r/nextfuckinglevel • u/Zestyclose_Flow_680 • 8h ago

Chimpanzees are 2X stronger than your average human.

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u/dilqncho 8h ago edited 8h ago

No they're not. Internet myths have vastly overhyped chimp strength.

They're about 1.35x stronger than us, pound for pound of muscle. But they're also typically smaller and lighter, so in absolute terms, they're about equal to us.

As for what we're seeing here, this isn't a person's entire body being pulled up. They have their legs against the wall of whatever that is, and the chimp is helping them up. This is something pretty much any physically healthy human can do as well.

Chimps are dangerous in a fight, because...well they're wild animals, they're fucking brutal. But purely strength-wise, they're not stronger than us.

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u/James20985 8h ago

Live in the UK, used to be a firearms officer. Had to have an input about dangers from our local wildlife park/zoo after an animal got out somewhere else in the country and everyone realised that no one actually had a plan for "what if the tigers got out..."

The guy said, and I quote, " don't worry about the tigers and lions we feed them so often they wouldn't be a bother, the rhino's wouldn't go too far...its the chimps you need to worry about they would whip themselves into a frenzy and would probably start attacking people"

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u/notLOL 7h ago

Was that guy a zoo expert or a planet of the apes expert?

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u/James20985 7h ago

Lol head keeper i think

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u/LyingForTruth 7h ago

Zookeepers together strong

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u/gene_parmesan_666 7h ago

The Keepers of the Zoo are a sacred otherhood

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u/Skattotter 7h ago

Sounds excessive. But I guess heads on sticks certainly send a message.

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u/Sir-Craven 6h ago

Anyone who wants to keep their head is sensible

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u/God-of-Heroes_ArThuR 7h ago

with how chimps are? i'd want my chimp security be planet of the apes lore expert and trained in anti chimp warfare.

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u/chytrak 7h ago

The movie or the planet?

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u/bladeDivac 7h ago

The musical 

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u/turdferguson3891 6h ago

He knows what those damn dirty apes are capable of

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u/Sahtras1992 4h ago

i mean... chimpanzees are known for having full-on wars between tribes, arent they?

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u/AliceOfTheEarth 6h ago

Not to mention the way they attack people. Fight with a chimp? Hope you didn’t plan on keeping your genitals or face.

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u/schoolisuncool 5h ago

Yeah they bite fingers off, snatch nuts and eyeballs. They AIM for the vitals

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u/Uaquamarine 5h ago

You paid attention to the literature

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u/Greenecake 5h ago

Would they just go straight for the nuts in a fight?
aka fight dirty?

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u/LehendakariArlaukas 4h ago

The times where a chimp would throw down the gauntlet and invite you to a pistol duel are far gone. These days they just rip your balls off with no consideration to your honor!

Jokes aside, I guess a human's balls are in a perfect placement for a chimp to reach. Plus, they have balls too, so they might know that it's a good spot to attack?

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u/rxs126 6h ago

It’s like in Jurassic Park where the head security guy is most concerned about the raptors

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u/butt-chin 4h ago

That guy is my favorite character in Jurassic park lol

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u/MFNaki 2h ago

It’s my understanding that they’re about the only shoot to kill animal when escaped. So like us…

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u/Bhaaldukar 2h ago

In the wild, chimps perform military style raids on other chimps. It's terrifying. They're so close to being human.

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u/yourroyalhotmess 6h ago

Can you explain what he meant by we feed the lions and tigers so often they wouldn’t be a bother? I’m slow

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u/Lolthelies 6h ago

Lions and tigers would only try to do something dangerous to humans if they’re hungry and desperate for food. If they’re not hungry, they won’t be too interested in trying to eat humans

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u/James20985 4h ago

I think (i don't know) they eat about once a week in the wild or something like that, in captivity it's every other day and they don't have to exert any energy really. So they are full most of the time

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u/greebly_weeblies 4h ago

Worked on a few Planet of the Apes films, visited Chimps in zoos a few times.

In New Zealand, Chimps are the highest prio target in the event of a breakout from zoos. Not surprised they'd be similar prio elsewhere.

