Human efficiency

In physics lessons, we learnt about force, work, power and efficiency. These were terms that seemed rather dry at the time, written in chalk on the blackboard. Many of us learnt the formulas for the exam and then forgot them again afterwards. Yet these terms and formulas perhaps hold more insights into life than we realised back then.

After all, physics doesn’t just describe mechanics and machines. It also describes us humans.

Sometimes I think about it when I walk to the bus and train station early in the morning and see how tired many people have become. Not just physically tired. But exhausted in a deeper way. As if energy were constantly being lost without any real movement resulting from it. The day often begins with inner tension. The smartphone is already waiting. The thoughts are awake faster than the body. And in the evening, there is often the feeling of having been busy all day without really having accomplished anything significant.

Poor efficiency: Why we lose energy in everyday life

Physics has a simple term for it: efficiency. Poor efficiency.
It describes the ratio between the energy used and the energy that actually becomes effective. No system operates without losses. A part is always lost. Through friction. Through resistances. Through heat. With machines, it can be calculated. In humans, it can be felt. Stress is such an energy drain. Poor sleep as well. Permanent availability. Lack of exercise. A nervous system that never really comes to rest anymore. Many people today live like cars with the handbrake on. The engine runs continuously, but a significant portion of the energy dissipates along the way.

Maybe that explains why so many people feel exhausted and restless at the same time.

Strength training and energy: Much more than just fitness and self-optimization

And perhaps it also explains why strength training is much more than what it is often considered today. Not fitness. Not self-optimization. But maintenance, upkeep, or service. In physics class, we also learned: Force is mass times acceleration. Force, in turn, which acts over a distance, results in work. And work that is done in a certain amount of time results in performance. Back then, they were formulas. Today, I see it almost as a description of human existence.

For those who no longer have strength, they can eventually no longer work. Not just in a professional sense. But overall. For the family. For responsibility. For challenges. For life itself.

Increase resilience: The ability of humans to remain effective

Strength training does not simply increase muscle mass. It increases a person's ability to remain effective.

A strong body works more efficiently. Movements become more stable and secure. Joints and spine are relieved. The body requires less energy for many strains. People with strength tire more slowly. They remain independent, resilient, and capable for longer. I particularly like this word. Load-bearing capacity. Because it is precisely this that seems to be slowly fading away for many people. The modern person constantly tries to produce performance while the foundation for it is simultaneously dwindling. The muscles are deteriorating. Recovery is getting worse. The inner tension is increasing. And at some point, even small stresses are enough to trigger great exhaustion.

Maybe we should have taken exactly that from physics class: that energy alone is not enough. What matters is how much of it actually becomes effective. And that strength is not just something for athletes, but a prerequisite for being able to carry life without breaking under its weight.