere between 8-12 repetitions. This is a myth perpetuated by the ACSM and NSCA. Hypertrophy does not occur in a rep range but rather in a set of conditions.
In order to maximize hypertrophy training the physiological conditions must be right, one MUST train the Type II muscle fiber adequately to achieve hypertrophy.
Research has proven that the greatest changes in muscle fiber diameter occur in Type II fibers. Not only does the greatest percentage of change occur in the Type II fiber, but also these fibers are inherently bigger than the little brother, Type I fiber.
The Type I fiber is the cross-country fiber; under seriously submaximal load it can go on contracting forever. If you want to look like a cross-country runner you need to train this fiber, if you want to look strong and trained, train the Type II muscle fiber.
How to Train Type II Fibers
Training the Type II Fiber is all about activation. Muscle activation is maximized when the rate of force development is maximized. To maximize Type II recruitment you have three solid options.
Option #1. Train Maximal Strength
Training for maximal strength is probably the most sure fire way to increase hypertrophy. When training for maximal strength you do not need to necessarily train a 1-rm every session. However, you need to have a good idea of how to implement percentages of your 1-rm. For example, if you are working on max strength you should be able to do 90% of your 1-rm for a double.
When training maximal strength Type II fibers are recruited due to the fact that the central nervous system (CNS) is signaling your muscle in an “all hands on deck” manner in which the biggest, strongest fibers are recruited first to do the work. As I mentioned above the biggest, fastest are the Type II fibers; therefore, you can guarantee hypertrophy is going to occur in this type of training. There is an old saying, “gotta’ lift big to get big” and in this scenario it is true. Ask some of the greats like Ronnie Coleman who was notorious for deadlifting 800lbs for doubles 2 weeks out from the Olympia. Look at Ferregno, Franco Columbo, all of them lifted heavy for minimal reps.
The question is going to arise, “What training program should I follow that develops maximal strength?” My advice would be to pick and stick to a maximal strength program that you feel you will follow. There are plenty of good programs out there. You can check out one of our Force Barbell programs that features 10×2.
Option #2. Train Power Development
Here is the scenario where you can do snatches for hypertrophy. In the last scenario we were on the left side of the force velocity curve. If you recall from your ex-phys 101 classes the left side of the force-velocity curve is the mass dominant side, the side where speed gives way to strength. Now, in power development we are moving to the right and trying to land smack dab in the middle of that curve.
When training for power development you are doing movements that require you to be explosive. Snatching, cleaning, or doing some sort of speed pull does just that. If you train for power you are going to see huge gains in hypertrophy. If you don’t believe me look at the Olympic weightlifters, Strongmen, and the powerlifters, all groups devote serious training time to the development of power.
Here is how it works. When you attempt to move a weight fast, your body becomes adept to asking your Type II fibers to fire when called upon. Every single time you perform a repetition of power development work you are asking for more and more Type II fiber recruitment. The awesome thing about this kind of training is that it is a classic “rich get richer” scenario. The more time you spend training for power, the more Type II recruitment you receive. The more Type II recruited, the bigger you will get.
One really important note on power development training, remember these fibers are the “wham bam thank you, ma’am” of muscle fibers, and the trick here is to take adequate amounts of rest between sets. Type II fibers produce a lot of force but cannot produce this high level of force for a long duration. Taking a 3:1 rest to work ratio allows for your body to regenerate creatine/PCr stores in the muscle. These little chemicals are vital because Type II fibers require them for muscle fuel.
My suggestion would be to immediately implement power training in your program.
However, implementing power development training can be tricky. www.Forcebarbell.com has some great training protocols for you to check out.
Option #3. Training to Failure
Our final scenario must begin with a disclaimer. I do not think training solely to failure is a good way to train. Here is how hypertrophy occurs when training to failure.
If you select a weight and move it until you can no longer complete a repetition a couple things have happened.
First, to start the movement the body initially recruited Type II fibers to get the work started. As lactate builds and PCr is depleted it signals your body to use muscle fibers that are much more efficient at mobilizing energy sources for prolonged use.
The Type I fiber is smaller and more efficient at utilizing energy for a great length of time. However, Type I fibers produce a significantly lower amount of force. As you continue to work the Type I fibers, because they are small and weak, they cannot sustain the work of moving a loaded muscle. By this point the body is struggling to refuel the electron transport chain and mobilize the proper energy source to continue the work. When the Type I fiber begins to fail the increase in extracellular hydrogen and other metabolic by products trigger the Type II fiber to join in the weight moving party.
Now the Type II fibers are recruiting all of their buddies to produce enough force to keep moving. This can only take place for a few seconds, no longer than 6 seconds. By then all of the Type II fibers that are going to help have helped and your muscle now fails. Due to this failure, some Type II fibers were trained. The chances are if you only train this way, your body is extremely deficient at recruiting the Type II fiber. Chances are during this time of recruitment not all Type II were recruited. As you can see this is an inefficient way to train.
I Want It All!
The last question to arise is, “Can I train all three methods simultaneously?” Of course you can!
But remember just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.
The bottom line is this hypertrophy is awesome. Almost every red-blooded American male enjoys getting bigger. Just remember, you have options. No more preacher curls for 8-12 reps.
Live Light, Lift Heavy.