[QUOTE=Sardinkahnikov;1132502]I’ve once read an article on the web on how bodybuilding routines can help you increase the potential gains of more strenght-focused exercises. I don’t know how accurate this is tho, as it was based on the author’s personal experience.[/QUOTE]
A person can get stronger (meaning the maximal force that a muscle is able to produce) basically in one of two ways:
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increasing the size of the muscle (giving the muscle more potential, like a bigger engine in a car)
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improving the efficiency of the central nervous system, which may not always be accompanied by an increase in muscle size (for example, a powerlifter who wishes to stay in the 150 pound weight class but who increases his bench from 280 to 300 while remaining at the same weight; to continue the car analogy, this is like making an engine more efficient without increasing its displacement)
#1 is achieved by training a specific way (bodybuilding style) and eating a specific way (bodybuilding style, again, with a surplus of calories)
#2 is achieved by training in a specific way (heavy weights, low reps, long rest periods, lower volume) and not eating so much as to gain weight.
So to answer your question, how can bodybuilding routines increase the potential gains for strength focused exercises?
By increasing the muscle’s size, you give it more potential.
To continue the car analogy again, a turbocharged 2 liter engine may produce as much power as a naturally aspirated 4 liter engine. But what happens when you add a turbocharger to a 4 liter engine?
Think of bodybuilding as increasing your displacement.
Think of strength-based training as turbocharging.
To use a real world example, imagine a naturally skinny ectomorph guy who has been training for a few years but still only weighs 140 pounds, but he can bench press 225 because he’s done some powerlifting type training. For a hobbyist weightlifter, 225 is a pretty awesome bench for someone who only weighs 140.
Now imagine a naturally big dude, a mesomorph who weighs 190 but doesn’t really train that hard, but he can also bench press 225.
The smaller dude is more “optimized” and highly trained, his CNS is more efficient, yet they are roughly the same strength.
If the bigger guy started training seriously, he has the potential to become much stronger than the already efficient smaller guy.
All else being equal, bigger muscles have more potential. Of course, there are cases of smaller guys being stronger than bigger guys due to training/genetics/etc.