There’s a new deadlift mountain to climb for strength sports athletes everywhere.
Krzysztof “Mr. Deadlift” Wierzbicki deadlifted an astonishing 502.5 kilograms (1,107 pounds) during a training session. As a result, the Polish powerlifter now possesses the heaviest filmed deadlift in history.
Check out the historic feat below, captured from one of Wierzbicki’s recent Instagram stories and reposted by Julian Howard (@worldstrongestfan) on April 27, 2022:
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[Related: Sean Hayes Smashes Silver Dollar Deadlift World Record By Pulling 560 Kilograms (1,235 Pounds)]
Wierzbicki notched the all-time pull from a sumo stance while wearing wrist straps. He also may have been wearing a lifting belt under his shirt, but that is undisclosed for now.
At the time of writing, Wierzbick’s weight for the all-time accomplishment is unknown. If recent history is any indication, he might have weighed at or around 110 kilograms — his competition weight since Spring 2021, per Open Powerlifting.
Notably, since Wierzbicki’s momentous deadlift didn’t occur in a formal competition, it is not an official record. Nevertheless, it is the heaviest-ever deadlift from the floor and worthy of his evident jubilation upon completing the pull.
Wierzbicki’s Feat in Context
With this pull, Wierzbicki has gained entry into the legendary 500-kilogram (1,102.3-pound) deadlift club. There are only two other members — the 2017 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) Champion Eddie Hall and the 2018 WSM Champion Hafthor Björnsson.
Hall was the first to capture the achievement with a 500-kilogram (1,102.3-pound) pull during the 2016 World Deadlift Championships (WDC). Björnsson then surpassed his rival by a single kilogram at the 2020 World’s Ultimate Strongman “Feats of Strength Series.”
Notably, aside from the formal competition difference, there are other vital distinctions between Wierzbicki’s historic pull and that of his 500-kilogram predecessors. The powerlifter Wierzbicki completed his deadlift from a sumo stance — which isn’t legal during strongman competitions. In addition, the Polish athlete just used wrist straps. Björnsson and Hall wore wrist straps and deadlift suits for their pulls.
With Wierzbicki’s record taken into account, here’s a shortlist of the heaviest deadlifts of all time:
Heaviest Recorded Deadlifts in History
- Krzysztof Wierzbicki (Poland) — 502.5 kilograms (1,107 pounds) | Unofficial Record
- Hafthor Björnsson (Iceland) — 501 kilograms (1,104.5 pounds) | All-time World Record
- Eddie Hall (United Kingdom) — 500 kilograms (1,102.3 pounds)
- Danny Grigsby (United States) — 465 kilograms (1,025.2 pounds) | Full Power Meet Record
- Benedikt Magnússon (Iceland) — 465 kilograms (1,025.2 pounds) | Deadlift-only Meet
Whether Wierzbicki is capable of eclipsing Björnsson and Hall on their strongman, conventional, fully equipped terms is unclear. However, when it comes to powerlifting, it’s apparent he has the capacity to surpass his contemporary in Grigsby — who also used a sumo stance, but no wrist straps — on his full power meet record mark set in late March 2022.
Whenever Wierzbicki does compete in a meet next, expect the greater strength sports community to be on watch for a potential new deadlift record.
Featured image: @worldsstrongestfan on Instagram
