Seems like a pretty simple question, doesn't it?And you'd think there would be a pretty simple answer - especially if you are asking about two specific people.
Strength is objective term - there isn't (really) anything subjective about it.
Either you can lift a weight, or you can't.
Seems simple enough, doesn't it?So, why would it be tough to figure out between two people, who is stronger? Well, let's say I can bench press 300 lbs.
, yet you can bench press only 250 lbs.
I'm the stronger one, right?Well, what if that was true, but I could only squat 375, while you could squat 450.
Who is the stronger person, now? Then what if we brought in an Olympic lifter, who didn't do much in the way of bench presses, so his bench wasn't much more than 230 or so.
However, he can snatch 225 lbs.
That's less weight than either of us can bench, but it's also a much harder lift...
and I know I can't do that much.
Then there is the strongman competitor who can take a 300 lbs.
Atlas Stone, and load it onto a shelf that's chest-height, or strap himself into a harness, and pull a bus.
He's pretty strong, too.
But what about gymnasts?Those guys can do free-standing planche pushups, the iron cross, and all kinds of crazy tumbling.
And then there's the Ninja Warrior (known as "Sasuke" in Japan) contestants.
Ever see the crazy obstacle courses those guys do?It's not uncommon to see medal-winning gymnasts wash out on the first of four stages.
As if all this doesn't cloud the issue enough, let's toss an old Bas Rutten quote into the mix (while this might not be word-for-word, the idea is the same), "Who cares if you can bench presss 500 lbs.
?I can knock you out.
" He makes a really good point, too.
So, which one really is the "strongest"?The answer - there isn't one.
All are strong in their own way.
It'd be like asking who is the smarter person - the nuclear physicist who can help run a nuclear powerplant, or the mechanic who can fix your car in the middle of nowhere when you're broke down? There isn't any real way to say who is "stronger", simply because there are so many ways to demonstrate strength, and there are so many different types of strength.
Let's look at a few of the different types of strength.
Absolute Strength This is the basic definition of strength - who can generate more force, regardless of everything else.
I can bench 300 lbs, you can bench 250 lbs.
I'm stronger, and I have more absolute strength.
This, of course, would have to be measure the same way across the board.
In the bench press, I have more absolute strength.
If we continue our example from above, and look at the squat numbers, you'd have more absolute strength than me.
If you were to add the two together for a "total" (much like they do in powerlifting and Olympic lifting - adding the subtotals of best perfomances of each competition lift to get an overall total), you'd still have more absolute strength (300 + 375 = 675 vs 250 + 450 = 700).
Relative Strength Relative strength not only looks at how much weight you can lift, but also your own bodyweight.
In effect, the person with more relative strength is the one with the better strength-to-bodyweight ratio.
Let's consider the bench press again.
I can bench 300, and you 250, so I have more absolute strength.
But let's say that I weigh 275 lbs, yet you only weigh 185 lbs.
Though you can't bench as much as I can, you have more relative strength, because you can bench much more in relation to your bodyweight than I can.
Starting Strength This is how much you can lift from a completely extended position from a lift, with no momentum or reversal of movement.
For example, say while doing a normal barbell squat, you unrack the bar, squat down, back up, and re-rack the bar.
Performing the exercise like this, you can squat 450 lbs.
However, now say that you set the rack up so that you have to climb almost "under" the bar, so that you start the movement out at the bottom position of the squat.
This takes reversal of momentum completely out of the movement.
This is a measure of starting strength.
Reactive Strength This employs that reversal of momentum I just talked about - the lengthening and quick shortening of the the muscle.
The squat done in "normal" fashion as just described would be a measure of reactive strength.
Strength-Endurance This is fairly simple - how strong are you in a repeated fashion?Sure, you might be able to bench press 250 lbs.
once.
But how much weight can you do for 10 reps?12 reps?5 reps? Also, given the chance to retry your effort, how many times could you bench 250 lbs.
in say a 5 minute timeframe?Would one lift take so much out of you that you could only do it maybe one more time in that five minutes...
or maybe not at all?Or could you rest only 45-60 seconds and do it again? Power Now, we're going to add a time element to the mix.
If strength is basically a measure of how much force you can generate, then power is a measure of how quickly you can generate that force.
For example, say you can squat 450 lbs.
That is a measure of strength.
Saying you can squat 450 lbs.
in 2.
1 seconds is a measure of power.
There are two ways power can increase - by decreasing the time it took to lift the same weight for the same number of reps, or keeping the time the same, yet increasing the weight.
So, a squat of 460 lbs.
in 2.
1 seconds would be an increase in power, as the time remained the same, yet the weight increased.
At the same time, a squat of 450 in 1.
7 seconds would also be an increase in power, as the weight stayed the same, but you were able to squat it faster.
However, a squat of 460 lbs in 2.
5 seconds would not be an increase in power.
The weight went up, so it would be an increase in strength.
However, the time it took you to complete the rep also went up, so power didn't increase.
Power-Endurance Remember everything I mentioned above about strength-endurance?Well, apply all the same principles here, only with power-endurance (adding the time element to the equation).
