How is extreme pound for pound strength possible?

[Thin Ice]

I've read some obscene specs on powerlifters, such as Lamar Gant deadlifting 5 times his own weight (over 600 pounds). I saw a strongman cometition in which some guys wei***ng in at 300+ had trouble deadlifting that much! Intuition hold that a pound of muscle is a pound of muscle, and there's only so much one can get out of a quantity of muscle. My question is, what medical explanation could there be for such a wide disparity among dedicated powerlifters? That is, how are those spectacular powerlifters' muscles, hearts, etc. different from those of less amazing lifters?

[chest6]

Genetics.

My friend can bench more than me and hes like 80lbs less...fvcker.

[l2elapse]

Genetics.

My friend can bench more than me and hes like 80lbs less...fvcker.

[kaberle_15]

GENETICS.
Amount of fast/slow twitch muscle fibers. I cant remember his name but I saw a dude around 200lbs squat over 1000lbs!

[Mealticket]

the smaller in wieght you are the better it will lend yourself to these types of lifts.
it's the same thing as any kind of power situation
if you're talking speed, doubeling your power won't double your top end.
you're power/speed ration drops significantly and exponetially w/ the more power increase.
it may take you 500 initial horsepower to hit 200 h/p....hile adding another 500 h/p to that mark might only increase your top end to 230, not 400.
same thing w/ lifting. weight.

[Tbone1975]

I definately have to read this whole thread because I know I don't have all the answers. I've thought about that too. In the gym I''ve seen little guys throw up a ton on the bench from time to time. But with some of these guys, the reason was obvious. They had big chests and nothing else, therefore their weight was low. They had small lats, biceps, legs, etc. I bet there are a lot of reasons though, fast twitch, slow twitch, dunno, gotta read what people say.

I've read some obscene specs on powerlifters, such as Lamar Gant deadlifting 5 times his own weight (over 600 pounds). I saw a strongman cometition in which some guys wei***ng in at 300+ had trouble deadlifting that much! Intuition hold that a pound of muscle is a pound of muscle, and there's only so much one can get out of a quantity of muscle. My question is, what medical explanation could there be for such a wide disparity among dedicated powerlifters? That is, how are those spectacular powerlifters' muscles, hearts, etc. different from those of less amazing lifters?

[Thin Ice]

I posted the following elsewhere and I figured I ought to put it here, too. Plus, I added something I just recently thought of. (trust me; you'll want to read this.)

We should keep in mind that all bench presses aren't created equal. A bench press shirt is said to add 25-30% to a bench press (although I can't imagine how). Some lifters arch their backs to imitate the decline bench angle and focus the weight on the stronger lower pectorals, while shortening the bench press distance by cutting out the weakest part of the lift (the bottom). I estimate that this also multiplies a lift by 25-30%, depending on the lifter. This means that a "gimmicky" bench press could be as much as double the straight up bench press from the same lifter! (Squat suits, etc. can enhance other lifts similarly.) This sort of "grade inflation" in the powerlifting world can really cause some undue insecurity in your everyday lifters.

Plus, it should also be noted that shorter levers (arms, legs, etc., as on shorter lifters) give more leverage, which is why smaller lifters tend to have more pound for pound strength. A person's body proportions (i.e. how much weight is in the upperbody vs. the lower body) can also affect the pound for pound strength in various lifts.

I thought of something else, too. Paradoxically, adding more mass to a muscle by making it longer while keeping the other dimensions the same (as in getting taller and keeping the same circumference measurements of the arms, legs, chest, etc.) might make the muscle WEAKER. Imagine a muscle as a hydraulic press, with the heart as the pump and blood as the operating fluid. Making the press longer without changing the other dimensions wouldn't make it any stronger, just heavier. Plus, as I said before, longer limbs have less leverage. Therefore, long and lean dudes like me get the short end of the stick in powerlifting!

I'm sure I rehashed a lot of things many of you guys already know, but please don't think of me as condescending. With all of that said, powerlifters' feats of strength are still incredible regardless of the circumstances. I still feel like there's some piece of the puzzle missing. I don't really buy the fast twitch/slow twitch ratio explanation, since Olympic weightlifters have to move *fast*, and they can put more weight over their heads than most people their size can even lift! I wonder...

[Sanecrazy]

I always wondered this myself. Often times I get funny looks in the gym because, of the amount of weight that I lift in proportion to my body weight.
At 148 lbs.
5'7" @ 7.5 %BF
I was lifting 900 on my big 3.
Of course I weigh quite a bit more now but, just the same it is interesting how some people have the capacity to do that.

[TheDfromGC]

I've read some obscene specs on powerlifters, such as Lamar Gant deadlifting 5 times his own weight (over 600 pounds). I saw a strongman cometition in which some guys wei***ng in at 300+ had trouble deadlifting that much! Intuition hold that a pound of muscle is a pound of muscle, and there's only so much one can get out of a quantity of muscle. My question is, what medical explanation could there be for such a wide disparity among dedicated powerlifters? That is, how are those spectacular powerlifters' muscles, hearts, etc. different from those of less amazing lifters?

all genetics, basically the same principle as somebody being a really fast runner or really high jumper without any special training. they just have genetics which enable them to do so. fast twitch and slow twitch muscles come into play, dont know exact scientific explanation. theres this one oriental bb'er that weighs something like 180 5'9 and an article in musclemag said he can bench 315 for 20 reps...different types of muscle fibers compared to average person

[Zanelike]

A lot of it also comes down to muscle fibre recruitment. The way powerlifters train allows them recruit more fibres during their lifts. The way most bb's lift, muscle fibres have to be fatigued before more muscle fibres become stimulated and therefore perform more work. Its like trying to push a car out of a ditch by yourself while your buddies watch or all of you pushing at the same time., you can move more.

[Thin Ice]

A lot of it also comes down to muscle fibre recruitment. The way powerlifters train allows them recruit more fibres during their lifts. The way most bb's lift, muscle fibres have to be fatigued before more muscle fibres become stimulated and therefore perform more work. Its like trying to push a car out of a ditch by yourself while your buddies watch or all of you pushing at the same time., you can move more.

Could you please describe specifically how powerlifters do this or point me to an article that does? This is what I want to do in my workouts.

[Doc.Sust]

the smaller in wieght you are the better it will lend yourself to these types of lifts.
it's the same thing as any kind of power situation
if you're talking speed, doubeling your power won't double your top end.
you're power/speed ration drops significantly and exponetially w/ the more power increase.
it may take you 500 initial horsepower to hit 200 h/p....hile adding another 500 h/p to that mark might only increase your top end to 230, not 400.
same thing w/ lifting. weight.

????

[Doc.Sust]

Could you please describe specifically how powerlifters do this or point me to an article that does? This is what I want to do in my workouts.

more muscle recruitment happens when using heavier weights and not training to failure. the more experience you have with lifting the more muscle recruitment will happen.

[Doc.Sust]

GENETICS.
Amount of fast/slow twitch muscle fibers. I cant remember his name but I saw a dude around 200lbs squat over 1000lbs!

that wasnt done becasue of genetics alone, it also involved a squat suit and AAS,genetics and alot of other factors for that lift to happen

[Doc.Sust]

also look at the PWRlifting forum at the posted rouitnes, this should give you a better idea how to train like a powerlifter