Stronger or Lighter?

[VoodooPlata]

Title says it all - sometimes I see referenced that this thread has been done to death already but I can't seem to find good info on this matter. Here are the specifics of this case (the case of me grappling with people and trying to win):
* I can deadlift almost 2 times my BW, bench 1.25 times my BW and squat ~1.6*BW. So I'm not very strong.
* My BF% is somewhere around 20, according to estimates made by some people I know who are educated in these matters. I don't have a hard time losing weight, but I don't know about remaining strong.
* I'm getting stronger seemingly by the minute, PRs every time I go to the weight room. I also have an easy time gaining weight.

Should I drop a weight class or two (I weigh 187 lbs) or should I just keep getting stronger? Is there a known strategy that's more beneficial than the other?

 

[Gierrod]

Just get stronger dude.

 

[KnightTemplar]

Title says it all - sometimes I see referenced that this thread has been done to death already but I can't seem to find good info on this matter. Here are the specifics of this case (the case of me grappling with people and trying to win):
* I can deadlift almost 2 times my BW, bench 1.25 times my BW and squat ~1.6*BW. So I'm not very strong.
* My BF% is somewhere around 20, according to estimates made by some people I know who are educated in these matters. I don't have a hard time losing weight, but I don't know about remaining strong.
* I'm getting stronger seemingly by the minute, PRs every time I go to the weight room. I also have an easy time gaining weight.

Should I drop a weight class or two (I weigh 187 lbs) or should I just keep getting stronger? Is there a known strategy that's more beneficial than the other?

Viking DNA. Lucky bastard!

Personally, I think that if you are hitting PR's every time you Lift, you should keep doing that until the gains stop. Just my opinion.

 

[CoreCanyon]

* I'm getting stronger seemingly by the minute, PRs every time I go to the weight room. I also have an easy time gaining weight.

Should I drop a weight class or two (I weigh 187 lbs) or should I just keep getting stronger? Is there a known strategy that's more beneficial than the other?

I know it's not really a question, but I think the answer you are looking for can be found here.

I think if you keep lifting, you'll be surprised that, as a true beginner, you can have your cake and eat it too.

 

[Siple5]

I would say it demends on your genetics,either go for the GSP (stong and athletic) or the Edgar (lighter and faster) based on your bodytype and follow your instincts.. You can never be 2 strong though, but the more LBM you have,the more oxygen you need to get to your muscles so that does play a role..

 

[miaou]

VP, come on dude, I thought you were more intelligent than this.








And what are your goals again?

 

[Fedorable]

Just get stronger dude.

it is all about balance to me, being the strongest you can at a lighter weight class than heavy weight.

 

[Gierrod]

it is all about balance to me, being the strongest you can at a lighter weight class than heavy weight.

For sure.

 

[milano]

I might get some stick for this...

But, if you're hitting PRs everytime you're in the gym then you've probably got some decent newbie gains left in you and it will definitely be possible for you to get stronger and lose weight at the same time.

 

[VoodooPlata]

VP, come on dude, I thought you were more intelligent than this.


And what are your goals again?

I don't mean right fucking now, man! I meant as a general strategy. My goal is sticking it to a guy at campus, and I haven't done that yet. I was just sitting around and thinking about what my plan should be in the first six months of next year or so and I got to the point where i realized that I don't know whether lighter or stronger is generally better if you're not very strong but not very light either.




I'll try not to be an idiot, though.

 

[miaou]

I don't mean right fucking now, man! I meant as a general strategy. My goal is sticking it to a guy at campus, and I haven't done that yet. I was just sitting around and thinking about what my plan should be in the first six months of next year or so and I got to the point where i realized that I don't know whether lighter or stronger is generally better if you're not very strong but not very light either.

The ONLY answer is this: there is no better or worse. Period. There is no better or worse without specific goals.

Better and worse can only be defined depending on your specific goals. In other words, set your goals first, then see what is the best way to reach them. That's the only way you can go about defining an "optimal" strength/bodyweight equation.

That, or you can be a geek and go by something like "find the bodyweight that will allow me to get the best wilks out of my big 4 total". But keep in mind that even this is completely arbitrary unless it suits specific goals.

I'll try not to be an idiot, though.

Good. It's a decent rule of thumb.

 

[VoodooPlata]

The ONLY answer is this: there is no better or worse. Period. There is no better or worse without specific goals.

True.

(the case of me grappling with people and trying to win)

I thought that was clear enough as far as goals were concerned. But I get your point, I really do.

 

[miaou]

So performing better at grappling is your only goal. Absolute strength and muscular endurance are the main things you need to be better at, compared to people at the same weight class as you.

Then wilks is actually a kinda decent measure of your strength relative to other people in the same weight class as you (who might be taller or sorter, but still same weight). Focus on keeping getting stronger while your noob gains last, and then you can start keeping track of your wilks scores and see if gaining or losing weight will help increase them. Seeing as your are a fan of Feynman, you sound geeky enough to try it!

 

[James Fuller]

I know it's not really a question, but I think the answer you are looking for can be found here
I think if you keep lifting, you'll be surprised that, as a true beginner, you can have your cake and eat it too.

this is gospel truth. I went from a 215 squat to a 320, and similar in my dead while maintaing my ability to cut to 145. as someone with no adaptation you seem to be in the category of people who could "ride a bike and increase their 1RM" to quote rippetoe

 

[LZD]

So performing better at grappling is your only goal. Absolute strength and muscular endurance are the main things you need to be better at, compared to people at the same weight class as you.

I disagree. I'd add "Apart from getting better at grappling...." to the start of the sentence. A better grappler will beat a stronger grappler more often.

If your BF% is as high as 20% you could probably drop a few pounds and keep increasing strength.

Being fatter didn't make my grappling worse. But it obviously meant I had to grapple heavier stronger people as well. If you're not better than them, and they're stronger, well, you're in hot water.

Being fatter certainly made my striking less efficient. But being stronger didn't.

 

[mtruitt76]

Drop the weight. It will be easier and quicker to lose the weight than to gain strength.

 

[VoodooPlata]

So performing better at grappling is your only goal.

For the sake of this discussion, yes. I actually meant for the discussion to be more general, so I failed a bit when I made the first post mostly about me.

Seeing as your are a fan of Feynman, you sound geeky enough to try it!

You are correct - there's absolutely no need to worry about whether I'm geeky enough to do something, let me assure you.

Just get stronger dude.

Drop the weight. It will be easier and quicker to lose the weight than to gain strength.

An opportunity for a duel has arisen! Who is right?

 

[miaou]

I disagree. I'd add "Apart from getting better at grappling...." to the start of the sentence. A better grappler will beat a stronger grappler more often.

If your BF% is as high as 20% you could probably drop a few pounds and keep increasing strength.

Being fatter didn't make my grappling worse. But it obviously meant I had to grapple heavier stronger people as well. If you're not better than them, and they're stronger, well, you're in hot water.

Being fatter certainly made my striking less efficient. But being stronger didn't.

Lol!!!



But yeah. Sport technique/proficiency comes before strength. Obviously.

 

[XTrainer]

Deciding whether or not to drop a weight class is not an S&C question. S&C is about getting stronger/better conditioned at any size. What size you will grapple at is a decision based mostly on factors separate from S&C.