Why am I so muscular but not that strong?

[daughterofaking]

After reading Overcoming Gravity (r/overcominggravity), I started training calisthenics last year and was consistent for a solid 3 months before I badly aggravated a case of golfer's elbow (presumably from weighted pull-ups and climbing). My original plan was to take it easy for 3 months but 3 months turned into 8 months! My elbow was definitely ready way sooner, but I was finishing up a pretty stressful last year of college and my training got away from me. I was pretty much only training handstands during this time.

I just graduated in June and have been training consistently 3x per week (M/W/F) for the past 4 weeks. I technically started working out again about a month before this but it wasn't consistent. My consistency has come back these past four weeks. I wasn't actively bulking the first 3 months I got into calisthenics, only consciously trying to make bigger plates and trying to eat three solid meals per day to recover from my workouts. Right now, I'm doing a proper bulk (tracking macros and all that jazz) to see how my body responds.

Related to the title of this post, I frequently get compliments on my physique, but I feel like I'm still very much at a beginner level in terms of actual strength. Here are my current stats and workout progression:

Age: 23

Height: 5' 7"

Weight: 160

Workout: 4 sets of CTB chin-ups (PR=7,7,7,6) + ring dips w/ RTO (PR=9,9,9,8); 3 sets of ring rows (PR=9,9,11) + Bulgarian pushups (PR=12,12,14); 4 sets of (strict) toes-to-bar (PR=10,10,10,10) + false grip passive hangs (PR=20s,20s,10s,15s)

Notes: I pair exercises of opposing muscle groups to save time (1:30 rest between each exercise, so more than 3:00 rest between sets of the same exercise); PRs have occurred in the order listed above (i.e., I always perform the workout in the order above and PRs are relative to my fatigue level depending on when in the workout the exercise is performed); for ring rows, hands and feet are at the same level like in this video; CTB=chest-to-bar

According to Overcoming Gravity, STRENGTH = NEURAL ADAPTATIONS x MUSCLE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA. Are my neural adaptations really that poor? I've seen guys in YouTube calisthenics progression compilations doing much harder skills (e.g., front lever, planche) than I'm capable of despite having significantly less muscle mass than I do. In fact, to my mild frustration, my PRs for CTB chin-ups and ring dips have basically stagnated for my past 5 workouts. I'm currently taking a deload week with a lot less volume to see if this will yield supercompensation.

Here are photos of my current physique. Is this a normal amount of muscle mass for my strength level? I'm leaning toward it being the case that I have more muscle mass than is typical for my strength level. Any ideas why that would be? Genetics or some other factor?

 

[prayesalways]

@daughterofaking When I was in middle school I knew a kid who never practiced calisthenics and busted out 12 pullups. I had to "train" for 2-3 months(basically just pullups every few days) to get to 10. I was probably 15lbs heavier than the kid.

Calisthenics and bulking might not mix the best for pure strength. Now if you lost weight you'd see your numbers shoot up. Or, you could incorporate weight lifting and also see your numbers go up.

 

[azliana]

@prayesalways I believe this. I've been overweight my whole life, but about 10 years ago I lost around 50 pounds, and one day decided to try to do a few pull ups. I busted out 3 even though I had never done a single pull up before that in my entire life.

 

[daishinkan]

@azliana Goddamn. I still can't do one.

 

[daveris]

@prayesalways Yep, pull-ups depend a lot on bodyweight.

 

[mybridges]

@daveris Genetics play a big part of determining your base strength. I started training as a skinny fat kid weighing 160 at 5’10 and I couldn’t even dead hang on the bar, let alone do a single pull up, took me about 3 months to get to my first unassisted one rep chin up. Throughout college, I trained pull ups religiously up until I could pop out 12 strict form ones at around 175. 10 years later, I’m over 220, a fat dad, and I can still bust out 5 pull ups no problem.

 

[jakelab]

@mybridges muscle memory is just crazy

 

[janice64]

@daveris Yup. Just watch those elementary school kids swing on those monkey bars like it's nothing.

 

[1joy1]

@daveris And genetics, some people just have stronger lats and shoulders without even needing to work out

 

[jamesapado]

@prayesalways That reminds me of this one guy at my primary and secondary school, a genetic specimen, he was like naturally super talented to do all sorts of flips, backflips, born with chiseled biceps, calf and a six pack. He overplayed everyone in any sort team sports and outperforming everyone in individual exercises like pushups, handstands and what not.

It was hard not to be frustrated around him. Especially that the grading system was prizing absolute reps and not progress. So a guy like him could at any point do like 50 pushups straight.

 

[prresearcher]

@prayesalways He must have been training something else tho?

 

[ancienttruth]

@prresearcher Had a kid that I went to school with around that age that was an incredible athlete despite not training athletically. I remember him just casually busting out 30+ pull-ups for fitness testing. He had just grown up working on a farm.

Fast forward to sophomore year of high school and he signs up for track&field. Shows up to the first day and has incredible looking physique. End of the season he went to state in pole vaulting and finished top 5 in the state despite having never trained for any sport prior to that season.

 

[dawn16]

@ancienttruth Farm work is tough. Those guys are probably top 1% of the population simply because of the consistent labor they put in every day, sometimes multiple times a day.

 

[cassiefitz1]

@ancienttruth Farmer's strength?

 

[gdub81]

@cassiefitz1 Country strong, jumping on and off the tractor helps, just gotta get out there and do the work i guess

 

[carolny]

@prresearcher Nah, pull ups…? If you are slim you smash out pull ups.

I know guys who can punch out 12 strict that are just slender, not at all trained.

 

[nuss]

@carolny Can confirm, as someone about a week into exercise after 2 years of sitting at my desk doing nothing during coronavirus being the weight of 50-55 kilos at 6'1, I can still do 12 pull ups if I really put some effort into it and I could from the first day. I could do pullups pretty consistently when I was younger and I never did much exercise. I have pretty short forearms and longer levers.

 

[dawn16]

@carolny Definitely true when I started working out a couple of months ago I was able to do 12 pull-ups coming from never working out before and after 2 months I was doing 20+

 

[daishinkan]

@prayesalways I am unfit as fuck, haven't worked out in years, got a beer belly now and sit around all day long as I am a DN.

I can crank out 12 proper push ups right now....

Weird, eh?

I think strength is a mental thing in the way that most people just feel like they've reached their max, when in fact they've only given 60% or something like this.

 

[ginakjv]

@daishinkan 12 isn't a lot.lol