British powerful politician Eddie Hall deadlifted 1,102 pounds He lifted 500 kilograms at the 2016 World Deadlift Championships. Hall was the first person to break the half-ton barrier, and was then taken to another level by Icelandic strongman Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson in 2020. 1,104.5 lb deadlift (501 kg).
on the other hand, The heaviest weight ever lifted by a human The record is held by Canadian strongman Greg Ernst, who in 1993 backlifted two cars with drivers weighing a combined 5,340 pounds (2,422 kg).
These incredible feats of strength raise the question: What is the heaviest weight a human can lift?
Experts told Live Science that it’s unclear what the limits of human strength are, since athletes are likely still operating at levels below their muscles’ maximum capacity. That said, it’s difficult to measure a specific person’s maximum strength.
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Bradley SchoenfeldThe Lehman College exercise science professor said muscle strength can be measured using electromyography (EMG) equipment. EMG is It records the electrical activity generated within the muscles by the contraction of nerve cells and muscle fibers. Such tests can only be performed in a laboratory and cannot assess a person’s whole body muscular capacity as EMG only monitors localized muscle groups.
“It’s hard to define the limits.” E. Todd SchroederThe only way to truly know what your muscles are capable of is through consistent training — setting new personal records and then seeing if you can beat them — Dr. Gregory, a professor of clinical physical therapy at the University of Southern California who studies ways to increase strength and muscle mass in older adults, told Live Science.
“If someone says, ‘I can lift 200 kilos. [441 lbs]”I was like, ‘That’s impressive, but I know I can lift more,'” he said anecdotally. “I just don’t know how much more I can lift.”
Physically, a person’s ability to support weight depends on two proteins that allow muscles to contract: actin and myosin. These proteins function in different ways. Muscle Fiber TypesThis includes “fast-twitch” and “slow-twitch” fibers. A person’s muscle mass and the ratio of these fibers depends not only on their training plan, but also on their overall muscle mass. Biological factors such as genetics and genderGenerally speaking, the more muscle mass you have, the more force you can exert.
Elite powerlifters push themselves to their limits by continually increasing muscle mass, but the force return is Decreases as muscle mass increasesAnd eventually your muscles reach their limits.
And sometimes, building muscle mass isn’t enough, Schroeder told Live Science: Paradoxically, a less-heavy person can lift more weight than a heavier one.
One of the factors powerlifters must overcome is “neuromuscular inhibition,” which limits how hard a muscle can contract and helps prevent injury. Research shows that this limit is Can be improved through resistance training.
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Another piece of the puzzle, Schroeder said, is that in addition to the physical training, powerlifters must overcome mental barriers to lift heavier. The best lifters, he said, are those who can override those inhibitions and get themselves into the right mental state to recruit every muscle fiber.
“If I try to lift as hard as I can, say 200 pounds, [90 kg]And once you’re in a state where you can release your neural inhibitions, you might be able to lift 300 pounds. [136 kg]Schroeder gave an example:
This effect was demonstrated in a study published in the journal Neurology in 2020. ImpulseResearchers wanted to see if positive visualization (a technique where you mentally rehearse a positive outcome) would affect strength training. They recruited 133 student-athletes at a university and split them into two groups. The first group was instructed to listen to motivational music and visualize themselves lifting 110% of their lifting capacity for at least five minutes a day. The second group was not allowed to do this.
After three weeks, the athletes returned to the lab, and those who had practiced positive visualization increased their lifting ability by at least 10 to 15 pounds each, while the comparison group gained an average of only 5 pounds.
“With some degree of mindset, you can lift a lot heavier than you think you can,” Shoenfeld said.
“It always seems like if I were a little stronger, I could do a little better,” Schroeder said. In the world of weightlifting, that shows up when athletes repeatedly break their own records in competition. “I try not to be surprised,” Schroeder said of achieving those record-breaking feats over and over again.
Have you ever wondered why? Some people build muscle easier than others. or Why freckles appear in the sun? For questions about how the human body works, [email protected] Submit your question with the subject line “Health Desk Q” and your question may be answered on our website.
