: Why is it easierto lift people who stiffen as opposed to people who relax?

Question

On a same mass basis, people who “struggle” or “stiffen” are oddly much easier to lift or carry than people who “relax” or “let go”, and i cannot understand why.

In: Biology

Answer 1

Simply put, in order to lift and carry a rigid object you just need to engage your “lift” muscles (your leg muscles, back, and arm muscles). Whereas a “soft” or “noodle-like” object also requires effort to grip it, you’d need to grip it with your fingers or squeeze it against your body in order to keep a hold on it. So that’s extra effort.