OOTS #1246 - The Discussion Thread

[Liquor Box]

When I google it, that's certainly the impression I get from info about elephant's backs being injured by howdahs and sometimes even by bareback riding.

When I googled it I found a site which said they could lift 14000 pounds, but I'm not sure how credible that was so I didn't mention it.
https://a-z-animals.com/blog/the-10-...ngest%20mammal.

I suppose the amount Elephants can carry aren't the subject of rigorous scientific investigation. Perhaps because it would be mean to the Elephant.

I was basing it on knowing that war elephants used to carry armour, a small tower and several people while running around in battle - which I would have guessed weights a couple of thousand pounds. Like this:

If taking five steps carrying less than 1500 pounds, is portrayed as a spectacular, once in 1000 years achievement - then surely taking any steps carrying 6000 pounds, which is more than 4 times as much, would be out of the question?

Maybe. Or maybe the Greatest Viking event is not of the same scale of lifting the most weight of any human.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=...AAAAAdAAAAABAT

I was with you until here. Lifting weight and moving with weight are two very different things.

Yes. Lifting the weight like that involves distributing the load as much as possible, with the stresses carefully balanced and the force kept centered and vertical, aligned with the spine. It's done slowly to minimize the force -- no bouncing! Even trying to lift one foot would increase the load on the other side, and would create a horizontal force component on the spine. It's a recipe for disk herniation at best.

Maybe you guys are right. When I am at the gym and I lift the most weight I can (slightly less than these guys), I can still move around. But maybe when you hone your technique to lifting the maximum possible there's so much strain that you simply cannot move.

If so, you would still need to be 25 str to carry the load that Hamish mentioned by the guy from the Viking competition.