What Is Strength For

For most of the past two million years, men and women needed strength for basically one reason: to not die. But as horse, machine, and computer power slowly replaced manpower, the meaning of strength began to evolve.

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Now being strong has more cultural and social implications than ever. The connection between mind and body, and body and self-esteem, is complicated and intimate in ways our forebears couldn’t imagine. Doctors and scientists are learning more about the health and longevity benefits of muscle, and even the government now recommends two sessions of strength training per week for everyone. As nerds and Marvel took over our lives and time became ever more scarce, muscle developed into a more desirable commodity. The result: swole Bezos. Today you could survive—thrive, even—without lifting anything heavier than your briefcase. So it raises the question: What is strength really for? There are many answers, and these researchers, powerlifters, soldiers, and everyday guys doing extraordinary things have some of them.

STRENGTH IS FOR

Moving Big Things

Roy Sims

“SumoS are much more athletic and fit than people expect. We often carry a lot of fat, but it’s on top of a very solid, muscular structure. It’s just a different body style. We need strength, speed, balance, and flexibility.

Because in my sport I’m trying to quickly move a human who is my own weight, I do a lot of explosive lifts using weights equal to my bodyweight. I’ll put 160kg on the bar and do five back squats, front squats, or hang pulls. I keep the weight low and the intensity high. I try to make the bar move as quickly as possible. I also do yoga, jujitsu, Greco-Roman wrestling, play basketball—I can dunk.