I’ve seen several carny tricks involving the ability of a person to resist downward force through their outstretched (ground-parallel arm) hand. I never cared enough to get to the bottom of it. Ultimately it’s a weight lifting exercise (with a variable weight). Various factors may prevent you from actually using the right muscles (maximally). Shoulder joint rotation would matter. Consciously or habitually activating supporting shoulder girdle muscles would be very helpful, as would shifting more of your weight to the opposite foot. I agree that it would be cool to know all the possible reasons for someone to perform poorly (given their actual level of strength), especially if each had a simple practical demonstration.
I’ve seen several carny tricks involving the ability of a person to resist downward force through their outstretched (ground-parallel arm) hand. I never cared enough to get to the bottom of it. Ultimately it’s a weight lifting exercise (with a variable weight). Various factors may prevent you from actually using the right muscles (maximally). Shoulder joint rotation would matter. Consciously or habitually activating supporting shoulder girdle muscles would be very helpful, as would shifting more of your weight to the opposite foot. I agree that it would be cool to know all the possible reasons for someone to perform poorly (given their actual level of strength), especially if each had a simple practical demonstration.