The Guy Who Could Carry A Full Grown Cow. No Bull!
According to popular legend, Milo of Crotona began carrying a young calf on his shoulders each day. The story goes that he would pick the calf up on a daily basis and walk around a large stadium. As the animal grew, Milo also grew stronger. Eventually, he was able to carry a fully-grown bull.
Is that story true? Well, I doubt it, but like most legends it stems out of something which is true. That is in this case that by gradually increasing the weight of something you are lifting/pulling/working with your muscles will respond by growing in size and strength. I’m not a scientist but on a simple level our muscles are damaged slightly when we lift something heavy which causes them to naturally repair and regrow so that they can better cope with the new levels of work we are putting on them.
For a long time now, bodybuilders and strength trainers have used this technique to increase their size and strength. The problem is that eventually they will reach a plateau. What I would like to ask you however, is whether that plateau is physical or physiological? I am sure there is a point when we will all reach the maximum we can physically get to. But for most of us, does this happen before or after we reach the physiological plateau?
You see when you have it in your mind to be able to lift a fully-grown bull and you’re desperate enough to reach that goal the only thing that will stop you is reaching the maximum physically. When all you’re doing is pumping iron however, there is a lot more to distract you and push you away from your goals.
It reminds me of a conversation I had with a friend not so long ago. He recently had a baby boy and he loves to throw the boy up in the air and catch him again (don’t worry, his son loves it too). As the child has grown and become heavier he is still trying to do the same things he could do with the child when he weighed practically nothing. He sometimes wonders whether somewhere along the line he’ll have to admit his son has become to heavy, or whether he’ll still be able to do it when his son’s 18 years old (probably in front of a circus audience)!
I’m not so sure myself, but then it would be a little bit more believable than the ‘bull story’.
Filed under: Goals
