Muscular differences Chimps vs Human

[Mithra]

I've always wondered how other primates seem to be so much stronger yet they are so much smaller(for the most part)

It's a lot easier to get a chimp in roller skates than it is to get him to pump iron--hence, most of the data on chimp strength is anecdotal and decidedly unscientific. In tests at the Bronx Zoo in 1924, a dynamometer--a scale that measures the mechanical force of a pull on a spring--was erected in the monkey house. A 165-pound male chimpanzee named "Boma" registered a pull of 847 pounds, using only his right hand (although he did have his feet braced against the wall, being somewhat hip, in his simian way, to the principles of leverage). A 165-pound man, by comparison, could manage a one-handed pull of about 210 pounds. Even more frightening, a female chimp, weighing a mere 135 pounds and going by the name of Suzette, checked in with a one-handed pull of 1,260 pounds. (She was in a fit of passion at the time; one shudders to think what her boyfriend must have looked like next morning.) In dead lifts, chimps have been known to manage weights of 600 pounds without even breaking into a sweat. A male gorilla could probably heft an 1,800-pound weight and not think twice about it.

I know the numbers are up for debate but it seems to be a consensus opinion amongst the experts that a 130lb chimp can easily overwhelm a larger human.

Is there a difference in the muscular tissue that causes the smaller chimpanzees to be stronger than humans who are usually much larger?

 

[sway_dizzle]

smaller brains equal more focus?

 

[Ascendant]

My guess? Leverages and fast twitch muscle fibers. Plus testosterone.

 

[blakethemus]

Personally I'd look up a primate website rather then post on an SnP board. But one of the reason is their muscles are anchored to their bones different then us. Stronger tendons and connecting tissue.
I think I learnt about this stuff in yr 12 bio, but i've managed to wipe most of that information with drugs/booze.

 

[Ascendant]

Great question, though. I've always been fascinated by silver back gorillas. Beastly SOB's.

 

[bluethree]

It's mostly bone structure and leverage. For example, if you compare the human elbow to a primate elbow, you would notice difference in the olecranon process (the part of the elbow that extends) right away.

Primates that are land based will have a longer olecranon, which allows muscles to be attached further away from the joint, which in turn allows greater leverage and pulling power. On the other hand, primates that are more oriented to trees like gibbons, will not have a olecranon, letting them swing and have a greater range of motion.

Now, how does this relate to strength? Have you heard of people getting "better leverage" on their lifts when the muscles increase in size? Now image a primate that was made to pull and swing, where pretty much every major bone structure is specialized in some way just like the elbows are (all the way from the hands to the scapula to the length of the torso to the length of the limbs). That's where a lot of the power comes from.

 

[MysticNinjaJay]

I'm telling you man. Them apes got strength.......



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[Mithra]

Thanks for the quick replies, interesting info on leverage.

 

[magicman531]

Well I could outswim them, so...

 

[lukinakai]

The answer is obvious...

... they've been following Matt Furey's Primate Strength Program since birth!

From chump to chimp!

 

[chia]

The truth is, almost any wild animal is pound for pound stronger than humans, because the strongest survive!

 

[Mumrik]

Now, how does this relate to strength? Have you heard of people getting "better leverage" on their lifts when the muscles increase in size? Now image a primate that was made to pull and swing, where pretty much every major bone structure is specialized in some way just like the elbows are (all the way from the hands to the scapula to the length of the torso to the length of the limbs). That's where a lot of the power comes from.

Does this mean that they are weaker at pushing? It seems to make sense.

 

[takeahnase]

Here is how to get strong as a primate:

Matt Furey - Primate Power Gorilla Strength

Some nice anecdotes though.

 

[Brad Morris]

Its fascinating when you think about how strong animals are, especially ones we are very similar to make even the very elite strength athletes look weak in comparison. I have wondered previously (I have no scientific data to back my theory) how much of a role motor unit recruitment plays in the strength of an animal.

On a related topic, examples of amazing strength feats by people who are mentally ill or developmentally delayed or even those in a crisis situation are not uncommon. Motor unit recruitment is something that we all practice and try to improve on. Learning to focus and stimulate as many motor units within the muscles as possible. But if the data was available I wonder who would be recruiting more motor units an elite athlete during a heavy lift or an enraged mentally ill person? I pose that question with no disrespect or malice intended.

