Strength vs Hypertrophy Training: What’s the Difference?

Strength training and hypertrophy training are two distinct approaches to resistance exercise, each with different goals. Strength training focuses on increasing your muscle’s ability to produce maximal force (think lifting the heaviest weight possible), whereas hypertrophy training targets increasing the size of your muscles (muscle growth). In practice, these goals overlap – getting stronger can help build muscle and vice versa – but the training methods emphasize different variables. Below, we break down how strength and hypertrophy training differ in key training parameters like repetitions, sets, tempo, and load, and how to improve in each. We’ll also highlight how recommendations can differ for trained vs. untrained individuals, so both beginners and advanced lifters can optimize their workouts.