The plausibility of superhuman strength

With many being supported by proven, verifiable records and others just the result of a vivid imagination, most of us will have heard the urban tales of people displaying super human strength, relevant to a crisis style situation. For example, there are numerous accounts pertaining to mothers involved in car crashes where, as a result, their child becomes trapped under the vehicle and calling upon physical strength which would be beyond their normal capacity in a calmer scenario, manage to lift the vehicle from one end a number of inches off the ground, freeing the child. One such tale, this time involving a male, is that of Tom Boyle. Being in the right place at the right time, he was in close proximity to a road crash involving a biker and a car. The two had collided, resulting in the bike and owner being trapped under the latter. Boyle was successful in lifting the back end, despite the enormous weight and was ultimately successful in freeing the victim. An interesting story, but less spectacular than some when considering his powerlifting background and naturally large frame. A simple search on the internet will result in numerous tales of such physical feats and yet that is not conclusive proof in of itself as many of these are not backed up with relevant sources or records of any nature.


One such theory put forward for these impressive feats are in the bodies use of adrenaline. This naturally occurring drug is produced in excessive amounts when an individual is confronted with a situation causing fear and anxiety. It is the famous response of fight or flight. The results are beneficial, with an increased level of concentration, a larger volume of blood being fed to the major organs and muscles and extra strength being evident. However, is this enough to explain the superhuman strength required to lift a vehicle? Some believe so. In a book written by Vladimir Zatsiorsky on the subject of weightlifting, he presents a theory of professional weightlifters having two differing limits for the amount of weight they can potentially lift, these being their maximum weight and absolute weight. Their maximum is the largest amount they can possibly lift under normal conditions, which is considerably lower than the largest theoretical load and the absolute refers to the latter.


The second of these is never feasibly attainable as it's the very limit of an individuals capability, which would result in bones breaking and fibres being damaged. However, Zatsiorsky stumbled upon a phenomenon amongst professional weightlifters where, as a result of  the flight or fight response kicking in due to the emotion and noise displayed from raucous crowds, could consistently achieve weights coming between both limits. For example, If a person's maximum deadlift record happened to be five hundred pounds, their absolute might be in the region of seven hundred. In a competitive scenario with the relevant criteria met, this lifter may theoretically attain a weight of six hundred and fifty pounds. In a situation where you have a body trapped underneath a vehicle, it's plausible to conceive that it might bring about the exact same response, enabling somebody to lift a car weighing many hundreds of pounds, which would prove impossible at any other time.