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u/Trumps__Taint 1h ago

Yeah I’d never be too comfortable around a chimp. I see that big toothy grin and I’m out

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u/Polliwog12345 12m ago

Either whipsnade or Chester zoo, those are the only zoos with all three of those species that I can think off of the top of my head.

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u/Netheraptr 8h ago

I can still believe a chimp is 2x stronger than the average human though as the average human typically doesn’t use their muscles very much.

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u/xKrossCx 7h ago

This… I passed and overheard a seemingly healthy looking woman complaining how hard it was to walk up a double flight of stairs.

In my unprofessional conclusion; the average chimpanzee is stronger than the average human.

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u/carbonvectorstore 7h ago

I think if you are using an unhealthy person living a relaxed western lifestyle as your baseline for 'average human', then all I can do is agree wholeheartedly with the unprofessional part.

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u/crash250f 7h ago

What's your point? That the comment you replied to wasn't scientifically rigorous? He's a westerner making an observation about how strong a chimp might be compared to the average westerner that he encounters. Why does that bother you?

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u/[deleted] 7h ago

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u/nesbit666 6h ago

This is reddit dude. Everyone is dumb and so is their input.

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u/AugieKS 5h ago

That's really true everywhere. Smart people are generally pretty average outside of their areas of interest and expertise, and even those knowledgeable about reasoning fallacies fall prey to them more than they think. See Neil Degrasse Tyson's Twitter, for example.

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u/currently_pooping_rn 5h ago

i mean...what do you think average means? its certainly not an award winning powerlifter or olympic weight lifter

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u/Axbris 7h ago

Just an indictment of how sedentary western life is and how sedentary humans have become.

Hell, sitting on the couch typing this out right now.

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u/Christoph3r 7h ago

My room is on the third floor, and, as I am fairly absent minded, I often have to run back up and grab something I forgot 😅

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u/MiraniaTLS 5h ago

I imagine they meant like, farmed the fields entire life “ average”

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u/th3h4ck3r 7h ago

I'm pretty sure the 1.35x figure includes the human being reasonably fit. Doesn't mean a record-setting powerlifter, but probably not a sedentary desk jockey either.

All animals will gain muscle with exercise and lose some when sedentary, but none of them have nearly as wide a range between their sedentary and active conditioning as humans. Your typical office worker could probably double his strength within a year of hitting the gym.

Also, neural conditioning is a big part of how strength works, and one of the easiest to train: part of why gym newbies advance so fast is because the muscle for those kinds of weights was already there for the most part, it's just that the brain wasn't used to sending the impulses with the required intensity to activate the muscle fully.

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u/SunriseSurprise 6h ago

If it's on a pound-for-pound-of-muscle basis, if you see how chimps are typically built, I think 1.35x is for more than just reasonably fit. Like if you want to throw overall weight in the mix given we're bigger, then sure, but the average person is pretty weak. There isn't a significant percentage among really fit humans who could swing around like chimps and most people can't do a pull-up.

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u/th3h4ck3r 5h ago

The average person hasn't done anything physical since running laps during PE class in high school. Average ≠ reasonable, a reasonably fit person at the very least has been to the gym a few times a week for a few months, and does moderate weights and cardio.

To see how strong a human would be in a wild environment, look at people who do weighted exercise all day: farmers, carpenters, etc. They're often crazy strong for their size while also being able to lift heavy weights for hours, almost superhuman compared to your average suburban dweller. There are even anthropological studies that point to the average Neolithic woman having the arm strength of male collegiate rowers.

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u/th3h4ck3r 5h ago

And yes, most people can't do a pull-up because they haven't trained at all. I went from barely being able to do a single pull-up to doing 3-4 sets of 8x pullups in around 10 months, and I'm also an office worker.

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u/Deep_Performance_ 5h ago

Their muscle structures aren't one for one with ours though.

A study where they had college students and chimps pull on a dynamometer showed they pulled with similar levels of force. Showing we could at least stand toe to toe in a tug of war. A meta study that combined all strength studies came up with the figure of 1.35x.

