What If You Had the Strength of a Superhero?

Could Thor actually punch the Hulk without knocking himself over?

If you were just three times stronger than the world’s strongest person, you could lift a compact car. What else could you do? Or, not do? Would superhuman strength be a blessing? Or a curse?

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. So if we’ve got the power, why can’t we use all of it at once? Because brain beats brawn.

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. But what if you could do that without adrenaline? How would your life be different?

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.

But what’s the use of being healthy, and in better shape, if you can’t leave the house? 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 try to use paper money that shreds at your touch, or coins that crumple in your hand, or cards that become shards before you can even swipe. 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. 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.