A Simple Trick

There is a simple trick to opening heavy doors but 90% of people are too...uninterested to figure it out. While the great majority of men and women rely on arm strength alone, a few realize that applying body weight will yield many times as much force. Few things are as funny and disconcerting as seeing a person--say, a man--walk up to, say, a bank door and stand upright before it, relying on his biceps to do the job; his face quickly dropping as the door refuses to open more than 16 inches; then powering thru the last 6 inches or so to squeeze thru the door as it hits him on the elbow. Pathetic, you may think. Especially when you consider that even a small woman has many times more strength than that, hidden away in her small body.

The trick, when you spot a door that looks like it might be heavy, is to stop slightly more than an arm’s length away. Plant yourself there and lean for the handle. Get a firm grip on it and lean back as you pull. The motion may slightly resemble the one used in rowing. Remember that if you clear the 45 degree angle then the door will swing fully open for you, so the arm pull should be an energetic jerk (as opposed to a slow and steady pull) aimed at clearing the 45 degree angle. Use this method and doors will fly open before you. If you have overestimated the weight of the door, you and others may be surprised at your strength!