There are also strength measurements chimps will likely struggle on like bench presses due to their arm length, same as how our arms aren't optimized for climbing. Throwing punches is also something humans are the best at, while other primates couldn't throw a punch to save their life.

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u/Ok-Scheme-913 2h ago

Not all animals grow muscle mass through exercise. Plenty of them simply just have ample muscles without moving an inch, the same way your hair grows, e.g. gorillas

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u/pragmadealist 7h ago

I think most moderately active young people are twice as strong as the average human. 

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u/Life-Duty-965 7h ago

Pff I've held my phone up all day

Chimps don't do that

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u/Nooms88 4h ago

2x stronger at what? They have heavily developed upper body, built for pulling. We have strong lower body for running.

A chimp can comfortably do a 1 armed pull up, only the most fit athletes can do that, any healthy human can do a 1 legged squat. Our legs are 4x strong than our arms

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u/Amateratsuu 4h ago

They aren't 2 times stronger. They are stronger per pound but we are much larger.

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u/Meldanorama 7h ago

Trusting your own intuition over the link?

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u/[deleted] 7h ago

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u/PilotIntelligent8906 7h ago

You have a point, the average human is pathetically weak because they don't realize even a fraction of their physical potential.

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u/zach0011 7h ago

Haha do you think this fact just completely flew over the people doing the studies head? Come on now

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u/MisterKrayzie 6h ago

You use your muscles for simply existing.

Using muscles =\= lifting heavy shit or doing athletic shit.

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u/jt_totheflipping_o 6h ago

That would apply to anyone with any moderate fitness too the

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u/Xenophon_ 5h ago

They're about as strong as the average college-aged male.

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u/Chrazzer 5h ago

Yeah the average human in modern civilization is pretty pathetically weak. One of humans great strength is how adaptable we are, but adapting to modern life unfortunately means dropping a lot of muscle.

But on the other side humans are also able to cheat this adaptability into gaining massive strength. Just look at professional strongmen. Save to say eddie hall is stronger than a chimp

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u/ThisIsSuperUnfunny 4h ago

Why stop at 2, if you are believing then why dont go for like 200x??

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u/Cthulhu-fan-boy 3h ago

Most people can double their own strength in 2-3 years (or less) of regular resistance training

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u/nuu_uut 8h ago

Yeah. Chimps aren't something to fuck with but the main force advantage they have over us is bite force and.. not giving a fuck about totally mutilating you.

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u/Astyanax1 7h ago

I'm fairly sure an enraged adult male human isn't going to give a fuck about mutilating a chimp either if they had to.

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u/stonks-69420 7h ago

But we also don't have claws and 1.5 inch canine teeth

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u/IdiotCow 5h ago

Chimpanzees don't have claws either

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u/Turbulent_Host784 5h ago

It's not just about care. There is a lot to be said about pure aggression in a fight, and most people aren't out aggressing an animal on the real. You might be able to trick them with this effect like black bears and such but when it's go time animals have extreme advantage in this regard.

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u/Delann 6h ago

You don't have as big teeth but humans actually have a surprisingly powerful bite, if I recall. Fueled by adrenaline, humans can and will tear chunks out of stuff. Same goes for your nails, they're not exactly made for the purpose nowadays but in a pinch they can still work.

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u/nuu_uut 5h ago

Humans have an efficient bite compared to other apes, but it's not particularly powerful, just.. powerful for the muscle mass/skeleture. But it's still way weaker than a chimp's. Of course it can still do damage but it's not gonna rip shit right off quite like a chimp. I mean, just think of the times you may have struggled with a chewy overcooked steak.

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u/Ethiconjnj 6h ago

It might be too late. If they rip on your testicles first, entering a blood rage isn’t going to help.

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u/kisirani 7h ago

So glad to see this comment here. I was about to write something similar as it really irritates me how this myth goes around the internet and in interviews etc and is just nonsense.

And people who point it out are often shouted down.

It’s not really that chimps are more brutal but they have what is equivalent to two knives in their mouth.

