How Much Can Superman Lift? Compared to Real-life Records

Superman is the first true hero and is considered one of the most powerful superheroes in the DC universe. He is the last son of Krypton, a dying planet and he came to be a beacon of hope on Earth. Over the years he became Earth’s protector, there is no one who doesn’t know who Superman is. He is a founding member of the Justice League, but can we really judge his character before we know how much Superman lifts?

Superman can lift around two billion tons! That sounds crazy, but Superman is not human, and that advantage allows him to lift that much. He is the strongest superhero in the so-called Class-100 strength category, meaning he can lift well over 100 tons with no difficulty. There are many instances where in comics that prove Superman’s insane strength.

There are exercises and diets named after Superman. He has the strength to shatter a small planet, his punches can even destroy the boundaries of space and time. Did you know that Superman had to hold his punch while battling Black Adam or he would have split the Moon in half? In this article, we will explore just how limitless Superman’s strength is and how we as humans compare to his strength.

How Much Can Superman Lift?

Some say Superman is as strong as the story needs him to be, but that just sounds like the easy answer. So, we know Superman’s strength comes from our Sun, to be more precise he doesn’t possess superhuman levels unless his dense cellular structure isn’t charged with yellow solar energy. Without charging, his physical capabilities are identical to an ordinary human of his stature.

Another factor we have to account for is Earth’s gravity. Earth’s gravity is much weaker than gravity on Krypton, and the difference in gravity allows Superman to lift objects that measure in tons. But, there is a downside- different periods and intensities of exposure to Earth’s solar radiation can result in his strength fluctuating over time, but because he grew up on Earth, he managed to absorb big amounts of reserves.

Okay, let’s get down to numbers. As I said Superman is so strong he can shatter the boundaries of space and time, even including separate timelines. But, that is a little too abstract. In the All-Star Superman comic, he was able to lift with one hand 200 quintillion tons and he managed to bench press the weight of the Earth for 5 days straight and he only dropped a sweat. The Earth weights exactly 5,972×1024 kg, so Superman’s strength is almost limitless. Once in the comics, he threw a neutron star to another galaxy. A neutron star wights 1.4 Earths suns, crazy!

Not to mention in the comics, he lifts cars, buildings, and even the pyramids of Giza with ease. In one storyline, he lifted the Empire state building, which weighs 365,000 tons. Now, we see Superman’s strength can only be challenged by lifting universes, and literally everything all at once. He is truly the prototype of the original superhero and Earth’s protector.

Let’s Compare His Strength to Real Life Records

So, Superman’s strength is pretty close to limitless. And the only way we can compare his results to real-life human records is that he losses all his reserves of solar power and access to it and becomes a normal human. For example, did you know that there is an exercise called the Superman hold that looks easy but is so hard if done properly? You lay on your belly and stretch your arms and legs perfectly straight in the air. This exercise hits your legs, core, and chest, and plus you look like Superman flying doing it.

Also, there is a part of being strong that is always overlooked and that is if you are super strong, you will be super hungry. There is a diet called, the Superman diet that revolves around bulky, frequent eating and insane amounts of protein consumption and people say it is very hard to maintain it. From this, we can see that the term Superman, is not only used to describe someone who is strong, but also someone who is persistent and doesn’t give up.

Superman can lift at least two billion tons, which to be honest sounds like a number someone just made up, but there is a storyline where he lifts even more. Now, let’s compare Superman’s insane numbers to records of real-life super-strong people, the real superheroes on Earth. We will highlight some amazing records achieved without super dense cellular structure or the cheat-code gravity.

To put the number in perspective easier, remember that a polar bear weighs about 500 kg. Back in 2016, Eddie Hall managed to do a deadlift with 500 kg and that lift secured him a world record. Plus, he can tell everybody he can lift a polar bear. Also, in 2016 Hafpor Bjornsson, whose nickname is Thor and he played the Mountain on Game of Thrones, managed to set a world record 2016, by throwing a weight of 25.4 kg over a 5.9m bar. And this year’s Strongman winner Tom Stoltman successfully did a deadlift with 430 kg! One of the main things superheroes do is punch and evade punches.

Francis Ngannou holds the record for the strongest punch on planet Earth. His punch is equal to 96 horsepower, this is like being hit by a Ford Escort as fast as the car can go. His punch is stronger that a kick from overhead with a 6 kg sledgehammer with full swing force. All of this is records are nothing to Superman, he can do them in his sleep, but in the end, he is not human and has a different physiology, but still, all of these records are incredible and surreal achievements for humankind.