Exercise Scientist Critiques Magnus Midtbø: How Is He This Strong?

TL;DR

Dr. Mike from RP Strength breaks down the physiology behind Magnus Midtbø's superhuman strength, attributing it to superior nervous system efficiency, tendon insertion points, and unusually large arteries.

Key Points

• 1.Magnus's strength-to-size ratio defies conventional bodybuilding logic. At 165 lbs, he matches the stack on a cable row alongside Larry Wheels — one of the strongest people alive — with full range of motion and zero swinging.
• 2.Three physiological factors explain his extraordinary pulling strength. His nervous system is optimized for vertical pulling, his tendons may insert further from joints (like chimpanzees), and sheer genetic 'manliness' — Dr. Mike's tongue-in-cheek third factor.
• 3.Magnus performed a one-arm muscle-up, combining a one-arm pull-up and one-arm dip in sequence. Dr. Mike notes training this requires a trifecta: heavy explosive weighted pull-ups, heavy explosive weighted dips, and practicing the full muscle-up itself.
• 4.Magnus set a world record in pinch grip strength with 75.5 lbs, surpassing the prior record of 73 lbs. He bled during the attempt and continued anyway, which Dr. Mike called quintessentially Viking.
• 5.Magnus broke the Norwegian military strict weighted pull-up record with over 23 reps using 11.25 kg added weight. His ability to grind high reps explosively suggests rare simultaneous fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscle dominance.
• 6.Medical measurement revealed Magnus has a brachial artery diameter of 4.4 mm — equivalent to what others have in their femoral (leg) arteries. This allows faster oxygen delivery and metabolite clearance, explaining his elite muscular endurance without extreme hypertrophy.
• 7.Dr. Mike concludes Magnus's feats are physiologically explainable, not magical. Larger arteries mean slower metabolite accumulation, making it harder to push muscles to failure — which also explains why Magnus isn't extremely jacked despite being extraordinarily capable.