If you were just three times stronger
than the world's strongest person,
you could lift a compact car.
This is 'What If,'
and here's what would happen
if you had the strength of a superhero.
You might not have
washboard abs or buns of steel,
but you're a lot stronger than you think.
Research shows that even
during maximal exercise,
the average human only
uses about 60% of their total strength.
Rigorous training enables professional
athletes to tap into 80% of their strength.
Your brain is the governor of your body.
It's designed to keep you alive.
Your brain sends pain through
your body when you exert yourself,
as a signal to not push yourself too far.
Because if you could muster
100% of your strength,
100% of the time,
you'd tear your muscles
and break your bones.
In fact, you might not even
survive using your full strength.
Why else do you think
they call it a deadlift?
The world record for
deadlifting is 524 kg (1,155 lbs).
And in extreme circumstances,
ordinary people have hoisted cars
to save someone trapped underneath.
First of all, your body would
have to change drastically.
Your bones and your muscles
would need to be a lot more dense
to accommodate your strength.
And your bodily systems would
have to change as well.
One perk is that
you'd get to eat more!
Healthily, that is.
Superhuman strength is
powered by superhuman energy.
And your body gets energy
by breaking down food into glucose,
and releasing it into the bloodstream.
So your metabolism
would be a lot higher.
A full menu might easily be an entree,
but you would have to
make smart choices
to give your body the proper nutrients
to fuel itself for the day.
Pro tip: bananas are an excellent source of
carbohydrates, potassium and vitamin B6.
You can rely on them to
boost your energy
whether you're fighting crime,
or falling asleep at work.
Think about it. Everything we interact with
is designed for humans.
Sorry, but, you're superhuman.
With your strength,
door handles would rip right off,
coffee mugs and wine glasses
would shatter in your hand.
And it wouldn't just be floors
crumbling under your feet,
but likely earth and concrete as well.
Since you'd be exerting
a lot more force
over the same area
occupied by a normal human,
it would be hard, if not impossible,
to interact with any object in
our world without destroying it.
You'd need special clothes
and special shoes,
but any attempt to pay for them
with paper money
would result in its shredding
at your touch.
And, that's ignoring the
even bigger question
which bank is going
to let someone in
who could open the vault
with their index finger?
The other major thing
to consider is pressure.
Superhero movies tend to overlook this,
but if they were real,
something like this
could never happen.
Once you have
superhuman strength,
hopefully, you'd remember that pressure
is equal to force over area.
And then, maybe, you'll look down
at the palms of your hands,
and realize that you've got a lot of
force distributed over not a lot of area.
So what would really happen here?
Due to the tremendous force,
being exerted over such a small area,
the pressure would be so great,
that Superman would actually end up
going right through the airplane.
Not exactly the kind of rescue
you were hoping for, is it?
Superhuman strength isn't
all that it's cut out to be.
Yeah, you might look cool,
but life on Earth would be very difficult,
and you'd end up doing
more harm than good.
Want big biceps and toned calves?
Go to the gym, lift some weights,
eat well, and stay in shape.
But whether you call yourself brainy,
brawny, or just plain average,
remember that you're a lot
stronger than you think you are,
and that you can always
be a hero just as you are.
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