# How many men would it take to defeat someone who was 10x as strong/durable as a normal human? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 29, 2020, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-men-would-it-take-to-defeat-someone-who-was-10x-as-strong-durable-as-a-normal-human/916707 "2020-07-29T12:24:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-men-would-it-take-to-defeat-someone-who-was-10x-as-strong-durable-as-a-normal-human/916707/41 "2020-07-30T20:48:32Z")
It effectively becomes a ‘reverse’ kiting issue [in MMORPG terms kiting is running around just far enough ahead of a major mob and hitting them with attacks [spells, distance weapons] to wear down their health while [hopefully] not taking enough damage to put you out of the fight, or several people swapping ‘aggro’ [aggression you get from damaging the monster] between team members to keep the other members from getting too much damage. So you have to run around the parking lot, avoiding damage while taking out the normal people trying to damage you, which then really does mean how big is the parking lot [or how squishi the normal people are] ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-men-would-it-take-to-defeat-someone-who-was-10x-as-strong-durable-as-a-normal-human/916707/42 "2020-07-30T20:51:46Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > The 10x person is going to be much faster than the others Since when? If a dude was a mighty glacier it would fit the OP’s description. Heck, he could be moving in slow-mo and fit the OP’s description. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-men-would-it-take-to-defeat-someone-who-was-10x-as-strong-durable-as-a-normal-human/916707/43 "2020-07-30T21:13:47Z")
> [@begbert2](#): > > Since when? If a dude was a mighty glacier it would fit the OP’s description. Heck, he could be moving in slow-mo and fit the OP’s description. Since we use our muscles to propel ourselves? People with stronger muscles can move faster. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-men-would-it-take-to-defeat-someone-who-was-10x-as-strong-durable-as-a-normal-human/916707/44 "2020-07-30T21:26:39Z")
That’s not how muscles work. Strength is a measure of the force that can be produced. It’s not a measure of how _fast_ this force can be produced. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-men-would-it-take-to-defeat-someone-who-was-10x-as-strong-durable-as-a-normal-human/916707/45 "2020-07-30T21:39:35Z")
That runs counter to my experience and intuition about muscles. As I have become stronger, I have become faster as well. People with stronger leg muscles than I have can run faster. People with stronger arm muscles can punch faster. From a purely physics standpoint, since our bodies have mass, they will move around faster when greater force is exerted on them. So, I dispute your claim that a 10x person would be no faster than an average person (to be clear, I don’t think he would be 10x faster). Do you think a person with 1/2 strength would be no slower than the average person? ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-men-would-it-take-to-defeat-someone-who-was-10x-as-strong-durable-as-a-normal-human/916707/46 "2020-07-30T21:53:51Z")
From a purely physics standpoint, the only speed advantage that you get from increased strength is an increased ability to overcome your own body weight (and whatever else you’re hauling around). Your muscle tissue doesn’t contract faster; you just can move more easily with a load. Of course, the question is, what’s this guy’s load? How did he manage to get 10x more durable? Presumably it’s not just increased ability to ignore pain; presumably his bones can withstand a strike that’s ten times harder before they break. That implies to me that he’s not really made of normal flesh and bone anymore. Dude’s probably got steel in his bones, literally. Of course, at 10x strength, that probably won’t be a problem; he can have a full set of plate armor infused into his skin and still move around easily. But he won’t be moving any faster than, say, you. So the real question actually _is_ the one you’re asking - how impeded are the people he’s facing by their lack of fitness? How unfit is the average person anyway? If they’re like me, they could be defeated by a stiff breeze. But if they’re reasonably fit, tough-boy might be able to dance around a bit, but he’s not going to zipping around like a gadfly. (And if he tries to they’ll trip him.) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-men-would-it-take-to-defeat-someone-who-was-10x-as-strong-durable-as-a-normal-human/916707/47 "2020-07-30T21:54:56Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > I’m not sure how big the parking lot is supposed to be, but I think it’s going to be a lot more than tens of people. > > The 10x person is going to be much faster than the others, which means that the group is going to have a hard time positioning themselves to encounter him in a group. If they stay in a group, he can likely just evade them. If they spread out, he can attack their flanks or individual members. And the 10x person can likely easily handle 100 or more in sequential 1-on-1 combat. Not a big problem. If you have enough people, you just encircle the single person and then close the circle in around him. There’s no flank and no isolated people for him to target. He can’t evade because if he moves away from one part of the circle, he’s just moving towards a different part of it. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-men-would-it-take-to-defeat-someone-who-was-10x-as-strong-durable-as-a-normal-human/916707/48 "2020-07-30T21:56:49Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Not a big problem. If you have enough people, you just encircle the single person and then close the circle in around him. There’s no flank and no isolated people for him to target. He can’t evade because if he moves away from one part of the circle, he’s just moving towards a different part of it. Encircling a guy who can punch people across the room like a cartoon character might be difficult to pull off, mind you. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-men-would-it-take-to-defeat-someone-who-was-10x-as-strong-durable-as-a-normal-human/916707/49 "2020-07-30T22:04:57Z")
> [@begbert2](#): > > So the real question actually _is_ the one you’re asking - how impeded are the people he’s facing by their lack of fitness? How unfit is the average person anyway? Brief googling suggests that MMA fighters can generally bench press 300-400 pounds, and the “average” man can bench about 130. So if we assume that an MMA fighter is 3x as strong as the average person, then someone 10x would be… truly superhuman. Obviously MMA fighters are trained fighters, but even if they weren’t, that level of strength is considerable. I’m a pretty mediocre sprinter. Someone 10x as strong as me is maybe 3x as strong as Usain Bolt. I bet that person would be _damn_ fast. > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Not a big problem. If you have enough people, you just encircle the single person and then close the circle in around him. I’m not sure. Unless you start out encircling him (which you don’t, per the OP), how are you going to encircle someone who is faster and stronger? He can outrun the flanks trying to get around him and whoever is on the edge of that flank is vulnerable. And even if you have a circle around him, if he charges one side of the circle to break out, can you mass enough force to stop him? And these are individuals without pre-planning or training. Will they not just run the hell away? I think you likely end up with the group swarming away from the strongman and not daring to approach. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-men-would-it-take-to-defeat-someone-who-was-10x-as-strong-durable-as-a-normal-human/916707/50 "2020-07-30T22:07:56Z")
> [@begbert2](#): > > Encircling a guy who can punch people across the room like a cartoon character might be difficult to pull off, mind you. [Is this what you’re imagining?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvLQMMaVmzU) ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-men-would-it-take-to-defeat-someone-who-was-10x-as-strong-durable-as-a-normal-human/916707/51 "2020-07-30T22:18:25Z")
How about we flip the question to answer it? If we take an average man, how many people who are 10x weaker would it take to take him down? At what age can we say that a child is 10x weaker than an average man? Let’s say 8YO. How many 8YOs would it take? Probably 1-2 dozen. Have you ever wrestled with nephews (or been the nephew)? It sounds about right. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-men-would-it-take-to-defeat-someone-who-was-10x-as-strong-durable-as-a-normal-human/916707/52 "2020-07-30T22:19:02Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > I’m a pretty mediocre sprinter. Someone 10x as strong as me is maybe 3x as strong as Usain Bolt. I bet that person would be _damn_ fast. [And I maintain that the two are not the same and you can build strength without building speed - or vice versa.](https://www.stack.com/a/bar-speed-the-key-to-increasing-speed-strength-and-power) Honestly, since the OP _didn’t_ say that the dude was super-fast, I think the most reasonable assumption is that he isn’t. I’m being charitable here - presuming he’s not an android the dude is probably a mountain of muscles and not agile at _all_. Of course, being a mighty glacier has its perks - the dude can tank most attacks (presuming he can protect his eyes and squishy bits) and attempts to encircle him or pin him down would require almost a mountain of people to pull off, assuming they work even then. