Your physical strength comes from two equally important places: Your diet and your physical training. A misconception in the past used to be that physical strength came purely from diet alone. As more research was done and as more experience was gained, diet alone seemed to account less and less for the source of strength. Physical strength is also known as muscular strength. It is defined as the capability of a man or woman to exert force on a physical object by using muscles. Strength training exists specifically to increase the physical strength of people. Many bodybuilding magazines commonly advise readers to eat a lot to gain muscle, which is one reason this common perception exists.
Guard against Tissue BreakdownThe most important reason that there is a link between diet and physical strength relates to the tissues in your muscles. Bodybuilders who train to increase their physical strength use heavy weights, which break down the tissues in the muscles. In order to guard against this breakdown of tissues, a diet heavy in protein was advised to many bodybuilders. Since protein is the building block of muscle, eating a lot of food with protein should rebuild the broken-down muscle. As a result, it has become popular to associate eating a lot with gaining physical strength. Sometimes, bodybuilders would note that people from more impoverished socio-economic backgrounds had greater physical strength than people who could afford better food. These people possessed greater physical strength, yet their diet was not as nutritious, which has led to some reconsideration.
Physical Strength from Strength TrainingThe theory that eating a lot of good food builds strength is set back with the realization that physical strength also comes from training. The human body is built to adapt itself to the environment it is exposed to. This principle is seen beautifully with strength training. At first, your muscles are not built up and are therefore weaker weak. Yet through constant training with weights, your muscles are exposed to an environment that forces them to lift more than they're used to. This constant demand through strength training will eventually work to increase your physical strength. The increase is founded upon the fact that your body is responding to the demand put on it. Strength training is an equally important half of where physical strength comes from.
WillpowerSometimes physical strength can come from willpower. According to a recent study, acts that involve either wickedness or kindness can boost the physical strength of people. The study looked at people who, as part of the experiment, were told to do an exercise that involved a lot of strength. They were also told to either envision themselves doing good or evil to someone else. Both groups used willpower to significantly increase their strength in said activities. The people who envisioned themselves doing evil acts actually exhibited greater strength.
