What are the imits of human size and athleticism?

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1) The first of these is the type of event. In sprint events - where physiological factors are the main determinant of performance - it’s possible we’ll one day reach a ceiling of human performance.

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2) The answer also involves technology and the limits that are placed on technological advancements. In sports that rely heavily on technology – such as swimming and cycling - a ceiling might not be reached if limits are not placed on the magnitude of performance enhancement that new technology can bring.

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3) A third variable involves doping and other illegal performance-enhancing practices. The success of the fight against doping depends on scientists' ability to come up with tests to detect doping.

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4) Finally there are athletes, such as Usain Bolt, who have a physique and running technique we have never seen before, and all of the ceilings that we put on normal physical ability are simply thrown out the window.

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It will be played by self-aware robots.

Also, the limits of human size for coaches is already being tested by Bert.

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That guy is FATTTTT. 

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And saban.is the other extreme. That guy is SMALLLLL

Thirty years ago coaches would have never envisioned a 6'3 320 pound human being playing football with the athleticism that we see today. I think it's foolish to say we've reached capacity. Nutrition and exercise science will only continue to progress. Further, we are growing taller with each generation.

Just look at some of the freak athletes in the NBA. Could Lebron James play in the NFL? Could a 6'9 guy that weighs 275 pounds, is strong, is fast, is agile - could that guy be a defensive end?

Would people from the 1960s have ever thought a 6'5 250 person would be a quarterback?

I can see speed being limited. Maybe overall strength. But height and weight can be controlled and developed through nutrition and exercise.

It won't surprise me at all if in 50 years, I'm an old man watching 6'11 290 pound tight ends catch passes as they sprint down the field.

There is a limit to how big/fast/quick/strong someone can be. Muscle strength is governed by the cross section of a muscle. Essentially the surface area of a circle (pi*r^2). But to increase this you must gain muscle volume. Volume of a sphere is pi*r^3.

This is simplified of course but to square the surface area (strength) you must cube the volume (muscle mass). This means that the bigger muscles get the less efficient they are in strength to weight ratio. And stronger muscles need bigger, stronger bones to support the load of forces. Which makes the person heavier.

(This is why ants can lift 50x their body weight with spindly little legs and tiny muscles. They have extremely efficient muscles)

And the ability to accelerate is governed by inertia. The more mass, the more inertia. You need bigger muscles to give more leverage to accelerate but at some point those muscles start having diminishing returns and just slow you down.

Exactly! All the rich athletes leave practice and go home and ride hover boards around their houses, while most normal people don't even want to put down their phone and get off the couch. The plus side though is that while our bodies physically regress over the coming generations without the need for it, mentally we will continue to evolve.