What’s the Difference Between Hypertrophy vs Strength Training and Why Does it Matter?

TRAINING | February 2025

Resistance training can vary – both in the way it’s performed, and in the changes it brings about in your body. If you have specific workout goals, then, it’s vital to ensure that the training you’re carrying out aligns with the results you want to see.

Two popular types of resistance training are hypertrophy and strength. Below, we’ll be exploring the hypertrophy vs strength training distinction: taking an in-depth look at what they are, what the difference between strength and hypertrophy is, and how you can choose the right workout for you at F45.

What is hypertrophy training?

Hypertrophy training focuses on increasing the size of your muscles, which is known as muscle hypertrophy.

Typically, when you think of hypertrophy training you imagine body builders, who train to achieve big increases of muscle mass by lifting incredibly heavy weights. But actually, increasing your muscle mass has a range of health benefits – including reducing your risk of a range of heart diseases and helping to prevent injury during a workout – and it’s not just for bodybuilders.

That said, it’s not for everyone. And, while a variety of athletes (including footballers and gymnasts) will experience hypertrophy to some extent, many choose to avoid hypertrophy training – as too great an increase in muscle mass can reduce agility.

What is strength training?

Strength training is the key to building and maintaining muscle, and focuses on your ability – not your size. Here, ‘strength’ essentially refers to the amount of external force your muscles can move at once. In other words, your strength is measured by the heaviest thing your body can push or pull.

Because strength training is measured by moving large amounts of weight, you can usually improve it with compound exercises that challenge multiple muscle groups. In F45 workouts, this might look like dumbbell squats, lunges, bench presses, overhead presses, plus a wealth of other body-busting exercises.

Hypertrophy vs strength training: the key differences

When comparing hypertrophy vs strength training, the fundamental difference is that hypertrophy training increases the size of your muscles, while strength training increases the force you can create with your muscles.

That said, you don’t have to choose – hypertrophy and strength training are interconnected, so focusing on one type of resistance training will benefit the other.

The purpose of our comparison here isn’t to say that one training type is better than the other. Both are fantastic for your health and wellbeing, and elements from all areas of resistance training are used in F45 workouts.

But it’s still handy to know how they differ – especially when it comes to building a sustainable fitness routine to smash your workout goals. So now, read on to understand the fundamental differences of hypertrophy vs strength training.

Volume

Volume refers to the amount of work you perform in your workout. This could be the number of reps or sets you’re performing, or the overall time you spend working out. When comparing the results of strength versus hypertrophy, training volume is a key factor and can influence any delayed onset muscle soreness after a workout.

Hypertrophy training typically involves working out at 60% to 80% of your maximum strength. This is usually around eight to 12 repetitions per set¹, with 30 to 90 seconds’ rest. So, hypertrophy training will burn – but won’t push you to failure.

Strength training usually involves low reps (between one and five) at 80% to 100% of your maximum strength, with three to five minutes’ rest. Low reps are the most optimal way to increase your muscle strength². However, high reps – performing more than 15 reps using at most 60% of your maximum capability – still increases your strength, while also delivering greater muscle endurance².

Weight loss

Both hypertrophy and strength training are beneficial for your holistic weight loss management plan, and can be supported by cardio workouts.

Hypertrophy training helps you lose weight by increasing your muscle mass, which makes your metabolism burn more fat³. Weight loss is also encouraged by performing more reps, as opposed to low-rep strength training.

Strength training burns calories because you’re working out at a greater intensity. High-rep resistance training is fantastic for weight loss and can even double as a cardio session – but it won’t allow you to build as much strength.

As with any weight loss goals, exercise is only one part of the equation. Eating a healthy diet and learning how to meal prep for the week will save you time, make you feel great, and help drive down your caloric intake.

Workout type

The way in which you work out is different for strength versus hypertrophy.

Hypertrophy training typically contains a range of exercises that focus on working one muscle group. For example, a hypertrophic bicep workout could contain bicep curls, hammer curls, pull ups, and spider curls. By building workouts around one muscle group and challenging those muscles, you can maximize their growth.

Strength training offers more room for variety. You can focus on specific muscle groups or take your body to the limit with functional full-body workouts. For example, F45 resistance workouts contain a variety of exercises that work your entire body. Our trainers will be there to encourage you, but to get the best improvements in strength, you’ll need to hold yourself accountable: using the heaviest weights you can and pushing your muscles to failure.

Hypertrophy vs strength training: how to choose what’s right for you

So, what training type should you use in your workout routine? Well, that depends on your goals.

Do you want your muscles to look bigger and gain strength? Regularly perform F45 Training resistance workouts, making sure you’re lifting the heaviest weights available and staying within that 60% to 80% strength range.

Is your priority simply to become stronger? Try F45’s resistance workouts, but aim to push your muscles to their limit every class. To maintain a consistent increase in strength, supplement this resistance training with our recovery sessions, too.

Finally, if you want to gain strength while maximizing leanness, we suggest giving our hybrid workouts a go: they contain both resistance and cardio exercises.

All F45 Training classes support strength training – but ultimately, the results you want to see are entirely up to you, and depend on both the type of workouts you’re doing and how often you’re doing them. If you want any advice finding the right workout routine, our trainers are here to help, and will support you in putting a plan into place.

One final tip – if you’re new to resistance training, focus on the health benefits of strength training to start with. This will give you a solid foundation to build on, so you can pivot into something more specific further down the track of your fitness journey.

All fitness is awesome – so instead of choosing between strength and hypertrophy training, why not try both? And, if you’re looking for even more ways to supplement your training regime, explore how to improve your running endurance with F45.