Can a zombie be physically stronger than a fit human?

[retardrobot]

I don't see why a Professional fighter wouldn't need weapons to survive if the zombie was not stronger (Usually, strength does not matter, but last time I saw, zombies don't know martial arts)

[BullOnParade]

Welcome to the forums, make sure you swing by the introduction section and say hello to everyone, and tell us a bit about yourself (what brought you here, what your interests are, etc.)

Firstly, to answer your question about strength, I think the Zombie Survival Guide describes it best in that, a zombie is as strong as it's former human self was, without the down side of getting tired. With that in mind, being dead, their strained muscles wouldn't heal like yours or mine. A zombie with a torn tendon doesn't feel the pain of the torn tendon, but they have lost the strength that the muscle group once had.

To answer your second question, in my opinion, a martial artist may not require a weapon, but it's still more useful than being that close with the undead. Think of many holds, throws, and self defense tactics, they put your extremities within reach of the zombies mouth, where you can easily be held victim to a bite. Secondly, most martial arts are designed to induce pain, not necessarily kill. Zombies don't feel pain, they're already dead, they're only concerned with eating your sweet, sweet flesh. And if your techniques are not designed to sever the head or destroy the brain (these tasks will take a lot of strength without a weapon), they'll be ineffective against the udead.

Hope you have fun here at ZS, there's a lot more to us than zombies.

[Visionz]

Over in New Guinea there have been cases of cannibals coming down with a human form of mad cow disease from eating other humans. This is documented.
They move erratically and when the disease progresses, brain function is limited to basic survival.
So yeah, I think they would be weaker and would have VERY limited muscle control.

IMO... IF a zombie outbreak occurs this will be what it is like.

Ok so your Chuck Norris..
Where are you going to hit them?
Hope you dont plan on the face, they might bite.
In the body?
Likely they wont feel the pain..
It would take a knockout blow to the head and that brings you dangerously close to the mouth.
And say they have infected blood on them and you bust your knuckle open hitting them...

So, lets just say a zombie apocalypse happens..
Carry a bat or machete for the solo zombies and save your bullets for the hordes.

Honestly, the biggest threat in a zombie apocalypse is not the zombie itself, but the shear number of them if there was an outbreak of some sort.

[Bisileyton]

Hey

Won't that depend on the "type" of zombie?

[maldon007]

Sure should! Welcome to the forum, there is an intro section, if your staying a while.


In a story I am writing, the zombies (sort of zombies) are stronger than their former selves, because the zombifying agent "reinforces" their muscles/joints/tendons.

[Visionz]

Hey

Won't that depend on the "type" of zombie?

Would it really matter what type?
I wouldn't go toe to toe boxing with a 3ft tall zombie.
Would you box a 3ft tall HIV patient with open sores?
Assuming it is even plausible that there was an infectious zombie outbreak I dont want to come within an inch of contact...and thats why I would carry a weapon.
Not just for the midget zombies, but for all the Captain America's out there that got infected cause they thought they were Jackie Chan.

[Steve74]

They don't feel pain, and they don't get tired. That's a big advantage.

[dukman]

In most of the zombie flicks, it is easy for the average human being to fight off a single zed... the problem comes when you get attacked from all sides by the zeds and start to tire out after a couple of fights.

[shiddymunkie]

I'd say its possible for a zombie to be stronger than your average fit person, but not likely.

It's possible if the infection has side effects of over-active adrenaline production, or something like that. However, I'd say its not that likely because most foreign bodies that infect us tend to "throw a wrench" into how our biological system works. More often than not, this makes the body work less effectively (i.e. makes the body weaker). Imagine most illnesses you can be infected by (the flu, food poisoning, etc) 99% those are going to drain your energy and inhibit your abilities, not the other way around. Odds are a zombie virus would have similar effects.

