Humans are visual creatures. We make visual assessments all the time of the world – and people – around us. How many times have you walked into a gym, gave someone the ocular pat down, and made an assessment of their capability and capacity? That tall jacked dude in the corner – he’s definitely strong. And that girl with the lat spread like a cobra definitely can lift a small car.
But I would also bet there numerous examples where you made a judgement based on appearance, only to have that judgement shattered. You were so enamored by the huge dude that you totally missed the small guy next to him out-lifting him by a mile.
While size can be an indicator, size doesn’t always equal strength. To quote Louie Simmons, “Big ain’t strong. Strong is strong”. A lot of what makes up strength comes from the mind, and today we’re going to be exploring one facet of this mind-muscle connection. Specifically, Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor, or BDNF.
Matthew Spaid. “BNDF for BAMFs” Power Athlete, https://powerathletehq.com/bndf-for-bamfs/. Accessed 27 Feb 2025.