how are chimps able to exert more force than us, humans, considering they are smaller in stature and weigh less?
In: 25
A few reasons, mostly to do with leverage from muscle insertion points and differences in muscle fiber types.
It’s important to note that the classic ‘7x stronger’ figure is grossly exaggerated and is basically a wives tale. Chimps are very small, the average chimp is stronger pound for pound than the average human – but it’s not as dramatic as people think and it also depends entirely on the muscle group in question.
This study below pins it at 1.35x stronger than humans on average.
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5514706/#:~:text=Our%20results%20show%20that%20chimpanzee,force%20or%20maximum%20shortening%20velocities](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5514706/#:~:text=Our%20results%20show%20that%20chimpanzee,force%20or%20maximum%20shortening%20velocities).
Additional things to note:
The average human today is not representative of what the average human living as humans would have when we evolved. The average chimp is in a lot better physical condition than the average human, would be more fair to compare an average chimp to a guy who does a lot of rock-climbing and endurance running. An athlete.
Humans can pretty easily double their strength with some training, the average athlete is significantly stronger than the average person.
Chimps exert 1.35x power by cross-section muscle area, but humans are 1.5x larger than chimps on average. They are stronger pound for pound, but we have more pounds.
Disclaimer: I do not suggest fighting a chimp, they’re wild animals with zero regard for your wellbeing and they have enormous fangs. They have no angel on their shoulder telling them not to literally eat your face – and that’s why they’re so dangerous.
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