Take a random sample of lifters, whether Powerlifting or Olympic Weightlifting or Bodybuilding or CrossFitters or etc., and you'll see a bell curve form for the entire group's strength ability most likely including beginners intermediates and advanced lifters with all varying lengths of time in their given sport or training. Most folks truly believe in a top end limit of strength but hesitate to explain why world records are broken at every world championship. Compare these numbers to 2 decades or 3 decades ago and we'll see smaller numbers from different folks who once competed. I am extremely of the belief that we are far away from the strongest "in competition measured numbers" we will ever see. There are 7 billion people in the world and counting (7,000,000,000+) and only 97,000 of those competed in Powerlifting (any federation) in 2024. And out of those 97,000 across the world, how many are actually training to their greatest ability? I don't believe anyone truly thinks they've reached the strongest they could or could have or will. So, what does it take to truly reach your own personal strength/performance limit?
Do you drink alcohol?
Bam. Right out the gate, if you drink alcohol and are training you are systematically destroying your ability to recover. And this is one small aspect of your entire life. Alcohol is a CNS depressant and you probably know that. So in training where you need your CNS excited and powerfully able to produce electrical pulses through your system literally the last thing you need is anything that suppresses your CNS from doing that. No exceptions, there's no way around this one. You gotta stop the unhealthy habits if you truly want to develop your peak ability.
Do you sleep 8+ hours every night?
There is only one place where you recover from stress, life, training, etc. and that is when you sleep. You build muscle when you sleep. You hardwire new neural connections when you sleep. Your manage hormones and recalibrate your body when sleep. Tons of processes are happening during your deep sleep and to train up getting into deep sleep for longer periods you actually need to become best friends with your rest. Again, recovery singularly occurs while you sleep. So if you intend on getting stronger, you get stronger when you sleep. Training is just a stimulus to recover from. So recover harder than training. Oh, but you can't sleep? I bet you can't if you're off in the woods with the stuff that directly impacts sleep - caffeine, drinking alcohol (literally up to two weeks to recover and get back your sleep from drinking one beer), spikes in sugar intake (just 15g of sugar within 2hrs of sleep can keep you up!), stress management, etc. Get the stuff in order that's holding back your sleep and you'll sleep 110%.
Do you have your nutrition, calories, macros, and micros locked in every single day?
This is your fuel for energy to all cells in your body and subsequent movement, your source to provide the necessary materials for muscle growth, the ability to return to norm between sets during training, how you feel and your overall mood/approach to training & life, and literally is the source for EVERYTHING. You want to talk about gene expression? You express your genes through what you're made of - the sources you provide the system with. Dial it in because it matters HUGELY. In fact, not even at maintenance is going to get you to the strength you're hoping for. You've got to live in a very slight caloric surplus so that you can maximize devoting materials and energy to additional energy demands (aside from basic function/operation). If you're taxing your body to try to get it to become something it hasn't been before then it needs excess materials to cover the new demand. Email me to learn more about this or if you need help being directed into what you actually need.
Do you know for a fact that your training programming is EXACTLY what you need?
I'm sorry but if you're doing one size fits all programming then you're in a canoe on the street out here racing motorcycles. I am all for team spirit and getting to max out with the homies but when the "hype" stops working, you better be sure as all heck that you're doing what YOU specifically need for intensity management and volume manipulation to maximize the hard work you put in the gym. And if its a case of money... I guarantee you that you either pay for a stellar coach that prioritizes keeping you safe OR you pay it later in physical therapy and stifle your gains in the long term. Too many of you know about this. Aches and pains are normal but legit injury that keeps you from training for MONTHS are not normal. Don't be trained by the cool guy who pulls 800lb. Seek out the dude that wants to keep you safe for long term outcomes. Guaranteed, the best programming decision you can make is the one that is going to keep you healthy. Strength is a time sport. The hype will fizzle out but the strength don't stop unless you make stupid decisions. Make less stupid decisions and get in the right places where you know you're going to see success. Stay healthy. Period. And a quick word on programming. Two meets per year, two peaks per year - any extra and you're not giving yourself enough time to build the volume base for the next. Ideally these would be spaced 6 months apart but will probably be like 3 months apart and then a 8-10 month break. Setting up your program in dedicated phases is literally the only option that makes sense. Do NOT run "oh this squat program here" or "oh bench everyday program" - this suppresses the long run so frigginnnn hard. Rather than trying to escape recovering, learn to recover and get more from less while training smaller things with more frequency. It's truly something everyone learns I think but takes years and years to believe it. Learn from the wisdom of ALL the folks who came before you. You're not part of some elite 0.001% of powerlifters, so learn from wisdom and apply it to you.
