Can Humans Really Have Superhuman Strength?

[Proton Soup]

I was 15 or 16 years old doing judo at school at someone had the instructor on the subject of Shaolin Monks and i forget how the converstion progressed but this is what he showed us. He knelt on the floor with his hands on his knees palm up and asked 8 of us to all press down at once with all of our weight four on each hand. Ok it was quite a scrum but we managed to get 4 on each side pushing down with all our force. Now i think we probably weighed around 8 - 9 stone each on average (112 - 126 ponnds) so that would be around 32 stone on each hand + pressure. He was no wimp but than again no goliath, around 5 foot 8 inches and i would say 13-14 stone 40 or so years old

He closed his eyes and did some deep breathing, he later said he was channeling chi or something. Then in one fast smooth movement he raised both hands of his knees and sent 8 guys flying across the gym. We must have all moved at least 12 feet away from him, and we moved with a lot of force, we rolled on the floor.

There seemed to be little strain on his face it was as if he was throwing a couple of pounds off each arm.

chi demonstrations do have a certain beauty, a bit like interpretive dance




too bad it only works on those with a weak mind. chi masters can't fight at all.

 

[paulselhi]

Possibly a Darren Brown effect.. but to say we were all "weak minded" ?? If you think it was some form of suggestion / hypnosis do you think everyone who can be hypnotized is "weak minded" ?

edit..watched those youtubes and there does seem to be a lot of Charlatans about. However in my case there was no second rate first year modern dance prancing involved

We were all on our knees pushing down with all our force on his palms ( we overlayed hands on his). I for one felt the force of being thrown back as if he was pushing, nothing exceptional there except that the was doing it for several people on each arm , quite some feat of strength or some wicked autosuggestion

 

[Proton Soup]

well, gullible if you prefer. i think it requires a certain suspension of disbelief.

 

[paulselhi]

Eppur si muove

 

[paulselhi]

And now the true master at work
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/67471/derren_brown_kung_fu_mind_punch/

 

[Proton Soup]

Eppur si muove

try to move a dead cat, then

And now the true master at work
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/67471/derren_brown_kung_fu_mind_punch/

weak minds

i notice he didn't use the 1-inch punch guy

 

[paulselhi]

There you go again calling them all weak minded.. oh for a strong and robust mind such as yours that could never be manipulated.. are you also immune to anaesthetic ? Does you brain auto solve optical illusions ?

 

[Leptos]

Does you brain auto solve optical illusions ?

My brain auto-solves advanced sudoku puzzles. It just never tells me which box the numbers belong to.

 

[Proton Soup]

There you go again calling them all weak minded.. oh for a strong and robust mind such as yours that could never be manipulated.. are you also immune to anaesthetic ? Does you brain auto solve optical illusions ?

i was just teasing you, but at least we are now in agreement that chi is fake, yes?

as for the "illusion", i would sooner believe that the "weak mind" is a confederate.

 

[paulselhi]

Susceptibility to suggestion, suspension of disbelief, these amongst other signs of "weak mindedness" are crucial elements in the development of human society.

Early civilizations were more often than not temple based and thus required humans to accept the stories of the priests as truth. Without this central cohesive driving force it is doubtful if our civilizations would have progressed. And it can be taken back even further than the temple cults of say the sumerians, perhaps right back to the emergence of humankind.

If early humans had not been "weak minded" and had not had their culture "shaped" in this way it is doubtful if human societies would have had the cohesion to progress en masse.

 

[JerryClower]

Epinephrine/adrenaline increases my strength.

 

[mason's mom]

Question:

two days ago i was in a golf cart accident with my 18 month old son.

The golf cart was parked about 2 feet away from a chain link fence. My son was standing in front of the cart. The cart can go 25 mph full speed.

A small child was playing on the cart crawling around on the floor (the mother had it in park however forgot to turn it off and take the key out-big mistake). The child pressed on the gas pedal - full speed - for what was about 15-20 seconds.

My son was pushed down into a sitting position his head and back against the chain link fence and his forehead and face against the front bumper. Somehow when I saw the cart lunge forward I got between the fence and the cart bracing my left leg and body to try and relieve pressure from my son so he wouldn't be crushed. I am 115 pounds, with little chicken legs. I have no clue how I was able to stop the cart from crushing my son (and me for that matter). I remember feeling pain as the bumper continued to press against the inside of my shin. Somehow my leg and body didn't give out.

My son had huge red marks on his forehead and face, indentations of the chainlink fence on the back of his head, and some markings on his back. He never lost consciousness began to cry after the incident, ambulance came, he ended up having a CT scan which came back fine. I never realized my pain until we were in the ambulance 15 minutes later. My left shin has giant bruises and welts. My upper left thigh has the worst bruising and welts I've ever seen and bruising on my left arm.

