Could you lift a car or a helicopter if your life depended on it?
Let's talk about that.
♪ (theme music) ♪
- Good Mythical Morning! - Today we're gonna be talking about
the subject of superhuman strength, exploring some of the science behind it,
and also testing our own physical limits.
Mm! Okay, right off the bat, lemme hit you with a handful of...
- (slap noises with mouth) - ...superhuman strength cases!
- A.K.A. hysterical strength. - Oh, wow. That's hilarious.
These cases are not hysterical in a hilarious sense. It's when you
- enter a state of hysteria, and that - Ah.
- translates into strength. - 10-4.
You're familiar with just the general concept of this, but let's get real
- specific. 2006, Tucson, Arizona. - Okay.
- Tim Boyle lifted... - That's very specific.
- Tim Boyle lifted a 3,500-pound Camaro -- - Camaro, huh?
- oh, yeah --off of a teenager who had been hit and pinned underneath it.
Oh, wow. Camaros are cool, though. I'll give him that much.
They're not cool when there's one on top of you that just hit you.
- I'm just gonna go out on a limb. - No, but when we were in high school,
when you drove up in a Camaro, you were cool.
It's like, "I wanna get hit by that one day!"
"Yeah, man. If I gotta be under anything, it's gonna be one of them."
1988, Hawaii, on the set of Magnum, P.I., a small helicopter crashed into a
(through laughter) drainage ditch. I don't know why I'm laughing. I shouldn't be.
- (laughing) "Oh, that helicopter!" - It trapped the pilot, Steve Kux.
- That sucks. - Crew member Warren "Tiny"...
- Sux for Kux! - ...Everal lifted the helicopter
- off Kux, saving his life. - That's amazing.
- A man named "Tiny" is probably... - It's ironic.
- ...a really large guy, though. - His name is probably ironic, right.
- He's probably a really large dude. - He probably lifted helicopters all...
- ...the time. He was just waiting for... - Yeah.
- ...one to land on Kux. - Oh, you're acting like you don't...
- ...believe this? Okay. - So he could get it off of him.
And Magnum, P.I.: that was cool, too, man.
- (both laughing) - That was cool. There was a helicopter
in the opening scene, and in some episodes. Pivotal at moments...
- Yeah, right. - ...but not the one that crashed here.
And it was a pretty small helicopter, but it's still a helicopter. I mean,
- humans aren't supposed to lift those. - If your name is Tiny, you can.
Thailand, after the 2004 tsunami hit the coast, model Petra Nemcova
suffered internal injuries and a shattered pelvis, but she still "clang" to a
palm tree for eight hours before rescue.
She probably looked pretty good doing it, too.
(laughing) Clung, I think it's clung.
- She's a model. - She clung to a palm tree for eight hours.
In 2008 in New Zealand, a semi-truck driver lost control and drove partially
off a cliff, picture the cab of the truck dangling over the cliff.
- Every movie with a rig in it. - This really happened.
An 18-year-old dude came to the scene, Petter Hanne was his name.
He smashed through the back glass of the rig with his bare hands...
- Mm. - ...pulled the guy out, and brought him
to safety as the rig swayed beneath his feet.
- Wow. - You can't just break glass with your
- bare hands! On an automobile... - Not normally. That's true.
- ...much less a rig. It's amazing. - True.
Last one, 2012, a tornado in Marysville, Indiana was tearing homes to shreds.
One Stephanie Decker used her own body to shield her two children from the
175-mile-per-hour winds. Dude, she had a punctured lung...
- Mom shield! - ...seven broken ribs, two crushed legs,
both of which later had to be amputated. Her children didn't suffer a scratch.
Okay, so these are amazing hysterical cases.
- Yeah. Hysterical strength. - But the question is: what's going
on here? Are these people assuming some sort of superhuman status: something that
is almost unbelievable in order to do this?
- Drop some science, man. (whoosh) - Well, there's a lot to this, because
first of all, none of these cases are really well documented, right?
I mean, it isn't like there's a controlled environment. A lot of this is based on
testimonial evidence and people's stories. That kind of thing.
- Anecdotal. - It isn't the controlled environment
- where you have the scientific method. - Of a lab?
And if you wanted to study this kind of thing, it isn't like you could just be like,
"Hey man, can I drop a Camaro on your child and see if you'll take it off?"
- Not if the scientist sounded like that. - That will probably be unethical.
"All scientists that I've ever dealt with talk like this, and always incorporate
- Camaro into all their studies. - (laughing)
- 'Cause they're cool." - No, you would never do that.
But there is some science to this, and that is the fact that when you're in
a dangerous situation, the brain sends out a signal to your adrenal gland.
And then your adrenal gland causes adrenaline, noradrenaline -- that was
something I didn't know existed until I started looking into this -- and cortisol
to enter the bloodstream, basically sending energy and oxygen to your
muscles. You become more flexible. You've got more energy and oxygen
in your muscles so you are actually stronger than you normally are.
- Mhm. - And then the cortisol actually diverts
energy away from non-essential functions like your immune system, your reproductive
drive -- don't think about that when you're in hysterics -- and digestion.
No, but I will point out that the thing about digestion... I mean, you say,
"I got so scared I feel like I need to change my pants."
It's like you just said that won't happen. You're not gonna crap yourself
if you're really scared. If you're really in a fight or flight situation, don't
worry about crapping yourself. Just take action.