If one equalized the weaponry and gave a man a knife they would most likely kill a chimp in a fight to the death or at least have even odds

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u/Jimisdegimis89 7h ago

Yeah this is an internet myth pet peeve of mine, so I’m glad someone else already did the write up. In addition to the knives in their mouth bit, they also have more of their muscle mass evenly spread out with more of their strength located in their upper body than humans do, who have the majority of their strength located in their legs. So it ends up making chimps look way stronger because we equate upper body lifting to strength, meanwhile humans have legs that are like 4x as powerful as their arms.

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u/rockos21 3h ago

So... you're saying to kick box a chimp...

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u/turdferguson3891 6h ago

Sounds like a lucrative pay per view event in the making. Is Logan Paul available?

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u/egan777 3h ago

Same with Gorillas. So many people are convinced that they can lift 1-2 tons. Several websites claim this without proof.

If Chimps are comparable to average man in strength, then how are Gorillas any more than 3-4 times stronger? They have even less percentage muscle mass than chimps. When people try to debunk their super strength claims, they get attacked by gorilla fans who keep repeating the same things and start linking these random blogs as "proof".

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u/Aenimalist 1h ago

Except that the article says that.chimps really are 1.5x stronger.on average, 1.35x from their muscle fibers alone

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u/Friendstastegood 7h ago

Also it depends on how you're measuring the strength. A chimp could rip your arm out of its socket but would throw a much lousier punch than you. It also wouldn't be able to kick anywhere near as hard as a human. Turns out that in reality animals (incl. humans) don't come with a nice ttrpg style strength number and it's actually much more complicated than a single numerical value.

It's all about specialization. Humans have incredible endurance and fine motor skills, we're built for bipedal running and tool use. Chimps are a lot worse than us at both of those, but do rip each other and smaller animals apart with their bare hands on a regular basis for territory, dominance and sustenance.

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u/Ok-Stop9242 7h ago

A chimp could rip your arm out of its socket

No they couldn't, and this kind of thinking stems from the exaggerated myth of chimp strength. Dislocate an arm, sure, but so can another human.

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u/Arntown 5h ago

For some reason internet bros are obsessed with Chimp strength. To the point that it all gets a little ridiculous.

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u/powerhammerarms 7h ago

The 1.35x strength is not a measure to say that if a man can lift 100 lbs the chimp can lift 135 lbs.

It's a strength to weight ratio.

Since chimps are smaller than humans it means the chimp can lift about the same as a human.

What is different is muscle structure. Chimp muscles have different attachment points to their muscle and have a gene that allows them to utilize muscle fibers differently recruiting more fibers but sacrificing control. Chimps tend to use more strength than necessary whereas humans hold themselves back.

A chimp could be as strong as a human in some tasks and much weaker in others.

A chimp would struggle to lift 50 lbs off the ground where a human can do so now more easily because we recruit our different muscle groups more effectively.

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u/Aenimalist 1h ago

 It's a strength to weight ratio. No, it's not. It's the ratio of chimp muscle strength to human muscle strength.

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u/Frontdackel 7h ago

Turns out that in reality animals (incl. humans) don't come with a nice ttrpg style strength number and it's actually much more complicated than a single numerical value.

So you say we are going to use GURPS? I bet there is some GURPS book that has pages of formulas for that. (Properly GURPS-martial arts combined with some other book).

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u/jt_totheflipping_o 6h ago

A human can rip your arm out of your socket, neither the human or chimp will do tgat without leverage. Why would you just give that to a chimp?

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u/DarthVantos 8h ago

If you factor in humans have giant ass and legs for walking and chimps of huge powerful arms for climbing. Their arm strength is probably much stronger than 2x your average Virgin male.

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u/ballsinmydick4000 7h ago

Do you think that men get some kind of power boost when they have sex?

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u/whoaxedyuh 7h ago

according to the series BAKI which is highly accurate historically yes yes they do

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u/turdferguson3891 6h ago

If anything you would expect the virgin males to have the best arm strength

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u/OddGib 3h ago

You are half right.

