What to Do When You’re Getting Stronger But Not Bigger

Your lifts are going up—but the mirror looks the same. Let’s fix that disconnect between strength and size.

Strength and Size Are Related—But Not Equal

You can absolutely get stronger without gaining muscle. Neurological adaptation, better technique, and more confidence under the bar all improve performance without increasing lean mass.

If your bar speed’s improving but your shirt still fits the same, this is likely what’s happening.

Why It Happens

• You’re training mostly in low rep ranges (3–6)
• You’re not accumulating enough weekly volume
• Your diet supports strength—not hypertrophy
• You’re underloading or rushing accessory lifts

Real Example

Tyler bumped his deadlift from 365 to 425 in 6 months—but gained no visible muscle. Why? His 3x5s on compounds were solid, but he skipped accessories, ate maintenance calories, and never trained close to failure. Strong? Yes. Bigger? No.

How to Shift Gears

• Move from triples and fives to sets of 6–10+
• Push your accessories closer to failure
• Increase weekly volume by 10–20%
• Track nutrition—aim for a small surplus

Best Rep Ranges for Growth

Strength thrives in 3–6 reps. Hypertrophy thrives in 6–15. If all your top sets live in the 3–5 zone, your body isn’t getting the tension or fatigue needed to grow.

Split your programming: intensity on compounds, volume on accessories. Keep both—but stop treating hypertrophy work like an afterthought.

More Isn’t Always Better

You don’t need to double your sessions—just do more with what you’ve got. Track reps in reserve. Be honest. Are your accessories RPE 6 or 9? Push them hard. That’s where size lives.

What to Track Instead of PRs

• Are accessory weights going up?
• Are you hitting more reps with the same weight?
• Are your sets getting closer to RPE 8–9?
• Are you slowly gaining scale weight or circumference?

Want to Go Deeper?

Check out Layne Norton's breakdown on smart hypertrophy training: 7 Rules of Muscle Building

Also read Training Variables That Matter More Than Volume for deeper programming insight.

Want more powerbuilding strategies and real-world lifting insights? Browse the full Iron Alliances strength training hub.