ADHD training
Tunnel vision is a secret of the gods. Notice, Hades was Hell. Zeus in Heaven. Aphrodite, love. Ares, war. I think you get the picture. Approach training with tunnel vision. Hopefully you have a coach to keep you accountable and specifically on track. But if you're trying to implement the newest "cue" or "idea" to your training behind your coach's back and always trying to do something new with technique hitting sumo one week and then conventional the next and then mixed grip the week after and then hookgrip the week after that. Congratulations, you're probably standing in your own way and are training like a clown. Lock the mind in and go months of drilling exactly what your coach wants you to be thinking about and guaranteed your lift makes jumps. Pick that cue apart and actually learn what you should be doing - and if you don't know, you're supposed to ask your coach and talk about it. A coach is someone you're supposed to learn from and use as an aid to improve. He's not a printer of programming, he's not just a friend, he's not just a handler - ask questions (about lifting and deeply learn from your coach! But tbh most of the time it's getting in the reps and hyperfocusing on the weakest point that's going to make you better. Get a coach to keep you on track, then with great communication the sky is the limit.
One of the best arguments against the idea of a "strength limit" is world records being broken every single year. Whether in powerlifting, Olympic weightlifting, or even feats of pure endurance like marathon running, athletes are consistently pushing beyond what was once deemed impossible. Look back at the squat or deadlift records from 30 years ago—what was considered groundbreaking then is now routinely surpassed by elite athletes. This isn't just anecdotal evidence; it's a clear trend that the human body, when trained and supported optimally, can keep adapting.
The primary reason lies in untapped potential. Out of billions of people worldwide, only a tiny fraction ever take strength training seriously. Of those, even fewer optimize their training, recovery, and lifestyle to truly push their limits. When the sample size of dedicated lifters grows then so does the probability of discovering individuals with extraordinary potential.
Technological advancements, improved training methodologies, and a growing body of research into biomechanics and physiology are contributing to an ever-increasing understanding of how to optimize human performance. The tools available to athletes today were unimaginable decades ago, not to mention the years and years of evidence we now have to use for developing training and overall approach to each sport. As science continues to refine our approach to strength training, the ceiling will keep rising. Societal shifts are leading to greater participation in strength sports too. Powerlifting and Olympic weightlifting are no longer niche pursuits and every year across the world and especially the USA there's more influx of athletes. The talent pool is expanding, and the likelihood of discovering even stronger outliers increases.
The idea that there’s no absolute strength limit to your own abilities is both inspiring and humbling. It acknowledges the vast, untapped potential within ourselves. Even if we consider factors like diminishing returns or genetic ceilings, history has shown that these "limits" are often temporary—a snapshot of what's possible based on current knowledge, tools, and participation. By taking our training, recovery, and mindset seriously, we contribute to the collective progress of the strength community. Truly, the only fixed variable that will put a cap on your upper limit is time. Spend that time locked in and progressing or spend that time fooling around doing what you know long term isn't going to pay off. The body follows what the mind demands. Get a coach you know can get you where you want to be and lock in.
So, how strong can you get? The answer is stronger than you think. But you have to get your ducks in a row and get hungrier on all fronts. Hungry dawgs eat. You must be the hungriest if you want to be a world champion.
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