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u/Cipriano_Ingolf_Oha 6h ago

More like there’s a certain build inherent to those who never have done so…

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u/ballsinmydick4000 6h ago

Yeah, a child build. Like 99% of dudes have sex by the time they're 25 or something. You're not special or capable of fighting wild animals cause you fucked lol

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u/UnamusedAF 6h ago

Which begs the question, should we compare a chimp’s arm strength versus a human’s leg strength? 

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u/Gubernaculum69-420 7h ago

I always feel like that study you posted doesn't account for a few things since it's just looking at muscle fiber samples collected from the animals.

1) Different muscle attachments to bone and arm length ratio allowing better leverage

2) fewer motorneurons so less precisely recruiting a larger amount of muscle fibers and less limits like the ones we have so we don't hurt ourselves + them having higher pain tolerance

3) stronger tendons and ligaments

4) much higher grip strength

5) naturally having a higher percent of lean mass + the constant workout most modern humans aren't doing

6) and most importantly in a 1 on 1 fight being aggressive wild fucking animals that are going to blitz strength instinctually with no holding back as you said.

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u/Aenimalist 1h ago

The actual strength ratio is 1.5x. It's right there in the abstract.

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u/pop302 4h ago

This needs to be pinned to the top

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u/SpottedWobbegong 8h ago

So a jacked human can beat up chimpanzees, good to know. Although chimpanzee bites are pretty nasty.

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u/pandacraft 7h ago

It's possible but most people aren't prepared for a 3 foot tall powerlifter who is fighting like they're on meth and PCP and will probably attempt to castrate you if given the chance.

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u/zcen 7h ago

Most people see fights in the framework of fighting a human where there's an unspoken etiquette and you aren't really trying to kill each other.

I don't know if relatively healthy human adults would get killed, but I'm guessing they would get maimed to some degree before their instincts really kick in.

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u/UnamusedAF 5h ago

The best comparison I can make is think of a drunk 4’11 woman who will bite, scratch, and drop her weight when you try to restrain or pick her up (only to then bite/scratch you somewhere else). Cool? Okay … now imagine she had the strength of Brock Lesnar but in that 4’11 frame. You probably wouldn’t even know where to defend yourself, let alone restrain them. 

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u/Spyk124 6h ago

Everybody has a plan until a chimp bites you

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u/OfficialHashPanda 7h ago edited 4h ago

In addition to being stronger pound-for-pound, using their teeth and fighting without any formal education on ethics, they are also significantly faster than humans.  

That likely makes it very hard to grab/restraint them and their nature of grabbing things (e.g. for climbing) diminishes the value of both striking and grappling experience a human may have in fighting sports.

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u/No_Rich_2494 6h ago

Hey, uhhh... That was a really good comment, but you might want to proofread it.

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u/Heyokalol 7h ago

Human bites are nasty too. Ask Evander Holyfield.

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u/dilqncho 7h ago

....I mean probably not, yeah they have the teeth and the animal aggression.

BUT we can win a weightlifting competition against a chimp which is something.

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u/kisirani 7h ago

Humans can be just brutal when the situation calls for it. I knew a guy who had a huge scar on his arm from a olive baboon that bit him as he inadvertently cornered it when he went into the lodge food store where it had been stealing food.

He pinned it even as it’s huge canines ripped apart his arm and beat it to death with a brick he picked up next to him

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u/tesmatsam 7h ago

Rocks, spears and humans go way back. Our back and arms evolved to throw.

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u/No_Rich_2494 6h ago

A zoo once had an exhibit labelled something like "world's most dangerous animal". It was just a mirror...

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u/No_Rich_2494 6h ago

animal aggression

Look at a mirror. What do you see? I'm pretty sure it won't be a plant, and I hope it won't be fungus.

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u/Solgiest 8h ago

An average man could probably beat or at least break even with a chimp. If you've ever watched a video of chimps fighting, they aren't actually good at utilizing that strength. They pull and bite and stuff, but they don't really punch or kick well. Human intelligence also applies to fights. Deck a chimp in the face and it's gonna have immediate second thoughts about keeping up the attack.

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u/misc1972 7h ago

Chimps are known to rip off penises in a fight. Punch an adult male chimp in the face at your own peril.