Hopefully, this clears up some of the different types of strength and how they're measured.
Strength is objective term - there isn't (really) anything subjective about it.
Either you can lift a weight, or you can't.
Seems simple enough, doesn't it?So, why would it be tough to figure out between two people, who is stronger? Well, let's say I can bench press 300 lbs.
, yet you can bench press only 250 lbs.
I'm the stronger one, right?Well, what if that was true, but I could only squat 375, while you could squat 450.
Who is the stronger person, now? Then what if we brought in an Olympic lifter, who didn't do much in the way of bench presses, so his bench wasn't much more than 230 or so.
However, he can snatch 225 lbs.
That's less weight than either of us can bench, but it's also a much harder lift...
and I know I can't do that much.
Then there is the strongman competitor who can take a 300 lbs.
Atlas Stone, and load it onto a shelf that's chest-height, or strap himself into a harness, and pull a bus.
He's pretty strong, too.
But what about gymnasts?Those guys can do free-standing planche pushups, the iron cross, and all kinds of crazy tumbling.
And then there's the Ninja Warrior (known as "Sasuke" in Japan) contestants.
Ever see the crazy obstacle courses those guys do?It's not uncommon to see medal-winning gymnasts wash out on the first of four stages.
As if all this doesn't cloud the issue enough, let's toss an old Bas Rutten quote into the mix (while this might not be word-for-word, the idea is the same), "Who cares if you can bench presss 500 lbs.
?I can knock you out.
" He makes a really good point, too.
So, which one really is the "strongest"?The answer - there isn't one.
All are strong in their own way.
It'd be like asking who is the smarter person - the nuclear physicist who can help run a nuclear powerplant, or the mechanic who can fix your car in the middle of nowhere when you're broke down? There isn't any real way to say who is "stronger", simply because there are so many ways to demonstrate strength, and there are so many different types of strength.
Let's look at a few of the different types of strength.
Absolute Strength This is the basic definition of strength - who can generate more force, regardless of everything else.
I can bench 300 lbs, you can bench 250 lbs.
I'm stronger, and I have more absolute strength.
This, of course, would have to be measure the same way across the board.
In the bench press, I have more absolute strength.
If we continue our example from above, and look at the squat numbers, you'd have more absolute strength than me.
If you were to add the two together for a "total" (much like they do in powerlifting and Olympic lifting - adding the subtotals of best perfomances of each competition lift to get an overall total), you'd still have more absolute strength (300 + 375 = 675 vs 250 + 450 = 700).
Relative Strength Relative strength not only looks at how much weight you can lift, but also your own bodyweight.
In effect, the person with more relative strength is the one with the better strength-to-bodyweight ratio.
Let's consider the bench press again.
I can bench 300, and you 250, so I have more absolute strength.
But let's say that I weigh 275 lbs, yet you only weigh 185 lbs.
Though you can't bench as much as I can, you have more relative strength, because you can bench much more in relation to your bodyweight than I can.
Starting Strength This is how much you can lift from a completely extended position from a lift, with no momentum or reversal of movement.
For example, say while doing a normal barbell squat, you unrack the bar, squat down, back up, and re-rack the bar.
Performing the exercise like this, you can squat 450 lbs.
However, now say that you set the rack up so that you have to climb almost "under" the bar, so that you start the movement out at the bottom position of the squat.
This takes reversal of momentum completely out of the movement.
This is a measure of starting strength.
Reactive Strength This employs that reversal of momentum I just talked about - the lengthening and quick shortening of the the muscle.
The squat done in "normal" fashion as just described would be a measure of reactive strength.
Strength-Endurance This is fairly simple - how strong are you in a repeated fashion?Sure, you might be able to bench press 250 lbs.
once.
But how much weight can you do for 10 reps?12 reps?5 reps? Also, given the chance to retry your effort, how many times could you bench 250 lbs.
in say a 5 minute timeframe?Would one lift take so much out of you that you could only do it maybe one more time in that five minutes...
or maybe not at all?Or could you rest only 45-60 seconds and do it again? Power Now, we're going to add a time element to the mix.
If strength is basically a measure of how much force you can generate, then power is a measure of how quickly you can generate that force.
For example, say you can squat 450 lbs.
That is a measure of strength.
Saying you can squat 450 lbs.
in 2.
1 seconds is a measure of power.
There are two ways power can increase - by decreasing the time it took to lift the same weight for the same number of reps, or keeping the time the same, yet increasing the weight.
So, a squat of 460 lbs.
in 2.
1 seconds would be an increase in power, as the time remained the same, yet the weight increased.
At the same time, a squat of 450 in 1.
7 seconds would also be an increase in power, as the weight stayed the same, but you were able to squat it faster.
However, a squat of 460 lbs in 2.
5 seconds would not be an increase in power.
The weight went up, so it would be an increase in strength.
However, the time it took you to complete the rep also went up, so power didn't increase.
Power-Endurance Remember everything I mentioned above about strength-endurance?Well, apply all the same principles here, only with power-endurance (adding the time element to the equation).
Hopefully, this clears up some of the different types of strength and how they're measured.