The average Neatherdal was about 5’5, so they weren’t giants by no means, but their bone structure and density shows that the were incredibly strong.
I’ve read estimates that they were upwards of 30 percent stronger than our decathletes, which puts them being able to bench 350 lbs to 450 lbs.
But the reason why we could outcompete the brutes was that our caloric needs were much less, which allowed us to gather resources more quickly, have more kids, etc.
Projectile weapons such as slings, atlatls, and bows probably made homo sap a superior fighter.
“The average Neatherdal was about 5’5, so they weren’t giants by no means, but their bone structure and density shows that the were incredibly strong.”
Hey! I’m not fat, I’m big-boned!
I can bench 350. In fact, I can bench 405 for a clean 3 or a messy 5.
It’s not extraordinary in any given Gold’s Gym.