I was wondering, if our focus is singular or simple, does it allow for a greater level of muscle fibre recruitment? How do the mentally ill or developmentally delayed obtain so much strength when they are enraged? I have seen first hand what a small untrained person who is mentally ill can do when they are enraged.

Now back to Animals, they are not without intellect but research suggests their brains are not as developed as ours are. Their focus is on the here and now, how do they perform such remarkable feats of strength? Is it because their focus is simple and singular? I know previous posters mentioned leverage and I think that is part of the answer but I don't think its the whole answer..... food for thought however.

 

[chriskiss]

The leverage people are correct. The individual that mentioned stronger tendons etc. is also correct as this would be necessary to counteract the stress that a longer moment arm would cause.

As for the "retard strength" observation, that has been shown to be false. There is no strength gain from a mentally ill individual. However, the other circumstance that you mentioned: mental distress, has been documented.

When you get into that state of panic, your body basically prepares for war. I would hypothesize that it's the reason behind mentally unstable patients showing tremendous strength because they mentally get into this state very quickly and often for no apparent reason.

I urge you all to check out Human Body: Pushing the Limits. It was a series on Discovery that documents the often untapped survival mechanisms that we've evolved. There is an episode on strength among other things. You will be amazed at our inherent abilities.

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sb-SZXtGbb0&feature=related
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sb-SZXtGbb0&feature=related
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJ5nd4ueVMU&feature=related
Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0xmCFYK9wc&feature=related

I would even go as far as to say that we see this reaction inside the cage. It's not hard to theorize that MMA or any other athletic sport can produce situations in which extraordinary feats of strength and skill are demonstrated. Enjoy the vid (it's free on Discovery's website too but you have to download their player and I thought this would be easier). Check out the other videos too.

 

[dfoster]

Interesting topic. I looked through Pavel's (don't know how well received he is here) book at the store and he keeps stressing that your nervous system plays a big role in how strong you are despite your muscle mass (along with all the Russian mystique hocus pocus ) So if a person is retarded his nervous system could be very different from ours or "short-circuited" in some way that makes recruitment more efficient.

About muscle mass in animals versus humans, there is also a gene responsible for inhibiting muscle growth. If that gene is defective, you'll get insane natural muscle mass like the Belgium cows or that buff British boy. So the body is quite capable of making natural muscles, there must be some survival value to limiting their growth and may be in animals such as chimpanzees, the natural muscle growth limit is higher than in humans. In that video, the chimp is only 4' but weighs 180lbs, if you're human and not obese, you must have and insane amount of muscle to be 180 at 4'.

Somebody also mentioned survival value for physical strength being much higher than animals in humans. So only the strongest animals survive to pass along the genetic make up for it. Whereas in humans, physical strength is only one of the factors along with intelligence and emotional fitness. And the more human society progresses in technology and overall complexity, physical strength will become less prevalent as a survival value. So basically, we'll become wimps. You'll see pencil neck financial genoues getting all the girls and passing along their geneses more successfully despite only being able to bench 10lb. Or emotionally tough people who don't break down, adapt, learn and out compete others in a very tough future job market. So we're a dying breed.

 

[chriskiss]

Ugh, my post wouldn't appear and I remade it. Now, I see that it did appear...

 

[DPS831]

even chimps have nothin on these guys

 

[chriskiss]

That's a completely different topic because the weight to strength ratios are caused by different factors. While I don't pretend to understand the musculature of an ant compared to a monkey, it is well known that smaller creatures have a higher potential for better weight to strength ratios. For instance a large weight lifter may have a large total strength but it is physically impossible for them to achieve the same weight to strength ratio that a smaller person would if you're talking about absolute potential.

It has everything to do with the maximum efficiency of the musculature. We're all constructed with the same tools. But when you're talking about gross differences in creatures, you're comparing apples to oranges, which isn't fair.

If you take a primeate and a human of equal weight. Even the most fit human male will not be able to out muscle the monkey. Additionally, I've read that a 5 year old chimp, regardless of gender, is stronger than any human.

Edit: removed picture as there was no use in having it twice in a row.

 

[Sage]

LOL that Chimp was also using his leg hands to hold on to the corners. Chimp for the win.