Pushing wheeled chair backwards

[Neptune]

Why is it easier and faster to push a chair backwards than forwards?


We've all done it. You're sitting in one of those wheeled chairs (I don't mean a wheelchair, I mean like a typical office chair) and you have to move a few feet, and instead of standing up you just stay sitting and push the chair along with your feet. Maybe you've even had office chair races in the hallway when the boss is away. Today at the office, we observed that it's easier and faster to push the chair backwards than forwards, but we couldn't explain exactly why.

[Kamandi]

Because your quadriceps (muscles on the front of the thigh that extend your leg) are much stronger than your hamstrings (muscles on the back of the thigh that bend your leg). While you're sitting it's easier to push your feet forward with force (using your quadriceps) than it is to draw them back with the same force (using your hamstrings).

[scr4]

A secondary reason is that you get more friction (traction) when you push backwards. The feet are in front of you, so when you try to push backwards you are also pushing down on your feet, which increases friction. When you move forward, you are really pulling yourself with your legs. You can't pull up on the floor to get traction.