The Dark Knight What is Batman Strength level?

[antmanx68]

funny how Columbu keeps coming up.... in Pumping Iron Arnold and this other guy jokingly said they were gonna start calling him "the bat" after seeing his lat spread at the Mr. Olympia contest.

 

[War Lord]

funny how Columbu keeps coming up.... in Pumping Iron Arnold and this other guy jokingly said they were gonna start calling him "the bat" after seeing his lat spread at the Mr. Olympia contest.

He was a very gifted body builder.

 

[user123456789]

what... in gods name... that back is massive...

 

[The_Guyver]

funny how Columbu keeps coming up.... in Pumping Iron Arnold and this other guy jokingly said they were gonna start calling him "the bat" after seeing his lat spread at the Mr. Olympia contest.

What. The. Hell.

Did that guy swallow a mini-fridge??

That is freaky.

 

[Abe Rush]

His lower back is so small compared to the upper part... it's not healthy.
Complete lack of judgement from his part, IMO.

When it comes to the fast-twitch / slow-twitch fibers that War Lord mentionned, Batman simply cannot have only fast-twitch ones. The individuals that possess only fast-twitch fibers are what we could call "explosive", i.e.: olympic sprinters, for the 100 m are a good exemple of that. Batman does way too much acrobatics and chasing for him to be fast-twitch only. If I had to take a guess, I'd say he's 60 % fast-twitch, 40 % slow-twitch. The problem with this is that most slow-twitch athletes aren't as big as fast-twitch ones... as being "explosive" requires more muscle strength, while the other requires endurance. With that being said, I highly doubt Batman could bench 700 pounds and even if he could, it wouldn't be of any real use to him, as I don't think his goal is to become as muscle bound as possible.

I thought part of the reason Batman always looked so "strong" was because of all his martial arts training, that allowed him to use other people's own strength or momentum against them, no? I think he appears stronger than he actually is because he understands his body better than most people and he knows how to control it and use positioning and such to his advantage.

But as far as actual "strength" goes... I'd say he's a gifted, "intelligently" strong human being.

 

[The_Guyver]

I thought part of the reason Batman always looked so "strong" was because of all his martial arts training, that allowed him to use other people's own strength or momentum against them, no? I think he appears stronger than he actually is because he understands his body better than most people and he knows how to control it and use positioning and such to his advantage.

But as far as actual "strength" goes... I'd say he's a gifted, "intelligently" strong human being.

I think this pretty much sums up where Batman's true source of strength lies, well done dude

 

[Savage]

Yeah, Ruf's got it. I don't buy the 700 lb crap. Captain America is 240 and he can lift twice his body weight alone (this is what marvel calls peak human). I'd say batman can lift between 400-500. The rest is just an illusion. I've been doing wushu for about 5 years now and I'm 6'0 200 lbs and I've easily thrown guys 6'6 and well over 240. It's a momentum thing. I don't think the guy can literally pick up 700+ but I'm sure he can probably throw a guy that size.

...I just don't see him lifting Bane OVER his head, you know?

 

[Ronny Shade]

I thought this tread wouldve petered out after 2 or 3 pages

 

[Salemdog]

I do agree that his weight should be adjusted to 230 lbs or so because that's how he's drawn anyway.

Full agreement there. It would make sense and at that height he still wouldn't be "muscle bound". A gymnasts or martial fighter build at 6'2 could easily reach the 230 pound mark. One only has to follow Pride, UFC, or the like to see the possibility.

 

[Salemdog]

His lower back is so small compared to the upper part... it's not healthy.
Complete lack of judgement from his part, IMO.

He could deadlift over 800 pounds. Over 700 for reps. Sounds pretty heathy to me.

He's also a licensed chiropractor.

 

[Salemdog]

I thought this tread wouldve petered out after 2 or 3 pages

An interesting subject is just that. It's nice to see people intelligently debate and delve into the realistic aspect of the subject instead of just saying "Well, he's Batman, that's why." Like they do with Superman sometimes. Batman is the icon he is because he's something that is attainable (physically) unlike many other superheroes. So why not debate just what the supposedly top physical man is truly capable of.

