![Most Weight We Can Lift](https://www.popsci.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/07/ZJ2QKIBPEYDLTBFCX5AAP46GCA.jpg?quality=85&w=525)
![Most Weight We Can Lift](https://www.popsci.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/07/ZJ2QKIBPEYDLTBFCX5AAP46GCA.jpg?quality=85&w=525)
We humans are programmed to grow stronger, faster, and smarter; to climb higher, live longer, and populate every last inch of real estate. We’ve toppled scores of world records over the past few decades, but how much more progress can we make? No matter how we enhance our natural capabilities, our potential is bound by certain scientific principles—laws of physics, biomechanics, and thermodynamics—that don’t yield to human ambition. We asked scientists to define where, exactly, those boundaries lie, and to provide some take-home tips that’ll help you stretch your own potential.
View the gallery here.
_This article originally appeared in the September 2014 issue of _Popular Science.
![weight illustration](https://www.popsci.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/07/QYS7XK2EZVYF3LFDUZUBXEFE2Q.jpg?strip=all&quality=85)
![run speed](https://www.popsci.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/07/PVDHTKYIO5PEGWY32CRL6GYIOE.jpg?strip=all&quality=85)
![Hardest We Can Punch](https://www.popsci.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/07/X52F6ZSYRA53RTKEB55MMLQ7UY.jpg?strip=all&quality=85)
![Tallest We Can Grow](https://www.popsci.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/07/ECGJ7BRI4CIEMKWCFQQMMPY65M.jpg?strip=all&quality=85)
![Keenest Our Ears Can Hear](https://www.popsci.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/07/74B5RYU4AFU3VVE4E6EF2WOBTE.jpg?strip=all&quality=85)
![Most We Can Remember](https://www.popsci.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/07/EJHANMDDJKUZIMXOHGD2MF4L44.jpg?strip=all&quality=85)
![Smartest We Can Get](https://www.popsci.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/07/5RXYJL3MXTWDEKYXNGMDBBSQDQ.jpg?strip=all&quality=85)
![Most Colors Our Eyes Can See](https://www.popsci.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/07/CYGDPPT363PYOXFW6LKHRS7YVU.jpg?strip=all&quality=85)
![Most Friends We Can Have](https://www.popsci.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/07/6YWE4YAVYF2WBQAKRP72AD7PI4.jpg?strip=all&quality=85)
![Longest We Can Go Without Food](https://www.popsci.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/07/WPRRWVBZKSQKAGTXT3AC7EQMDY.jpg?strip=all&quality=85)
![Deepest We Can Dive](https://www.popsci.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/07/IDPNAGNLDYBGLVG6HWRMLEMVY4.jpg?strip=all&quality=85)
![Highest We Can Climb Without Extra Oxygen](https://www.popsci.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/07/NMG3HQGBN4SB374XYJ5LYRD4JY.jpg?strip=all&quality=85)
![Longest We Can Go Without Sleep](https://www.popsci.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/07/CEH7GFKTIFWRZ77BDEIWJO7Q7A.jpg?strip=all&quality=85)
![Oldest We Can Live](https://www.popsci.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/07/KF7HBYQBIVHF3VMPKSYRHEXMIE.jpg?strip=all&quality=85)