Here at Fantasy Brawls, we talk a lot about gorillas. In fact, I specifically chose a gorilla as my site's mascot because of how awesome, smart, and powerful they are. My love of gorillas really does run deep—so much so, in fact, that I often compare myself to them when I'm hitting the weights.
For the benefit of those who don't lift weights often, us protein addicts often gauge how strong we are by the big three lifts: deadlifts, bench press, and squats. The latter of which I can't do as heavily due to knee issues, but I go absolutely crazy on the other two. I'll reveal my stats a little later on in the article, but what we're all here for is how much a silverback gorilla can lift. So, without further ado, let's get into the muscular power of my favorite ape.
While gorillas do not spend any time in the gym, we can estimate that they are approximately 4 to 10 times as strong as a human. With the average deadlift being around 155 pounds, this means a gorilla can lift anywhere from 620 to 1,550 pounds doing that specific movement. A gorilla's best lift can hit totals between 2,000 and 4,000 pounds! To further illustrate the obscene lifting power of Fantasy Brawl's mascot, let's examine how much these beasts can handle in various lifts, starting with the back-crunching deadlift.
As stated earlier, the average person can deadlift around 155 pounds. I can personally hit 405 for a single rep on a good day. This is actually my best lift and gives me a huge serotonin rush whenever I finish a set. But my confidence would absolutely tank if I were working out with a gorilla.
Gorillas can deadlift between 1,800 and 2,400 pounds! For context, the most humans have been able to hit in this lift is 1,110 pounds. Impressive, but an untrained teenage gorilla probably warms up with this. With those massive arms and its huge back, it makes sense that its deadlifts would be enormous. But what about those relatively tiny legs? How much can they enable a gorilla to squat?
Though their legs are not nearly as aesthetically pleasing as their arms, the gorilla's lower body possesses a good amount of strength. If someone were to teach a gorilla how to squat, I theorize that they could hit anywhere between 400 and 600 pounds with ease. I based these figures on research suggesting the arms of a gorilla are 4 to 6 times as strong as their legs.
This is largely due to how the gorilla moves around. It's a knuckle-walker and uses its arms for climbing, commuting, and smashing opponents. The legs, while still pretty strong, aren't used as much, making them less powerful. For this reason, if you're ever given the choice, it's better to be kicked by a gorilla than punched by one. Now, speaking of those hulking arms, let's put one on the bench and see how much it can press.
A gorilla can bench press between 900 and 1,680 pounds. I came to these figures using the relationship humans have between their max deadlift and bench press. Most humans can bench press between 50% and 70% of their max on deadlifts. We've assumed the same applies to gorillas here, as scientists have yet to place these creatures in a Planet Fitness for observation.
The 50% to 70% range is somewhat accurate, as I'm at 335 pounds on the bench and a 405-pound deadlift. This puts me at about 83%, but I have relatively short arms compared to other lifters my weight, which gives me an advantage on the bench and a disadvantage on deadlifts.
The gorilla's best lift, like mine, is the deadlift. It's an exercise that focuses heavily on its strongest body parts: its arms and back. There is some involvement with the lower body, but the bulk of the movement is accomplished by the upper body. Its squat is respectable, especially by human standards, but pales in comparison to the other big three lifts. So, me and my favorite ape have a lot more in common than I thought.
I love gorillas, and if you do too, you're in the right place. My site is jam-packed with all sorts of hypothetical battles involving chimps, gorillas, and other awesome creatures. Check out my battle simulation of the Gorilla vs Orangutan or the Chimp vs Gorilla matchup.
Posted by: Matt Irving on 11/18/2024