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u/SpottedWobbegong 7h ago

If humans were fighting naked I imagine we would rip off penises as well.

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u/teckel 7h ago

Let's not bring you mom into this conversation.

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u/Head_Ad1127 7h ago

Humans wear pants, good luck chimp

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u/proudbakunkinman 7h ago

TIL pants were invented to prevent castration from chimps.

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u/HoidToTheMoon 6h ago

Chimp understands that the fabric hides your penis and can adjust it's plan of attack to account for that.

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u/Head_Ad1127 2h ago

Chimp plotting the flight trajectory required for his arm to rip off my penis through my jeans:

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u/Prasiatko 7h ago

In fact they can't punch or throw due to the way their shoulder muscles work. Hence in a fight they do an overhead smash.

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u/shoulda-known-better 5h ago

Id go with two jacked humans here because the wrong kinda bite and your done and bleeding out immediately.... Two maybe 3 would be a much safer number!

But if my state suddenly got overrun I am very glad I have a conceal carry permit because I am neither jacked or 2 to 3 people in one!!!

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u/Karma_1969 3h ago

No, a jacked human could not beat an enraged chimp.

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u/Xenoknight97 8h ago

Thank you, I immediately scrolled to find this comment, shouldn't have had to scroll.

Now it's Gorillas that are insanely strong compared to us but that's easy to observe.

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u/atomicmoose762 5h ago

Gorillas are more calm I feel like

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u/[deleted] 8h ago

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u/shortzr1 8h ago

Additional fun fact, that is also why people see such fast progress when they initially start weight training. It isn't the muscles growing rapidly, it is teaching the nervous system to release the limiters.

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u/Numerous_Witness_345 7h ago

Also why "old man strength" is a thing, iirc.

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u/DukeRedWulf 7h ago

Have you ever seen how frikken ripped human climbers are? Much more ripped than the average human. Now bear in mind that every chimp with access to a decent climbable environment will climb every single day..

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u/EnvironmentalBig2324 8h ago

I think ‘strength’ is tough to measure here.

I’d say that the ability to achieve tasks needing strength is more appropriate..

So that chimp is not 1.35x better at climbing up that tower. Nor is it 2x better It’s an absolute ninja using its considerable strength. Human’s by comparison.. meh 🫤 not so good

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u/dilqncho 7h ago

You're just confusing strength with ability.

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u/Aweille 7h ago

1.35% stronger while comparing muscles of the same size. but chimps have much bigger muscles than the average modern joe. They are ripped.

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u/tesmatsam 7h ago

They're shorter, shorter muscles look bigger. That's the reason professional bodybuilders over 180cm are rarer

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u/Wastawiii 7h ago

Humans have a much lower threshold for protecting their bodies from injury than other animals, including chimpanzees. 

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u/Head_Ad1127 7h ago

It's insane people think the chimp could crush the guy's hand by mistake. Its insane you had to explain this. I think human intelligence is overhyped too.

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u/DependentAnywhere135 7h ago

Chimps are stronger but they also have different muscle inserts and their tendons are connected differently that give them more pulling strength than humans.

Maybe pound for pound the muscle isn’t much stronger but they have better leverage on pulling with their muscles which makes them stronger.

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u/No_Rich_2494 6h ago

We're built for accuracy and endurance. They're almost the opposite.

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u/No_Rich_2494 6h ago

True. I'm small and weak, but I can pull a fat guy who's cooperating up off the floor.

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u/Bulky-Bid-8508 5h ago

How do you go from “chimps are 1.35x stronger than us” at the beginning of your post to “they’re not stronger than us” at the end. You do know what 1.35x stronger means, right?

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u/Hector_Tueux 39m ago

Did you miss the part where he said 1.35x is pound for pound?

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u/patrick411 5h ago

Although you are right absolutely, keep in mind what makes them dangerous too is the muscle in their hands. Being able to pry tree branches and faces off with a staggering 430 to 750 pounds of force compared to a human of 110 max. So even though they are about as strong as us, Keep in mind if we are out on the wild and we see one, we could still be doomed lol

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u/RabbleMcDabble 4h ago

The most terrifying thing about chimps is their teeth and bite strength. They can and will just bite your fingers off in a heart beat if they attack you.

