This will come across as maybe a bit of a newbish question, but I feel it is pretty critical. I've read through most of the stickies, but none that I saw directly addressed this.

When speaking of building muscle, bulking, and strength training... is this actually the same thing? I hear many terms about improving muscle mass, but then I hear about lean muscle. Again, same thing? Does bulking up = strength training or are these somewhat separated. IE a guy can focus on building strength without actually building up the bulky muscles (as fast).

Sorry if this seems like a clueless question, but I've always been wondering in the back of my head.

Not a clueless question at all. People use these terms interchangeably, when perhaps they should not. Hence the confusion.

These are MY definitions for the three:

1. Building muscle is an OBJECTIVE - a desired endpoint of your training.

2. Bulking is a PROCESS - the intentional gaining of mass (mostly muscle, but almost always with some fat as well). Obviously, Bulking is a strategy to achieve increased muscle (#1).

3. Strength training is exactly what it sounds like - a specific TRAINING METHOD that focuses on increased 1 rep max for various exercises (squat, DL, bench). The goal here is to raise your ability to lift higher weights. While this is almost always the result of increasing muscle mass, it can also come from improved utilization of existing muscle. You almost always see this at the start of newbie training, when one's current potential has not been realized. Later on, continued progress requires additional muscle mass to be added to your frame.

Technically "strength" has nothing to do with bulking.

You can get stronger whether you bulk or not.

Getting stronger is more neurologically oriented.

Although....personally I would not want to try to get stronger on a "cutting' diet.

Bulking IMO is simply adding bodyweight while lifting.

e.g......you are 180lbs. You want to add muscle (hypertrophy). So you "bulk" to 200lbs. Why? Because the excess calories are what put on muscle (along with fat).

Once you are at 200 you "cut". You go on a "cutting" diet. This is where you want to lose the fat but still retain the lean body muscle.

Many say that a stronger muscle is a bigger muscle. There's some truth to this. But it depends a lot on whether you're going for hyper-trophy or strength....because a lot of strong guys, while being strong, do not have bodybuilder physiques.

Generally speaking, you'll get stronger on a "bulk" by default, if your lifting program supports getting stronger.

"Muscle mass" is exactly that. Whereas "bulk" is simply everything you end up with when you gain weight from caloric excess.

If you bulk without lifting that's called "getting obese'...:cool:

If you lift while eating like a horse, you're on a "bulk".

If you want to look like John Stone....you'll be "cutting' at regular intervals.

If you're strength/powerlifter oriented , "cutting" may not play that big a part.

Hypertrophy is one thing....strength is another.

Many Oly lifters, while being admirably strong, do not have bodybuilder muscles.

Vince Gironda had a muscular physique.....but he was no Gene Rychlak.

So you can have big muscles without necessarily being strong.

And you can be strong without necessarily having big muscles.

Thank you very much. I guess my assumption that it was all the same was horribly misguided from the start by not checking into this right away. Very good information summary here. Thank you.

Lets keep it simple: Whether you weant to increase strength or muscle, you have to lift heavier weights.

Strength is mostly nervous sytem adaptations. But there is only so much nervous sytem can "adapt", after that you have to add some muscle.

That's why I prefer routines like PRRS and other periodization schemes that routinely tax the CNS and the fibers differently. You'll get a blend of strength, endurance and mass gains over an extended period.

That's why I prefer routines like PRRS and other periodization schemes that routinely tax the CNS and the fibers differently. You'll get a blend of strength, endurance and mass gains over an extended period.

Periodization or whatever, there is only so many ways your nervous sytem can "rearrange" itself to increase strength. And hence the reason, powerlifters and strongmen resort to drugs to increase muscle eventhough they worry ony abt strength.