For a graduation project at the Stockholm Academy of the Dramatic Arts, student Nathan Grossman enlisted 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Robert Förstemann to see whether he could generate enough power to toast bread in a 700-watt toaster.

The energy is transferred using a bicycle dynamo that acts as a generator. That dynamo has a wheel that touches the back tire, and as the stationary bike moves, the wheel turns a magnet inside a coil. The energy is then transferred to the toaster.

Before the Olympic track cyclist began, the crew was told that as soon as Förstemann stopped peddling the toast would pop up. Förstemann mounted the bike and peddled faster and faster, steadily gaining resistance as time passed. His pants grew coarser and his face looked agitated.

Then he stopped and the toast sprang out.

He was able to make the toast, but only after peddling as hard as he could. Förstemann needed to lie down after he finished, grunting as he did.

“My legs hurt,” Förstemann says in the video. He is referring to his 29-inch quads.

Ultimately, though, he wasn’t able to generate all that much energy. He only managed to generate 0,021kWh. It took one Robert to toast the bread. According to the results, it would take 180 Roberts to power a car and 43,000 Roberts to power an airplane. These are numbers that might make those of us who aren’t in Olympic shape wallow in shame.

Even Förstemann was surprised with how hard it would be: “Nobody can believe how much work to toast it. I know it now. It’s crazy.”