Muscle and tendon morphology of a world strongman and deadlift champion

Abstract

This study compared the muscle and tendon morphology of an extraordinarily strong individual, a World’s Strongest Man and deadlift champion (WSM), with that of various other athletic, trained, and untrained populations. The WSM completed the following: 1) 3.0-T MRI scans, to determine the volume of 22 individual lower limb muscles, 5 functional muscle groups, patellar tendon (PT) cross-sectional area (CSA), and PT moment arm; and 2) countermovement jumps (CMJ) and isometric midthigh pull (IMTP) contractions. The WSM was compared with previously assessed groups from our laboratory (muscle and tendon) and the wider research literature (CMJ and IMTP). The WSM’s CMJ peak power (9,866 W) and gross (9,171 N) and net (7,480 N) IMTP peak forces were higher than any previously published values. The WSM’s overall measured leg muscle volume was approximately twice that of untrained controls (þ 96%) but with pronounced anatomical variability in the extent of muscular development. The plantar flexor group (þ 120%) and the guy rope muscles (sartorius, gracilis, and semitendinosus: þ 140% to þ 202%), which stabilize the pelvis and femur, demonstrated the largest differences relative to that of untrained controls. The WSM’s pronounced quadriceps size (greater than or equal to twofold vs. untrained) was accompanied by modest PT moment arm differences and, notably, was not matched by an equivalent difference in PT CSA (þ 30%). These results provide novel insight into the musculotendinous characteristics of an extraordinarily strong individual, which may be toward the upper limit of human variation, such that the WSM’s very pronounced lower limb muscularity also exhibited distinct anatomical variability and with muscle size largely uncoupled from tendon size.