 

[antmanx68]

pro bodybuilders definitely risk their health to look like that. Lifting extremely heavy weights can be catostrophic for joints, and the body in general. Anyone who messes with HEAVY dumbells in the gym can understand how it could be life threatening to try benching 200 pound dumbells. haha

And they were on steroids which are pretty much dangerous (not speculating here, Arnold admits it on the Pumping Iron DVD, saying it wasnt a big deal back then, they all just did it and it was a part of their supplementation.)

 

[Salemdog]

pro bodybuilders definitely risk their health to look like that. Lifting extremely heavy weights can be catostrophic for joints, and the body in general. Anyone who messes with HEAVY dumbells in the gym can understand how it could be life threatening to try benching 200 pound dumbells. haha

And they were on steroids which are pretty much dangerous (not speculating here, Arnold admits it on the Pumping Iron DVD, saying it wasnt a big deal back then, they all just did it and it was a part of their supplementation.)

Anyone who plays professional sports risks their health. Anyone who fights in a boxing ring or martial arts ring risks their health. Olympic contenders risk their health. And the so called steriod risk is the same as any other supplement. Too much means risk. They're are thousands of athletes who take or have taken steriods with no harmful side effect. But they are countered by the handful who not only took steriods, but a handful of other illegal drugs but blamed it all on the one. It was easy for Lyle Alzado to admit to steriods but he conviently left out the cocaine, alcohol, speed, downers and other little tidbits that were being consumed at the time. Too much protein can damage the liver, too much hydroxycut caused heart attacks.

The problem is moderation. Like anything else people want too much too fast and look for the easy way out. So the bans come a running. Because some people just can't handle themselves.



Besides, here's Frank Zane at 62

I think I'll keep up the weights.

 

[Abe Rush]

He could deadlift over 800 pounds. Over 700 for reps. Sounds pretty heathy to me.

He's also a licensed chiropractor.

I guess it all depends on what you want to accomplish.
I'm not even half of that man's size and I'm already being told that I need to work on my lower back area.

... it's an important part and his seems abnormally small.
As a matter of fact, it's not the only thing that looks "abnormal" about him.

Well, as long as he's happy... who gives a damn, right?

 

[The Question]

Batman benching 725 pounds makses very little sense. Batman's got a fighter's build. Not a powerlifter's build. Powerlifter's are huge. Also, Btaman has been shown to be very fast and agile. Powerlifter's are usually quite slow and not very agile at all. So, it would make more sense for Batman to bench around 250 or 300 pounds. Writers who have Batman benching725 really don't know anything about how the human body works.

 

[War Lord]

He could deadlift over 800 pounds. Over 700 for reps. Sounds pretty heathy to me.

He's also a licensed chiropractor.

He also has a doctorate in physiology.

He also popped his own knee back into place when he popped it during a strongman competition.

It must have hurt.

 

[War Lord]

pro bodybuilders definitely risk their health to look like that. Lifting extremely heavy weights can be catostrophic for joints, and the body in general. Anyone who messes with HEAVY dumbells in the gym can understand how it could be life threatening to try benching 200 pound dumbells. haha

And they were on steroids which are pretty much dangerous (not speculating here, Arnold admits it on the Pumping Iron DVD, saying it wasnt a big deal back then, they all just did it and it was a part of their supplementation.)

He's also said that they took their stuff under supervision of a physician, which they could because steroids weren't illegal at the time.

 

[War Lord]

Yeah, Ruf's got it. I don't buy the 700 lb crap. Captain America is 240 and he can lift twice his body weight alone (this is what marvel calls peak human). I'd say batman can lift between 400-500. The rest is just an illusion. I've been doing wushu for about 5 years now and I'm 6'0 200 lbs and I've easily thrown guys 6'6 and well over 240. It's a momentum thing. I don't think the guy can literally pick up 700+ but I'm sure he can probably throw a guy that size.

...I just don't see him lifting Bane OVER his head, you know?

Marvel has Cap at a 1000 pound bench, last I heard.

Keep in mind that what Batman has been measured to do is likely a one rep maximum, not repeated reps.

