Extreme Abilities: Amazing Human Feats and the Simple Science Behind Them

Extreme Abilities: Amazing Human Feats and the Simple Science Behind Them — page 8 — father on her back by age seven and was already winning weightlifting events She’s been called the Strongest Girl in the World while Richard Sandrak also born in 1992 in Ukraine has been dubbed the World’s Strongest Boy Richard could lift three times his own body weight when he was still a kid FAST FACT Plant Power Trees don’t have muscles but they can still hold up their limbs That’s because they grow muscle-like wood cells that help them bear the weight The fibers in the cells on the top of the branch lie in a way that enables them to pull up the branch The fibers in the cells on the bottom of the branch lie in a different way pushing the branch skyward Together these cells keep the bough from drooping TEENAGER LIFTS CAR In 2013 American sisters Haylee and Hannah Smith aged 14 and 16 lifted a tractor off their father after it flipped over and trapped him In 2015 19-year-old Charlotte Heffelmire also from the States lifted a truck after a jack collapsed pinning her father under it How did these regular folks under extreme pressure develop a temporary strength they never knew they had First the stories are often exaggerated When someone claims to have lifted a vehicle they probably lifted only one corner Three tires remained on the ground greatly reducing the weight Think of your living room couch All by yourself you probably can’t pick up the whole thing But try lifting only one corner and you might find success Second in scary situations epinephrine also known as adrenaline rushes into our blood This hormone helps us react to fight or flight situations when we have to decide whether to fight something such as a bear or run away Our hearts beat faster and we breathe faster More oxygen goes to our brains making us more alert Additional nutrients flood into our bloodstreams Although our muscles don’t suddenly get as strong as a superhero’s fight or flight effects can take the abilities we’ve got and give them a slightly more powerful push MASTERS of MUSCLE 9

Extreme Abilities: Amazing Human Feats and the Simple Science Behind Them — page 9 — HOW IT'S DONE Tendon Attaches muscle to bone Muscle Fiber Made up of fast-twitch fibers for power and speed and slow twitch fibers for endurance Bone Your muscles are made up of two types of fibers Slow-twitch fibers are used for endurance sports such as long-distance running Fast-twitch fibers are powerful and used for quick explosive movements such as hauling a huge barbell over your head Your body and each muscle has its own combination of these two types This means you might be born to FAST FACT be a sprinter or maybe you’re more of a natural at carrying a platform of people on Where does strength nearly superhuman or just plain human come from For the most part it comes from our muscles which are activated by the brain and the rest of the central nervous system Together these form the neuromuscular system which produces movement Our muscles are made of millions of tightly packed fibers When you do an activity that stresses the muscle like lifting weights these fibers get damaged They repair themselves while you rest getting bigger so they can handle the stress better the next time Not all people who stress their muscles will get bulky and mind-blowingly strong though Each person has different quantities and types of fibers and your muscles probably won’t grow enough to enable you to lift a fridge Toss Me That Straw Scotland’s Highland Games is one of the oldest competitions for strongmen Introduced in the year 1040 they helped the king decide which men would make the best soldiers These days the contestants still vie to toss stones throw hammers and lob bundles of your shoulders Although you can train to make your slow-twitch fibers stronger and your fast twitch fibers last longer you pretty much keep the fibers you’ve got straw with a pitchfork 10 Chapter 1

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