The results of the study of the strongest man on the planet are surprising. The secret of his strength is not in his arms

When you think of the strongest human on the planet, you imagine an athlete with a huge physique. Someone, of course, with a developed musculature that is both powerful and efficient in developing that “super strength” that is out of the ordinary. This is more or less the popular thought, but what does science say about that? A study He called one of these “super men” to find out if there was a secret behind his muscles. The short answer is yes.

The strongest man. Eddie “the Beast” Hall He was the world’s strongest man in 2017. At least that’s what the official world title said, one that joined five other “strongest” titles in Britain, plus a second place finish at the European competition. Hall was also a two-time world deadlift champion and holder of the aforementioned world record in the event (he lifted 500kg). So when scientists thought of the strength study, all eyes turned to the athlete.

For 15 years before the researchers called, Hall had engaged in regular, continuous upper- and lower-body resistance training. Twelve months before testing for the study, his training consisted of lower-body squats, deadlifts, leg presses, knee extensions, upper-body bench presses, shoulder presses, dumbbell rows, and lat pulldowns.

Preparing Hall. The only thing he was asked to do was not to do any strenuous activity for 24 hours before the test. The bottom line: finding out what made him extraordinarily strong and whether the results could help athletes and non-athletes alike. “Scientific understanding of muscle strength is important because of its role in athletic performance, injury prevention and healthy aging,” Researchers say.

The study. The first thing they did when Hall arrived at the labs at Loughborough University in the UK was to subject him to 3.0T MRI scans to assess the size of 22 individual lower limb muscles, five functional muscle groups and the cross-sectional area of ​​the patellar tendon.

This type of scan is capable of generating a magnetic field that is twice as strong as a normal MRI (1.5 T or Teslas), providing clearer images, especially of the bones, joints and muscles. In addition, the man also performed squats at a depth selected by himself and then jumps as high as possible, along with so-called isometric mid-thigh pulls, similar to a deadlift, except that the bar does not move.

In the case of squats, they are a reliable measure of lower body power, while deadlifts assess full-body strength and force-producing capabilities.

Differences with other men. To give context to Hall’s results, they compared the shape, form and structure of his muscles and tendons to those of other athletes, trained and untrained. What did they find? Surprisingly, that the total muscle volume of Hall’s 22 lower extremity muscles was almost double (+96%) than that of untrained people63% larger than the sub-elite athlete population and 32% larger than elite 100-meter sprinters.

As They explain in the workthe greatest difference in Hall muscle volume was observed in the “tight cords”, i.e. the sartorius, gracilis and semitendinosus muscles, which stabilise the pelvis and thigh bone (femur). Hall values ​​were up to three times higher compared to untrained subjects: +140% for the gracilis, +157% for the semitendinosus and +202% for the sartorius.

More differences. The study also found large differences in the group of muscles on the sole of the foot responsible for toe extension and tendon stabilization under force: +120% versus the untrained population, +100% versus sub-elite sprinters, and +70% versus elite sprinters.

And of all of them, the smallest difference was found in the hip flexor muscles responsible for flexing the hip and raising the legs, as well as maintaining stability and posture. In this case: +65% versus untrained, +30% versus sub-elite sprinters and +5% versus elite sprinters.

Dead weight. In the deadlift, Hall’s gross maximal strength was 54% greater than that of the tallest comparable group, the sub-elite weightlifters. His IMTP net maximal strength was 100% greater than that of the tallest comparable group, in this case, the college football athletes.

Finally, their maximal squat power was more than 2.5 times (164%) that of the untrained group and 51% greater than that of the tallest comparable group, the professional basketball players.

Conclusion. As Jonathan Folland underlineslead author of the study, the results are a surprise. Firstly, the upper trunk was not as decisive in developing their extreme strength. “We expected that the large muscles involved in knee and hip extension would show the greatest development. While these muscles were certainly well developed, we were surprised that the greatest muscle development was in the long, thin ‘tight rope’ muscles that stabilize the pelvis and thigh. This indicates that these stabilizing muscles may be more important for lifting and carrying heavy objects than we thought.”

A study that allows better understand muscle function“The results suggest how adaptable the muscular system is, with the greatest muscle development in the muscles that Eddie trains and uses the most, suggesting that we can all change and develop our muscular system to improve the function and performance of our muscles,” they conclude.

Image | CASEYCOLTONLoughborough University

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