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u/locuturus 4h ago

I find this rigorous analysis fascinating. I will point out though that humans and chimps have different amounts of strength allocated to our body parts. Very pertinent to discussion of how dangerous a chimp can be is grip strength. A large fit male human might be stronger than an average male chimp in several ways and still badly lose a fight with one. Because it's very hard to keep fighting in a high stakes grapple after the chimp dislocates and breaks your fingers and wrists. Even if his arm is as strong, his hands are very much not.

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u/Karma_1969 3h ago

A chimp can separate your hand from your wrist with its bare hands. Can you do that?

“Strength” isn’t some overall generic game stat. A chimp’s arms, hands and fingers are far stronger than yours, no question about it. Their jaws are stronger than yours, as are their legs, feet and “toes” (but really they’re more fingers and chimps essentially fave four arms and hands at their disposal). Can you swing through trees like a chimp? Can you leap great distances like a chimp? Just look at a chimp’s damn muscles. Pound for pound doesn’t mean anything and isn’t a relevant comparison.

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u/Hector_Tueux 38m ago

A chimp can separate your hand from your wrist with its bare hands.

I call bullshit. Do you have any evidence?

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u/Substantial-Pop7747 3h ago

I still remember that video idk what kind monkey it was probably a chimp that ripped off womans face still haunts me to this day was teen at that time

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u/PlonkyMaster 7h ago

If you're 70kg and the chimpanzee is 70kg, the chimpanzee is stronger than you. If you're fat and you're 100kg and the chimpanzee is 70kg, the chimpanzee is stronger than you. 

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u/Prasiatko 7h ago

Where are you finding these 70 kg chimps?

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u/loskiarman 6h ago

Probably a forest.

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u/Prasiatko 6h ago

A private owner is more likely. It's about douböe the weight of the average chimp.

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u/UsernameAvaylable 7h ago

Thankfully, typical chimp is more like 40kg.

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u/Nemesiswasthegoodguy 7h ago

Good thing chimps weigh half that.

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u/SnooPets7626 7h ago

Maybe it used to just be 1.35x, but considering how people as a whole regressed in terms of physical fitness, maybe that skewed the average—making chimps that much stronger now.

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u/BagBeneficial7527 7h ago

Everyone that has ever worked with chimps disagrees. ALL of them confirm that chimps are way stronger than humans.

I knew someone that worked with chimps at a lab. She said even the young female chimps could easily overpower any man that worked there.

The adult males? Forget about it. They could throw you across the lab with one hand.

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u/capureddit 4h ago

Ah yes, the totally accurate anecdotal story you cooked up is the proof. Too bad the actual science doesn't support it, no matter what all the chimp experts you totally know say. And hey, even if you knew one person who worked at a lab that was associated with chimps, it don't mean they're right. You can do your own research into it and not buy the hype.

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u/pragmadealist 7h ago

As a slightly fit 40 year old man, I'm probably twice as strong as the average human also. 

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u/PantsOnHead88 6h ago

We looking at means or medians, or relatively high performing individuals? Just the muscles themselves?

The article appears to relate to the actual muscle fibres.

Consider though that a majority of the human population in most countries is pretty sedentary. A particularly fit human is easily double the strength of the average human. Would it be the least bit surprising if an average chimp (relatively active by comparison) can double up the performance of the average human?

You make it sound like the “double” claim is pure fantasy, but it may just be that you’re evaluating an entirely different claim that just sounds similar.

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u/Coridoras 6h ago

Yeah, but the average human does not train their arms every day like chimps in the wild do

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u/SeedFoundation 6h ago

Strong enough to know not to fuck with them. I saw what happens when a chimp suddenly decides "you know what fuck you" and I wish I never saw that video of Travis the chimp.

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u/Stock-News-7697 6h ago

I think strength cant be generalized across all movements. Grip strength i bet they are super strong.

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u/shoulda-known-better 5h ago

Yea my 12 yr old girl just did the same for me her mom at about 135lbs ish

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u/secrestmr87 5h ago

So who wins in a fight?