My question to you is: how much force did the golf cart have and how much strength did I have to stop it? I am 5' 5" thin, relatively weak person. I never work out and have hardly any muscle. Miracle or superhuman strength... thank you God for keeping my baby safe!

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Question:

two days ago i was in a golf cart accident with my 18 month old son.

The golf cart was parked about 2 feet away from a chain link fence. My son was standing in front of the cart. The cart can go 25 mph full speed.

A small child was playing on the cart crawling around on the floor (the mother had it in park however forgot to turn it off and take the key out-big mistake). The child pressed on the gas pedal - full speed - for what was about 15-20 seconds.

My son was pushed down into a sitting position his head and back against the chain link fence and his forehead and face against the front bumper. Somehow when I saw the cart lunge forward I got between the fence and the cart bracing my left leg and body to try and relieve pressure from my son so he wouldn't be crushed. I am 115 pounds, with little chicken legs. I have no clue how I was able to stop the cart from crushing my son (and me for that matter). I remember feeling pain as the bumper continued to press against the inside of my shin. Somehow my leg and body didn't give out.

My son had huge red marks on his forehead and face, indentations of the chainlink fence on the back of his head, and some markings on his back. He never lost consciousness began to cry after the incident, ambulance came, he ended up having a CT scan which came back fine. I never realized my pain until we were in the ambulance 15 minutes later. My left shin has giant bruises and welts. My upper left thigh has the worst bruising and welts I've ever seen and bruising on my left arm.

My question to you is: how much force did the golf cart have and how much strength did I have to stop it? I am 5' 5" thin, relatively weak person. I never work out and have hardly any muscle. Miracle or superhuman strength... thank you God for keeping my baby safe!

What a terrifying experience! I'm glad everyone was alright.

Thank you for sharing your story.

 

[Dr_Zinj]

Mason's Mom:

I'm inclined to say this was normal human strength, augmented with an adrenaline boost.

You don't mention whether this is a gas or electic golf cart and that may be a factor.
Gasoline powered golf carts weight around 625 pounds, usual speed of 12 to 15 mph, and have about 10 horse power engines. Electic golf carts weigh about 900 pounds, with the same speed, but only 2.5 horse power. Electric vehicles develop far more torque (turning force on the wheels) than gasoline powered vehicles, and because they weigh more, get better traction with the same tires. Gas powered vehicles have greater acceleration (which is why so many of us testosterone enabled like them.) Maximum static force on you is not going to exceed the weight of the cart because that would exceed the friction forces between the wheels and the ground and will cause the wheels to spin.

You didn't mention whether the drive wheels were spinning while you were pinned, which makes a big difference. A cart (or even a car) with spinning wheels is in a low friction condition equivalent to hydroplaning. (Think floating on an air hockey table.) You can push sideways on a parked car and it won't budge. Push sideways while the tires are spinning and you can really move it! That's one of the reasons you see dragsters fishtailing when they first start their runs.

The chain link fence also makes a big difference. They have a lot of give to them and deform under pressure. This is probably what saved you, and your son from turning into roadkill from the initial impact. That "give" spreads the deacceleration time out, reducing the force of impact. Speaking of deformation, a young child's skull is soft enough to also deform under pressure. That's one reason why they look so out of shape after a vaginal childbirth.

Finally, you distributed the force of the cart over your shin, your thigh, and your left arm. I have a frail lady friend about your size who regularly pushes around the 300 to 500 pound pigs they keep with her legs. And yes, she sports bruises on them fairly regularly; which is another reason why she wears pants instead of skirt and pantyhose.

Superhuman, not really.

Miraculous? Never discount a miracle no matter how mundane it may seem. God is an expert at working with whatever is at hand. He or She is also good at bestowing lessons. Those bruises of yours are pretty potent reminders not to let young children loose and unattended around machinery.

 

[kal-el2010]

Well I've had my own superhuman experiences...at a calm level.

When I was in the 7th grade, I ripped a small tree out of the ground, then went over and pulled two wooden beams [4x4] out of the ground whose bottoms were encased in cement...

I was in a fight in 8th grade and broke a kid's cheekbones, then gave him a seizure.

I carried a full-size dryer up a flight of stairs, my grandfather can corroborate all of these stories because he was present at the time.

I ripped a door off of the hinges at my house.

I lifted a quarter ton dresser up and held it up with one hand [this was at my great-grandmother's house, I'll do it again and record it if you all want].

I maxed out the chest fly machine at my college, I'm 19, and I weighed 153 when this was taken:

I maxed out the chest press machine [305 pounds], which I'll have to record again because I deleted it on accident... :(

I maxed out the tricep pushdown, the lat-down, and the row machines as well...I can curl 90 pounds [dumbbells] and do shoulder shrugs with 100 pounds [dumbbells]...

