You can count the number of athletes who have verifiably deadlifted 500 kilograms (1,102.3 pounds) with one hand and you’d still have a finger free. Jamal Browner is one member of this highly exclusive strength club. He has lifted that massive amount with his signature sumo deadlift, but he’s recently been working with a conventional stance to prepare for his first strongman appearance.
Browner will compete for the first time in the 2023 World Deadlift Championships, which is part of the Giants Live 2023 Strongman World Open on Sept. 2, 2023 in Cardiff, Wales, and he’s been showing signs of steady progress. He offered evidence of his steady strength gains by sharing a recent conventional deadlift of four reps with 410 kilograms (903.8 pounds), which you can see in the Instagram post posted on June 29, 2023.
Browner arrived at the barbell with a relatively close stance and his feet pointed straight ahead and grabbed the bar with the support of “figure-8” lifting straps. As per the rules of strongman competitions, a sumo stance is not permitted, while lifting straps are allowed. This is a significant difference from the powerlifting Browner is more familiar with. The only other supportive equipment he wore was a basic weightlifting belt.
Browner performed the first rep with ease, and followed quickly the second. The third was slightly slower, but he showed no major signs of struggling. He took an extra breath before beginning the fourth repetitions, but when it was completed, he held the lockout for a few seconds before returning the barbell to the floor.
With roughly nine weeks to go before the contest, Browner said in the post caption that he’s feeling good about his training and even felt that he could’ve added up to 10 kilograms to the bar and still performed the same reps with similar effort.
“Strength is trending in the right direction. I think I was good for another 7.5-10kg [16.5 to 22 pounds]. ”
Browner has pulled 435 kilograms (959 pounds) for a single in training as he familiarizes himself with the conventional stance. He has a long history of heavy lifts under his belt, but the recent challenge has been converting to the required conventional stance.
Browner is only the second-ever powerlifter to successfully complete a 455-kilogram (1,003-pound) deadlift at the 2022 United States Powerlifting Association (USPA) Raw Pro in September. Just a few months later, he pulled the same weight for two reps in training without the aid of lifting straps. Both of these were completed with a sumo stance.
The upcoming deadlift contest will also serve as the opening event for the Strongman World Open contest. The 2022 World Deadlift Championship (WDC) was won by Rauno Heinla, who deadlifted 476 kilograms (1,049.4 pounds) to also set a Masters world record. Heinla will be in the contest to defend that title as well as try to win the overall contest.
2021 WDC champion Ivan Makarov will also be looking for another title. Makarov, himself, recently shared an impressive training update deadlifting the current record — 476 kilograms(1,049 pounds) — for two repetitions.
Even though Browner will be required to use the conventional foot placement, he will also be allowed to use lifting straps as well as a deadlift suit, which could help him greatly in this contest.
Featured Image: @jamal_b15 on Instagram