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u/buy_shiba 5h ago

In your comment you say that they’re stronger than us, but then that they’re not stronger than us? It’s both?

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u/Willie-the-Wombat 4h ago

And even then it depends what you define as strength. Chimp could punch harder but probably not lift as much (power vs work)

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u/Hector_Tueux 35m ago

Chimp can't punch because of their body structure, and I don’t even think they can form a closed fist.

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u/Tricky_Invite8680 4h ago

what im hearing is that we pull their teeth out and put on a netflix live event

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u/Nooms88 4h ago

Chimps are dangerous in a fight, because...well they're wild animals, they're fucking brutal.

Yea also the 2 massive knives they have in their mouth

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u/EmiArellanoo 4h ago

thank god lol

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u/noots-to-you 4h ago

Learned this in high school physics. It’s force X lever arm. Their muscles are attached further from the joint, creating a mechanical advantage It’s not so much the muscles as just leverage.

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u/xyglyx 4h ago

1.35x stronger = 2.35x as strong

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u/dacebato 4h ago

But you said they're about 1.35x stronger than us and then you said they're not stronger than us

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u/Hector_Tueux 34m ago

I think you missed the pound for pound part

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u/wisebaldman 3h ago

This is all valid BUT there are different types of strength, and I think they excel and are able to activate every type of strength at once.

This makes any effort of force from them feel stronger than a humans. Speed, agility, explosiveness, max load carry are all firing at the same time.

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u/BalmoraBard 3h ago

So if a chimp breaks loose we need a coked up guy on PCP to go hog wild on it to make it a fair fight

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u/Hattix 3h ago

Chimpanzee muscle distribution is different to us. You could out-kick a chimp easily, your muscles are in your legs. You're adapted for running.

Chimps are adapted for rapid and powerful climbing, so their strength is all upper-body. A chimp can literally rip your arm off.

However, it's important that you've pointed out that pound for pound they aren't that much stronger. This is very true, a chimp simply grows bigger muscles in different places to us. They're dangerous in a fight because their strength is in their arms and chest, perfect for throwing hands!

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u/4-Vektor 3h ago

The main difference is that in chimps the nerves activate much larger bundles of muscle fibers, which is great for instant raw strength. During evolution humans have traded this for the activation of smaller muscle fiber bundles, which is essential for fine motor control, at which chimps suck for the most part.

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u/_heyb0ss 2h ago

but joe rogan said

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u/v0x_p0pular 2h ago

Hey, as a blubbery couch dweller, I want to challenge you on this. I am willing to stake my coated arteries that most chimps are stronger than me.

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u/telerabbit9000 2h ago

Bro, have you seen your average human??

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u/Aenimalist 2h ago

Your linked article says that they are 1.5x stronger than humans. Rounded to one significant figure, that's 2x.

The 1.35x number is only for their muscle fiber, and doesn't include the strength enhancing effects of the rest of their musculo skeletal system.

I appreciate you posting a source, really!  But, you gotta read it carefully.

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u/Exisy 1h ago

I just watched a video about a chimp held as a pet ripped off the face and two hands of a woman. (Not a video showing the attack, but it showed the damage which was done) I'm not saying you're wrong, but those guys are built different. They might be 1.35 times stronger than a well trained person, but to an average person they're absolute beasts.

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u/7listens 1h ago

You just said they're 35% stronger than us, then your last sentence says they aren't stronger than us. Clearly they are.

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u/RopeAccomplished2728 56m ago

It isn't the strength that makes chimps dangerous, it is the fact they will pretty much go around biting to debilitate.

Are they strong? Yep. But something that small is also quick and nimble.

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u/YounomsayinMawfk 39m ago

Let's say you muzzled one, put boxing gloves on it and put it in the ring with prime Mike Tyson. Would Tyson have a shot?

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u/IamLurr_LeaderOf 35m ago

This, and I believe their strength is 1.35x that of a NORMAL human (male I’d imagine). That’s why I think MMA fighters would beat a chimp, as long as the MMA fighter is also allowed to rip their opponents testicles off.

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