50-Year-Old Assumptions About Muscle Strength Tossed Aside

Muscle power is purely a function of size or volume. Some people's muscle is inherently stronger than others, whether by nature or nurture.

I grew up working in the field, building houses with my dad, and otherwise getting the crap worked out of me from an early age. Went to grad school, and would regularly see the jocks working out at the gym who had much more muscle mass than me, but I could take their max weight, add 20%, and do more reps. I enjoyed watching them boggle at that.

On the flip side, there was a fellow grad student from Eritrea. Scrawny, wiry guy, maybe 140 lbs soaking wet. His bicep/tricep cross-section wasn't much bigger than my wrist. He challenged me to an arm-wrestling contest one day, and instantly and with little exertion pounded my knuckles into the table multiple times until I learned my lesson.

He reminded me somewhat of those stories you hear about Abraham Lincoln and how surprisingly strong he was.

http://www.lincolnportrait.com/physical_man.html [lincolnportrait.com]

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/DD2LGdWnryw/story01.htm

raul ibanez completely wrong hayden panettiere stacey dash christopher columbus columbus day columbus day