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-men-would-it-take-to-defeat-someone-who-was-10x-as-strong-durable-as-a-normal-human/916707/53 "2020-07-30T22:19:29Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > I’m not sure. Unless you start out encircling him (which you don’t, per the OP), how are you going to encircle someone who is faster and stronger? He can outrun the flanks trying to get around him and whoever is on the edge of that flank is vulnerable. > > And even if you have a circle around him, if he charges one side of the circle to break out, can you mass enough force to stop him? And these are individuals without pre-planning or training. Will they not just run the hell away? > > I think you likely end up with the group swarming away from the strongman and not daring to approach. You form a circle by walking around the single man on both sides of him. Now I’ll grant you that if he turns and starts running away and he’s faster than anyone in the group, this isn’t going to work. But I feel the OP was asking who would win a fight, not who would win a foot race. I’m assuming for the purposes of this thread, the single man is not trying to run away from the fight. If he runs around, it will be for tactical advantage in the fight. If you have somebody who’s pretty strong, you’ll want to put some depth in your line. Have a circle that’s three or four people deep. The single man may try to break through but the people in the circle just have to grab him and hold on. Even if he’s stronger than anyone else, he’s going to slow down when he’s pulling ten people. This kind of thing won’t work if you’re fighting Superman but it’s going to work against somebody who’s “only” ten times stronger. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-men-would-it-take-to-defeat-someone-who-was-10x-as-strong-durable-as-a-normal-human/916707/54 "2020-07-30T22:24:30Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > If you have somebody who’s pretty strong, you’ll want to put some depth in your line. Have a circle that’s three or four people deep. The single man may try to break through but the people in the circle just have to grab him and hold on. Even if he’s stronger than anyone else, he’s going to slow down when he’s pulling ten people. If I was the guy in the middle with a circle of people four deep surrounding me, I wouldn’t consider myself trapped in the circle - I’d consider the inner rows of the circle trapped inside with _me_. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-men-would-it-take-to-defeat-someone-who-was-10x-as-strong-durable-as-a-normal-human/916707/55 "2020-07-30T22:29:45Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > No, zero people would not do anything to him. He hasn’t been defeated by anyone if he just keels over dead for any number of reasons. Could he not defeat himself, like through, uh, hubris or something? Or (not to get too dark) suicide… ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-men-would-it-take-to-defeat-someone-who-was-10x-as-strong-durable-as-a-normal-human/916707/56 "2020-07-30T22:32:16Z")
> [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > Could he not defeat himself, like through, uh, hubris or something? Or (not to get too dark) suicide… Then he would have been defeated by somebody of equal strength to him which would be illegal under the rules of the OP, which specifies his attackers are much weaker. (…cannot…self…terminate…) ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-men-would-it-take-to-defeat-someone-who-was-10x-as-strong-durable-as-a-normal-human/916707/57 "2020-07-30T22:34:11Z")
Might his inner strength not fall well short of his outward strength? That is, might he not be the weaker man… _inside_? @discobot fortune ---
**Author:** ![discobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/discobot/32/570_2.png) [@discobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/discobot)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-men-would-it-take-to-defeat-someone-who-was-10x-as-strong-durable-as-a-normal-human/916707/58 "2020-07-30T22:34:13Z")
> 🔮 Cannot predict now ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-men-would-it-take-to-defeat-someone-who-was-10x-as-strong-durable-as-a-normal-human/916707/59 "2020-07-30T22:34:29Z")
Well, if even discobot is stumped… ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-men-would-it-take-to-defeat-someone-who-was-10x-as-strong-durable-as-a-normal-human/916707/60 "2020-07-30T22:39:53Z")
Also, am I the only one picturing this getting really, really gory in a hurry? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-men-would-it-take-to-defeat-someone-who-was-10x-as-strong-durable-as-a-normal-human/916707.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-men-would-it-take-to-defeat-someone-who-was-10x-as-strong-durable-as-a-normal-human/916707.md?page=4)