In theory- and in theory true of many super heroes with “super strength” etc. However- not necessarily. Superman is an alien- there is a lot of leeway in that fact and in the inconsistent and mailable nature of comics characters. It could be that his people simply have muscles like that, or that certain meme bees of his race, something in his genes or etc.
if we don’t go totally off the rails and explore all the possibilities of alien biology and look to human biology- he could simply have larger muscle fibers or muscles more full of fluid. These are both known in humans. Steroids can increase muscle synthesis and strength- but steroid users lose a lot of size when they stop using. This is because some of size comes from muscle cells actually increasing in size. Normally muscle cells increase in density as we build muscle, when on steroids density increases occurs but also size. Fluid volume also makes up part of size of muscles, again the accumulation of fluid in the tissue…
… tends to increase when a person uses certain anabolic steroids and contributes some to visual size. I’m not saying Superman is on steroids, it seems out of character to say the least, although technically it would be one possible explanation lol. Even just sitting around doing nothing, a person can add muscle mass through use of steroids as indicated by studies- though not likely to the size of Superman! The point is that his biology may be such that his muscles have larger cells or retain more fluid making them appear much larger. It is also possible that using our “steroid” analogy- under the influence of our Sun his body reacts analogous to how a human body reacts to steroids- that his muscle size is an effect of physiological changes undergone when exposed to a star like our sun.
We also can’t completely say he never exerts himself- he does perform tasks and fight villains which do sometimes challenge his strength, and it may take less stimulus to get a response from his biology than ours. Simply put- Kryptonians, or at least those under influence of certain stars etc, may need less exercise to get swole and maintain that. Given that on their own planet they generally aren’t shown to exhibit super powers and are similar to us in their physical capabilities, the changes to Superman’s biology to make him “bullet proof” and allow his eyes to generate and withstand the heat of laser vision, to allow his respiratory tract to endure freezing breath and so forth… being super buff is probably the least stretch of realism as far as his powers are concerned.
One final note- muscle size is not exactly proportional to strength. The training used to reach maximum size of a muscle naturally and most efficiently is very different than the training used to most efficiently maximize strength. The “V shaped hunk” with big arms and popping muscles is often weaker than a manual laborer or strength trained athlete with a far less impressive physique. Increasing strength generally requires you to lift things you find extremely heavy, but you don’t lift them many times per work out. Increasing size usually entails lifting weights that are much lighter for you, but lifting them 2-4x more religions per work out. As an example, a strength training might lift a 100lb weight 5 times for a “set” while to build size a person might lift a 50lb weight 10 times. Both lifted a total of 500lbs but the results are different. Seem odd? Say a house has 10,000 bricks in it….
… you can probably lift a brick right? But… no matter how many times you lift a single brick, lift it 10,000 times a day for years- you won’t be able to lift the house in one go. You may not even be able to lift 100 bricks at once. That’s just how it works. So on that subject- there is fast Twitch and slow Twitch muscle among other types of fibers. Look at someone like an endurance runner, then look at a sprinter. The endurance runner will likely be very lean looking, like beef jerky. The sprinter will be comparatively bulky- especially places like the calves. Fast Twitch muscle fiber tends to be larger in size and is generally for performing work in short but powerful or quick bursts. Slow Twitch fiber tends to be less bulky looking and is suited for prolonged and even work. This is why you won’t get “buff” just from walking or why just doing isometrics won’t make you very bulky. So Superman can sprint to build mass too etc. not just lift.
and that is why this silly white guy can hit a 75 ft stand still jump shot. I only did it once in a close game cuz my HS teammate was guarding me so I knew he knew how to full court press... the rest of the times it was either a total blowout or before the game began just to make them fear me.
nah, i haven't been high in like 5 months with two exceptions, smokin w/ my bff. Last time he was here i didn't even take a hit of the blunt. I would like to grow more, but i'm about to take so many vacations and all of them either have legal weed or I know someone who can get me some
@inspectora- thank you, and I don’t take offense from @memesgobrr, to me it just comes off as playful or having a little fun.
@funkmasterrex- the battle you can win without fighting- wise my friend. Enjoy your vacations.
and I have the ability to tell stories long enough eventually someone will just roll something and tell me to stfu, which is funny, cuz when i'm stoned i'm worse. So i get stoned for free, have a good time, then go take a nap.
if we don’t go totally off the rails and explore all the possibilities of alien biology and look to human biology- he could simply have larger muscle fibers or muscles more full of fluid. These are both known in humans. Steroids can increase muscle synthesis and strength- but steroid users lose a lot of size when they stop using. This is because some of size comes from muscle cells actually increasing in size. Normally muscle cells increase in density as we build muscle, when on steroids density increases occurs but also size. Fluid volume also makes up part of size of muscles, again the accumulation of fluid in the tissue…
@funkmasterrex- the battle you can win without fighting- wise my friend. Enjoy your vacations.