[Regular Guy]

If the zombie was a rage zombie then it could be stronger. Just like any human hyped up or on a very strong stimulant can be stronger than a 'normal' person. I think the problem with a zombie is not it's strength but it's determination. Maybe determination isn't the proper word but it's 'ability' to absorb a persons defensive action. As an example you can cut a zombies arm off and it can still advance. You can shoot them many times and they will continue to come. Now, add that into 'pack' style attack with the packs ability to absorb damage and still continue.

[tookieblueeyes]

I think everyone else has already artfully stated the obvious advantage the zombie would have over even chuck norris.
They don't feel pain, they don't strain muscles or pull tendons, and they don't get tired, they have ongoing stamina that can far outdo even an olympic swimmer.
So while even Bruce Lee himself could do some damage to a few zombies, there would come a time when he would get too tired to fight on, and when that happens... the martial artist doing the fighting might end up being so tired from fighting them off that he finds himself/herself too tired to run for cover and live to fight another day.

[The Mrs.]

Everyone already gave good answers. I just want to add that any single zombie is, most likely, not a big deal to a lot of people. The thing that is scary and dangerous is when an entire horde bears down on you. I don't think that even a super-duper-mega-ultra-fit human can handle all of those relentless nom-noming machines.

[RedLeg17]

Imagine a body builder turned zombie. That would be....intimidating. But nothing a well aimed bullet can't handle. Forced into melee with such a creature though, that would be one tough fight with the odds certainly stacked against you, especially if he grabs you.

[EatenAlive]

I agree with what most others already said- zombies are as strong as their former selves, but with the disadvantage of not healing from wounds.

Zombies are not as smart as their human counterparts, so we do have that advantage over them.

[Marxist]

Over in New Guinea there have been cases of cannibals coming down with a human form of mad cow disease from eating other humans. This is documented.
They move erratically and when the disease progresses, brain function is limited to basic survival.
So yeah, I think they would be weaker and would have VERY limited muscle control.

IMO... IF a zombie outbreak occurs this will be what it is like.

Ok so your Chuck Norris..
Where are you going to hit them?
Hope you dont plan on the face, they might bite.
In the body?
Likely they wont feel the pain..
It would take a knockout blow to the head and that brings you dangerously close to the mouth.
And say they have infected blood on them and you bust your knuckle open hitting them...

So, lets just say a zombie apocalypse happens..
Carry a bat or machete for the solo zombies and save your bullets for the hordes.

Honestly, the biggest threat in a zombie apocalypse is not the zombie itself, but the shear number of them if there was an outbreak of some sort.

I would say the biggest threat are the people driven to extreme measures to survive.

[SignorVampa]

The thing I keep coming back to is as a human, we use more than just our arms for lifting/etc. "Put your back into it" (even though that's not good for you) and all that.

If a zombie is using rudimentary skills to move/capture prey, wouldn't they *just* be using their arms? No using their body, unless they're lunging. I think about what a normal person can dead-lift (no pun intended) given how they stand, how they lift, all that good stuff.

[djblocker88]

A body builder zombie would be intimidating. But those kind of muscles don't have the strength we think they would have.
A body builder and power lifter have totally different body types. While the body builder may have bigger muscles and looks more ripped. the Power lift is stronger by far.

I'd be more intimidated by a larger framed gentleman, while not ripped in a body builder sense he could easily bench say 350lbs in his past life.

That being said though would zombies even have access to fast twitch muscle fiber? I would assume they would be functioning off of the red type of muscle which is mostly endurance (but wait, this kind of muscle needs oxygen constantly...) If they can't sprint (any kind of explosive movement or freakish strength increase.) how could they possibly have freakish strength. I don't get how the romero type zombies can even move the way they do. If they don't need oxygen (zombie survival guide states this), then they would have little strength at all.

Now an athletic or strongman rage zombie.. Fuck that would be terrifying. Take the strength adrenaline can give a 140lb person. Then consider a 240lb power lifter's strength level at that point.

Now I am just freaking confused how a romero zombie can be strong enough to hold onto somebody..