No, I would say I think maybe there's one big evacuation and then after that
- it just, you know... - That's just saying that.
- That's not science. - I don't know. I'm not a scientist.
The science of cortisol says the opposite.
Theress also a state called analgesia, which is the inability to feel pain,
which kind of explains this mom shielding her children.
- Mhm. - Obviously she was experiencing some
traumatic things on her back and on her legs, but she's so focused on the children
that she essentially doesn't focus on the pain. Because there is this increased
focus even mentally on the task right before you. So the conclusion is that
there is science to support this, but you don't become superhuman. There's no
Superman situation here. It's just you become your absolute, highest potential
of strength, agility, and focus when you're in those situations. And sometimes,
if you're the right person in the right situation, that will lead to being able
to lift a helicopter. But it probably means kinda, like, teetering a
- helicopter and somebody gets out. - Unless your name is Tiny.
- It's not supernatural. - Lemme add another data point.
I have experienced this. I have experienced superhuman strength...
- A Camaro? - ...and superhuman...
Behind the wheel lots of times as I'm driving in traffic around here,
I almost rear-end people pretty frequently.
- I can attest to this. - And I have to slam on brakes and
- dodge. So you slam on brakes, - All the freaking time.
but then you're so close, you're going so fast that you also have to swerve
- in order to miss 'em. And every time - Yeah.
that happens, I experience a rush of superhuman arm steering strength.
- (snickering) - I'm not exaggerating when I say that
from the elbow down, there's a tingling sensation. I have super grip on the
wheel. Sometimes I'll be having a coffee in this hand, and then I'l be steering with
- this hand. And then when it's over, - That's impressive.
I'm breathing fast, and the adrenaline is coursing through my forearms!
But can I point something out? You have power steering. It isn't like it's 1928
and you're like "Waaa!" I mean, the car is still doing the work.
Well, that's true, but I have... super steering ability.
- Okay. I'll give you that. - I have only rear-ended somebody once
and I've almost rear-ended about 40 people.
- Totally true. Now, I personally... - Tingling!
...as a pseudo-scientist, I don't think you've necessarily proven anything.
But you are going to have the opportunity to prove something,
as I will, because we have devised a series of challenges that we're gonna be
doing over the next few weeks to test the limits of our own physical strength
and endurance. And there are some emotional stakes, because one of us
is going to get a prize. It's time for...
(Rhett) The Airheads Bites Can't Stop, Won't Stop Challenge!
Each week we'll be competing against each other in a ridiculous challenge
- to see who can last the longest. - And then at the end of four weeks
and four challenges, one of us will be declared the winner and that person
will get to sit on a beanbag with a bunny while wearing a blue tuxedo, eating
bacon as his bunny tells him a bedtime story about how awesome he is
- in a British accent. - Oh ho, I'm looking forward to that.
Today's challenge is called Waiting Weighted Watiers.
All right, in this challenge, we are going to standing here with these
serving trays having plates added in equal number and measure at the
same time. Whoever drops a plate first loses.
Uh, your elbows cannot touch your sides because that gives you a fulcrum advantage.
No fulcrum advantage here, boys and girls.
All right, so let's go. Three, two, one...
- Plate me! - ♪ (rock music) ♪
All right, you could try to center 'em a little better, but...
- (ceramic clattering) - (both) Oh my goodness.
- I've never been in the service business. - The burn's already happening.
- And I'm beginning to know why. - Ooh, goodness, guys!
- Because I don't like vests. - Gotta breathe. Gotta get oxygen...
- ...to those -- - Hold on, Link's getting close on...
- ...those elbows now. - They're not touching. Oh crad!
- (laughing) - I just made up a word! (exhales)
Those elbows are (gasp) close.
- (heavy breathing) - Oh. Ah!
Look, oh! That right elbow is totally touching.
- (high, inhuman screeching) - His right elbow is totally...
- No, it is not! Oh! - It's totally touching.
It's totally touching over there.
(screeching again) Ahhhh!
(plates shattering)
(slow motion whooshes)
(deep, slow yell)
(deep, slow voice) Dang it!
(plates shattering)
- Ow, my toe! - Would you like some plates?
I've got one plate.
(whoosh) (plate shatters)
Two plate. (same whoosh and shatter)
Okay, well, Airheads Bites may have long-lasting flavor, but Link, you don't
have any long-lasting plate-holding ability like me.
- I've got steering ability, though. - I'm a winner!
(whooshes and pops)
You can look forward to three more challenges in the upcoming weeks.
Thank you for liking, commenting, and subscribing.
And thanks to Airheads Bites for sponsoring this episode.
You know what time it is.
I'm [Carter] from Ontario, Canada. And it's time to spin
- The Wheel of Mythicality. - Airheads Bites have the same tangy,
bold fruit flavors and chew of Airheads, but now they're in east-to-eat bite-sized
pieces! To find Airheads Bites at a store near you, click on the link
- in the description. - And click through to Good Mythical More
and find out what famous superhero originated from a true story...
- Weeee! - ...of hysterical strength.
(Rhett) "Everything Rhett says is heartbreaking."
Hey, I was gonna see if you wanted to go to my pilates class with me.
(distressed) What?! You have a pilates class?! Guh!
Yeah, I'm getting a lot more flexible, and I feel like I've got a better
- outlook on life. - Tell me you're not getting more flexible.
(crew offscreen laughing)
[Captioned by Kevin: GMM Captioning Team]