 

[Infinity9999x]

Marvel has Cap at a 1000 pound bench, last I heard.

Keep in mind that what Batman has been measured to do is likely a one rep maximum, not repeated reps.

Cap also was enhanced with a formula, Bats just trained himself. Even if it was only a one rep maximum, he'd have to have a huge build to do that much weight, which wouldn't be practical. Now I could see him doing something like 700lbs under extreme stress w/ adrenaline pumping, but not just as a workout.

 

[War Lord]

His lower back is so small compared to the upper part... it's not healthy.
Complete lack of judgement from his part, IMO.

When it comes to the fast-twitch / slow-twitch fibers that War Lord mentionned, Batman simply cannot have only fast-twitch ones. The individuals that possess only fast-twitch fibers are what we could call "explosive", i.e.: olympic sprinters, for the 100 m are a good exemple of that. Batman does way too much acrobatics and chasing for him to be fast-twitch only. If I had to take a guess, I'd say he's 60 % fast-twitch, 40 % slow-twitch. The problem with this is that most slow-twitch athletes aren't as big as fast-twitch ones... as being "explosive" requires more muscle strength, while the other requires endurance. With that being said, I highly doubt Batman could bench 700 pounds and even if he could, it wouldn't be of any real use to him, as I don't think his goal is to become as muscle bound as possible.

I thought part of the reason Batman always looked so "strong" was because of all his martial arts training, that allowed him to use other people's own strength or momentum against them, no? I think he appears stronger than he actually is because he understands his body better than most people and he knows how to control it and use positioning and such to his advantage.

But as far as actual "strength" goes... I'd say he's a gifted, "intelligently" strong human being.

Columbo's lower back isn't likely to do with lack of training, but genetics. I personally have great potential in the shoulders, but my forearms suck like you wouldn't believe regardless of the training that I used to do. I'm talking about when I was fit and training, which I'm not currently. Also, he was flairing his lats and to maximize the effect, he squeezed his waist making his lower back look smaller.

He's not going to squat and deadlift 700 pounds+ (I have a biography on him) without a well developed lower back.

Batman doesn't do a lot of running in the comics that I've seen. His Modis Operandi is to surprise attack and do it quickly, so endurance isn't really an issue that I've seen. Also, I've read that Batmans costume aids his endurance (and probably his strength as well).

 

[War Lord]

Cap also was enhanced with a formula, Bats just trained himself. Even if it was only a one rep maximum, he'd have to have a huge build to do that much weight, which wouldn't be practical. Now I could see him doing something like 700lbs under extreme stress w/ adrenaline pumping, but not just as a workout.

Again, that's dependent on his amount of power. If he's on the extreme edge of humanity in that regard, he'd beable to bench as much as 3 and a half times his weight. It's not just a workout, but a one time rep.

If it was a workout, it'd probably be closer to 500 or 560 for ten reps.

 

[War Lord]

Batman benching 725 pounds makses very little sense. Batman's got a fighter's build. Not a powerlifter's build. Powerlifter's are huge. Also, Btaman has been shown to be very fast and agile. Powerlifter's are usually quite slow and not very agile at all. So, it would make more sense for Batman to bench around 250 or 300 pounds. Writers who have Batman benching725 really don't know anything about how the human body works.

Again, most powerlifters have tons of strength, but not much in the way of power. That's the way they train.

 

[The Question]

Exactly. If Batman ever did lift 725 punds, it would only be for about a second of seriously pushing himself and he'd be quite spent afterwards.

 

[The Question]

If it was a workout, it'd probably be closer to 500 or 560 for ten reps.

Even that seems like a bit much for Batman. Like I've said, he's got a fighter's build. He'd probably only be able to bench about 250/300, if you want to talk realistically here.

 

[War Lord]

Exactly. If Batman ever did lift 725 punds, it would only be for about a second of seriously pushing himself and he'd be quite spent afterwards.

That's the consequence of being highly fast twitch, you don't have much to give afterwards. However, if you're not pushing yourself to to edge, and normally Batman doesn't have to because most of his activities don't come near to his edge, this weakness wouldn't necessarily be apparent.