Superhuman Strength

[Starrman10]

I’ve heard the Urban Legends of people in crisis showing great strengh (lifting cars off of people, and whatnot). The question is, is there any validity to these stories? Just how far can a little extra adrenaline drive the human body?

[Cardinal]

Quite a lot. Apparently, with a big adrenaline rush, you can really start metabolizing glucose way fast. (I’m kind of guessing there.) There are plenty of stories like that. Even my mom’s cousin’s wife told us that she was lifting things in her house she didn’t think she could, and that was just because she was afraid they would get water damaged if the house flooded in the hurricane. When people are really scared, they do even more.

[Joe_Random]

I don’t have a cite, but I would also suspect that adrenaline could cause you to not experience (or simply ignore) pain cues that would normally prevent you from continuing to do something that is damaging to your muscles or tendons, thus resulting in the person exhibiting above-normal strength.

Anyone know if this interpretation is valid?

[owlofcreamcheese]

a big part of the ‘limit’ of your strength is not how much your muscles can contract but how much they can do so without damage… if you don’t care about the damage you can lift more than if you do.

[Whack-a-Mole]

Supposedly a true story told by an ER doctor:

Can drugs produce superhuman strength?
Q: I just heard about a man who crashed through the reinforced cockpit door on an airliner. The newscaster said the man may have been on drugs. Other than testosterone or anabolic steroids (which take time to increase strength), are there any drugs that substantially boost strength, especially rapidly? Many thanks, Jerry

A: Yes. It is well-known that some drugs can rapidly improve strength and/or endurance, but this increment is usually mild. However, as an ER doc who saw countless people on all kinds of drugs, I’ve witnessed some amazing reactions. The first time I saw this, I was stunned beyond belief. An ER frequent flyer (a patient who frequently comes to the ER) came in by ambulance, as usual, with a drug overdose, as usual. We knew this character would go wild as he woke up, so we put leather restraints on him, and used handcuffs to attach the restraints to the metal bed frame. These restraints were thick, and made of several layers of leather. I doubted that a Russian weightlifter or grizzly bear could break them. As the patient awoke, he flexed his arms and snapped the restraints as if they were made of cardboard. The ER staff was horrified, and we retreated to call in the security guards, who were pummeled. We called in the police, and initially I thought that Mr. High-on-Drugs would beat them, too. However, the cops called in reinforcements, and the melee continued, with the police eventually gaining the upper hand by clubbing Mr. Crazy with their nightsticks. This allowed them to handcuff him, after which he was thrown into a police car for some rapid rehabilitation. An hour or so later, the police returned to tell us that we wouldn’t have to worry about Mr. Crazy any more. Given that he once showed up so frequently, and after that Fight Night he never showed up again, I think he was removed from the gene pool. Can’t say I was sorry to see him go.

SOURCE: http://personal.coslink.net/kpezzi/even_more_er_questions.htm