Someone give me their point of view on this.

 

[JaredJames]

Nothing about that sounds "super human".

It just sounds like you're quite strong - which is backed up by later stuff regarding the machines.

That whole lifting "a quarter ton dresser up and held it up with one hand" sounds like complete rubbish - are you seriously trying to tell us you lifted 250kg in one hand? You can film it if you want, but I'd want the weight measured as well to prove it.

And judging by your name I take it you are comparing yourself to superman?

 

[kal-el2010]

Nothing about that sounds "super human".

It just sounds like you're quite strong - which is backed up by later stuff regarding the machines.

That whole lifting "a quarter ton dresser up and held it up with one hand" sounds like complete rubbish - are you seriously trying to tell us you lifted 250kg in one hand? You can film it if you want, but I'd want the weight measured as well to prove it.

And judging by your name I take it you are comparing yourself to superman?

Anyways, I can film it, but I don't know how I could measure the weight. You can suggest some ways and I'd be glad to do it. I have no reason to lie to anyone on this forum, the internet, the world, etc. You have no punishment reasonable enough for me to do so...so with that being said, I don't care if you don't believe me, the proof can be told from the mouths of my grandparents, who also don't need to lie. #shrug it is what it is homie.

And Supes is my favorite comic book hero. I'm paying homage. Simple. I thought this was a place to share information, not be shot down and ridiculed and made out to be a liar. Lol..."rubbish" but anyway, suggest a way to measure the weight accurately, and I'll do it.

 

[JaredJames]

Anyways, I can film it, but I don't know how I could measure the weight. You can suggest some ways and I'd be glad to do it. I have no reason to lie to anyone on this forum, the internet, the world, etc. You have no punishment reasonable enough for me to do so...so with that being said, I don't care if you don't believe me, the proof can be told from the mouths of my grandparents, who also don't need to lie. #shrug it is what it is homie.

And Supes is my favorite comic book hero. I'm paying homage. Simple. I thought this was a place to share information, not be shot down and ridiculed and made out to be a liar. Lol..."rubbish" but anyway, suggest a way to measure the weight accurately, and I'll do it.

A weighing scales. Or, why not just get something that is known to weigh 250kg and lift that instead? Just to clarify, when you say you lift it do you mean it is no longer in contact with the floor? That your hand is the only thing touching it?

This is scepticism and debunking, we hear claims and attempt to explain / debunk them. So yes, it is a place for certain claims to be "ridiculed and shot down".

You claim you can lift 250kg in one hand, you're going to have to prove that.

Just so you're aware, the Worlds Strongest Man contest which runs yearly uses a variety of different trials to test the contestants strength. The maximum involved is 500kg, but all other events are less than 200kg.

So what you are claiming here is that you can lift more in one hand than the worlds strongest men competitors are capable of with everything they've got - and boy do they struggle. Assuming that's you in the video, you don't come close to measuring up to these guys.

1. You make a claim, it is your responsibility to back them up.
2. PF is a place for sharing information, but as per the rules you must be able to back up any claims made with valid evidence.
3. The majority of your claims are simply those of a strong(ish) person, nothing superhuman - so there's no reason for us to dwell on them.
4. You may not have a reason to lie to us, but the number of crackpots who pop up on here is ridiculous and so we have every reason to be sceptical of your claims.
5. So far as punishment goes, we'll just ban you - which for those who care about PF is a serious thing.

 

[berkeman]

I thought this was a place to share information, not be shot down and ridiculed and made out to be a liar. Lol..."rubbish" but anyway, suggest a way to measure the weight accurately, and I'll do it.

Nobody is calling you a liar. But yes, it is best if you can back up claims that you make. Although, it really is a bit off-topic for the thread, since most of what you have said would fit a strong weightlifter type of person.

 

[brewnog]

I lifted a quarter ton dresser up and held it up with one hand [this was at my great-grandmother's house, I'll do it again and record it if you all want].

This I've got to see.

I'm also a bit interested to learn how you know that it's 250kg, yet don't know how to determine the weight of it.

 

[nismaratwork]

Nobody is calling you a liar. But yes, it is best if you can back up claims that you make. Although, it really is a bit off-topic for the thread, since most of what you have said would fit a strong weightlifter type of person.

I'll call him a liar!

Anyway, by definition these are all human feats, and I'd add you can seriously hurt yourself. Can you use hysterical strength and LEVERAGE to tip large object? Sure. Do you feel like you were in a car accident after? Yep.

I think people have very little concept of leverage, and therefore overestimate the actual load they're bearing. In addition, "how strong are you" is a nebulous question right?... you test given lifts, presses, jers... etc.

