The Physics of Human Strength :: physics sport sports weight lifting strong

Welcome to the Physics of Strength What make a person strong? According to Frederick Hatfield, Ph.D. and former world record holder in the Squat, there are 38 factors affecting strength. I have put them here for you to read quickly, but the original article can be found on www.drsquat.com. 1. Muscle Fiber Arrangement 2. Musculoskeletal Leverage 3. Tissue Leverage 4. Freedom of Movement Between Fibers 5. Tissue Viscoelasticity 6. Intramuscular/intracellular friction 7. Ratio of Fiber Types 8. Range of Motion 9. Freedom From Injury 10. Connective Tissue Structure 11. Stretch Reflex 12. The Feedback Loop 13. Endocrine System Functions (hormones) 14. Extent of hyperplasia (cell splitting) or fiber fusion 15. Extent of myofibrillarization 16. Motor Unit Recruitment 17. Energy transfer systems' efficiency 18. Extensiveness of capillarization 19. Mitochondrial growth and proliferation 20. Stroke volume of the left ventricle 21. Ejection fraction of the left ventricle 22. Pulmonary (ventilatory) capacity 23. Efficiency of gas exchange in the lungs 24. Heart rate 25. Max VO2 uptake 26. Freedom from disease 27. Arousal Level ("psych") 28. Ability to concentrate 29. Incentive 30. Social learning 31. Coordination 32. "Spiritual" factors 33. The "placebo" effect 34. Equipment 35. Environment 36. Effect of gravity 37. Opposing and assisting forces This pretty much covers everything. As you can see, it takes a culmination of physical, natural, mental, spiritual, and psychological factors to be strong. It also takes time. The laws of physics play a huge role in what it means to be strong. On this site we will focus especially on the last two, the effect of gravity and forces. The physical concepts that will be used in this site include Newton's laws (of course), gravity, work, power, velocity and acceleration, static equilibrium, and conservation of mechanical energy. All concepts and useful equations will be explained as they are used. What is the Squat? The parallel squat (shown to the left) is the most important lift in all of sports and the most efficient exercise in building strength. It incorporates back and leg strength, stability, and coordination. Almost every athlete can benefit from doing squats. How do you do Squats? Squats are done with a weighted bar on your shoulders, in the natural groove between the muscles, with your feet a little farther than shoulder-width apart.