Are people getting stronger?

[M4Mike]

This is really just a curiosty of mine, but I got to know. The reason I ask is at the gym in the past few years it was a rare occurance to see anyone benching 300 + or squatting 500+ but I do see it alot more now than ever and its different people who just show up,not just the regulars. Granted some of the benchpressers are goons who use the over arching back snapping form that makes me cringe, and some of the squatters are only going down about half to three quaters of the way down. But not all. Some use great form and make it look easy. Anyway in the recent past you were considered strong if you could bench 225 and sqaut 300+ so are people actually getting stronger? Or has knowledge about nutrition,training, and supplementation helped bring more people closer to their genetic potential for strength?

[sadmin]

I notice this as well. Every sport is taken to the next level yearly by some phenom who can do something almost previously unheard of. I think it's your latter point; the training and nutrition coupled with people's drive to top one another is pushing people into peak physical condition. The peak is just growing...

[M4Mike]

I would tend to agree with you on that, but if what is considered "peak" physical condition has changed that much in the short amount of time that I have been part of the fitness community, then in 15 to 20 years will 400 pound bench presses and 6 to 700 pound squats become as normal and commonplace as 135 to 185 pound benchpressers are today? But I guess my question is if these high weights are now as common as they seem to be, could there be a shift in the the future where with proper nutrition/diet/training coupled with incredible drive and motivation can yeild normal men and women with incredible and dare I say near super human strength, or is there a ceiling that while still curently growing will eventually top out and human devolpment can go no further?

[Vash1023]

then you start getting into genetic manipulation pre birth and what is humanly possible now and what will be possible in 20 years.

for example, scientists already know the myostatin* gene is responsible for muscular development and growth, lab rats and even children are sometime born missing this gene, which in turn causes them to be overly muscular and therefore much stronger than us regular folk.
i think one day parents will be able to decide pre-incemination on if they want there child to be born without that myostatin gene.

[QuickStrike]

Granted some of the benchpressers are goons who use the over arching back snapping form that makes me cringe,

That's not bad as long as your ass isn't off the bench. Powerlifters use this form all the time.

I think people are just getting better information in it comes to routines and nutrition. I wish I was on the 5-3-1 program a decade ago in high school.


Would've thrown a football over them mountains!

[J-Dub]

Hmm, I dont recall when those numbers meant you were "strong".

Hell in HS those numbers arent going to standout....probably right at avg or a bit below. Probably has to do with people training smarter (well except for the ninjas doing full body dry heave pullups)

[WillBrink]

This is really just a curiosty of mine, but I got to know. The reason I ask is at the gym in the past few years it was a rare occurance to see anyone benching 300 + or squatting 500+ but I do see it alot more now than ever and its different people who just show up,not just the regulars. Granted some of the benchpressers are goons who use the over arching back snapping form that makes me cringe, and some of the squatters are only going down about half to three quaters of the way down. But not all. Some use great form and make it look easy. Anyway in the recent past you were considered strong if you could bench 225 and sqaut 300+ so are people actually getting stronger? Or has knowledge about nutrition,training, and supplementation helped bring more people closer to their genetic potential for strength?

If anything, I have noticed the reverse. Used to see big strong dudes every gym I went into. Not at all these days. I saw people using numbers in the 80s that were the norm in hard core gyms I went to, the strongest guy I see in the gym can't use today. Guys I knew warmed up with 500lb squats, and if anyone gets near that in a gym now, people stare in awe. I put it down to the simple fact that being big and strong is no longer "in" and has not been for some time.

Back in the day, power lifting meets and body building shows were common and popular. Not the case any more compared to a decade + ago. Stigma of steroids, changes in laws, changes in culture, and other factors, greater focus on "functional" style training, etc, seems to have resulted in closure of many "hard core" gyms and guys preferring a more "athletic" look.

[Brimstone]

If anything, I have noticed the reverse. Used to see big strong dudes every gym I went into. Not at all these days. I saw people using numbers in the 80s that were the norm in hard core gyms I went to, the strongest guy I see in the gym can't use today. Guys I knew warmed up with 500lb squats, and if anyone gets near that in a gym now, people stare in awe. I put it down to the simple fact that being big and strong is no longer "in" and has not been for some time.

Back in the day, power lifting meets and body building shows were common and popular. Not the case any more compared to a decade + ago. Stigma of steroids, changes in laws, changes in culture, and other factors, greater focus on "functional" style training, etc, seems to have resulted in closure of many "hard core" gyms and guys preferring a more "athletic" look.

I think some of this depends on what part of the country you are in and what is the popular look. If you notice the people on "Jersey Shore" live in an area where big is better and there are lots of muscular guys in the gyms. I live in Utah and I would say the emphasis is on an athletic look with low body fat.

I competed in amateur natural bodybuilding as well as powerlifting competitions twenty years ago and I wish that I knew then what I know now about nutrition and training. I was a beast in the gym, but it was due more to working hard than working smart. Today's youth definitely have an advantage in resources and knowledge that I didn't have.

[WillBrink]

I think some of this depends on what part of the country you are in and what is the popular look. If you notice the people on "Jersey Shore" live in an area where big is better and there are lots of muscular guys in the gyms. I live in Utah and I would say the emphasis is on an athletic look with low body fat.

I competed in amateur natural bodybuilding as well as powerlifting competitions twenty years ago and I wish that I knew then what I know now about nutrition and training. I was a beast in the gym, but it was due more to working hard than working smart. Today's youth definitely have an advantage in resources and knowledge that I didn't have.

Im in north east/Boston area, which has been a bed rock of body builders and PL etc for a long time, and the trend is very much in favor of smaller and leaner. Jersey Shore "look" being a good example. Lots of guys look like that at my gym, and all probably 180-190lbs dripping wet and I doubt have ever seen a 500lb squat, much less a 600lb or 700lb squat or above. Perhaps you have not been in a gym where truly big and strong guys (and gals!) train?

It's just not as common these days (I suspect) due to factors mentioned above. That's not a bad thing per se, just the way it has gone over the past decade or so, but not doubt as you point out, geography will play some part also, but even then, I can tell you body building shows are way down nation wide for example. I travel nation wide and am in gyms either for myself and or to do seminars, etc, and "hard core" gyms are way down and being big and strong, just not a popular look/focus to what it was 'back in the day'

At the same time, other sports like BJJ, etc have grown hugely.

[HackerF15E]

I agree that it's regional.

I'm still active duty military, and live in a podunk town so I choose to use the on-base gym (only a couple other weak alternatives in town).

Most folks there are generally lean athletic types, so I rarely see huge bulked up dudes (or chicks).