It's a bit like people who pull vehicles with some unliekly appendage or facial hair... they just need overcome the static friction and deal with the pain. You can do things that are still stunts, because of our preconceived notions.

 

[kal-el2010]

Ban me for what, telling the truth? Lol...OOOOK...@nismaratwork, I'd strongly say that you don't know me at all to call me a liar. So until I post the proof that you all are so thirsty for, let's try to keep the bashing at a minimum. Ok? Thanks. Whatever scientific bases you're making your skepticism upon, I'd throw them out the window real soon. #shrug all I say is, "Wait & see..."

 

[JaredJames]

Ban me for what, telling the truth?Lol...OOOOK...@nismaratwork, I'd strongly say that you don't know me at all to call me a liar. So until I post the proof that you all are so thirsty for, let's try to keep the bashing at a minimum. Ok? Thanks. Whatever scientific bases you're making your skepticism upon, I'd throw them out the window real soon. #shrug all I say is, "Wait & see..."

Drop the attitude.

You want people to believe you, post some evidence. If you don't then prepare to be called a liar. If I told you I could fly from New York to London using only the power of thought then you'd call me a liar - and this is no different. You are making a claim that sounds wildly exaggerated without anything to back it up.

I think you'll find that the scientific method demands we dismiss your claims so long as there's no evidence to back them up - for the same reason it doesn't comment on God, Ghosts, Spirits etc - lack of evidence.

Find yourself a container that has a volume of 0.25m³, fill it with water and then lift it with one arm so it is no longer touching any other surfaces. Film this (and the setup - measuring dimensions and filling with water) with a good quality camera and post the results. If you can do this, we'll believe you.

 

[nismaratwork]

Ban me for what, telling the truth? Lol...OOOOK...@nismaratwork, I'd strongly say that you don't know me at all to call me a liar. So until I post the proof that you all are so thirsty for, let's try to keep the bashing at a minimum. Ok? Thanks. Whatever scientific bases you're making your skepticism upon, I'd throw them out the window real soon. #shrug all I say is, "Wait & see..."

I didn't say anything about banning you... I'm just willing to call you a liar. If you post a video, how will we know the weight of the object? I can't think of a way to verify that claim except in person... superman... Kal El...heh.

Note, I haven't called you a liar yet, I simply expressed a willingness to do so. I'm that guy.

 

[JaredJames]

If you post a video, how will we know the weight of the object? I can't think of a way to verify that claim except in person

That's why I suggested the above idea.

Show on camera the internal measurements of the container (totalling 0.25 cubic metres) and then show it being filled with water, followed by it being lifted with an all round view to show he is the only influence.

At least we'd have something to gauge it by.

 

[berkeman]

I didn't say anything about banning you... I'm just willing to call you a liar. If you post a video, how will we know the weight of the object? I can't think of a way to verify that claim except in person... superman... Kal El...heh.

I think Jared's idea of using water in a clear container is a good start. Still possible to fake, but a lot harder.

Edit -- beaten to the punch by Jared...

 

[JaredJames]

I think Jared's idea of using water in a clear container is a good start. Still possible to fake, but a lot harder.

Oh, incredibly easy to fake.

But to reduce chance of this, that's why I want the whole video - continuous - from measurement to lift.

As a second confirmation, I'd request the lifter be stood on bathroom weighing scales - I'd either want to see the final weight (unlikely) or the scales to max out.

 

[nismaratwork]

Oh, incredibly easy to fake.

But to reduce chance of this, that's why I want the whole video - continuous - from measurement to lift.

As a second confirmation, I'd request the lifter be stood on bathroom weighing scales - I'd either want to see the final weight (unlikely) or the scales to max out.

Hmmm... for a claim to lift a quarter ton with ONE hand? I need something better than scales and container that could have water in a space between layers of plastic or glass, and nothing else.

I like my proof... proofy.

edit: A live stream, where instructions that are unknown to the Kal El, would be acceptable.

 

[nismaratwork]

I think Jared's idea of using water in a clear container is a good start. Still possible to fake, but a lot harder.

Edit -- beaten to the punch by Jared...

re Bolding mine: Heh... welcome to the club... he's a quick cat.

 

[JaredJames]

Hmmm... for a claim to lift a quarter ton with ONE hand? I need something better than scales and container that could have water in a space between layers of plastic or glass, and nothing else.

I like my proof... proofy.

edit: A live stream, where instructions that are unknown to the Kal El, would be acceptable.

You film them measuring the internal dimensions so you know it has the required capacity and then without cutting the recording they fill it with water (giving us as many angles on the box - inside and out - as possible to show the water isn't just in gaps) and then again without cutting it shows him lifting.

I understand it's not the ultimate solution but if there's no signs of tampering it would at least provide an initial piece of evidence to work with.