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Speed Reps: Nicolaas du Preez Smashes 405LB Barbell Rows

This feat of strength isn’t just jaw-dropping, it’s educational. We’ll explain how.

Written by Jake Dickson, NASM-CPT, USAW-L2
Last updated on November 22nd, 2024

Best in class: Powerlifter Nicolaas du Preez is one of the strongest pullers you’ve never heard of, and his 405-pound barbell rows prove it.

  • Most people struggle to maintain proper form when performing heavy barbell rows, but du Preez has the back and ab strength to rip through reps without relying on body English.

Don’t get us wrong, we love a heavy bench press or back squat as much as the next gym junkie, but there’s something special about seeing a set of rows taken to the next level. It’s just got some old-school charm to it. 

Let’s take a look at du Preez’ barbell row technique and see what we can learn from it — once we’re done collecting our jaws from the floor, that is.

Nicolaas du Preez: 405LB Barbell Rows

The barbell row may not be one of powerlifting’s “big three” but world-class strength athletes know how valuable it is as an accessory exercise. On Aug. 8, 2024, du Preez made light work of some heavy rows on social media:

[Related: Best Lifting Straps for Back Workouts]

His extraordinary strength and nearly-impeccable technique earned du Preez props from renowned fitness personality CT Fletcher, who called it “the best form at this weight” he’d seen in a long time.

We’ll say. du Preez relied on lifting straps to haul the bar up and down, and it isn’t quite clear if he had a lifting belt on under his shirt. Other than that, du Preez’s “speed reps” of five in the barbell row are all horsepower. 

Your Takeaway: Lift Faster to Get Strong

du Preez is not a CrossFit athlete and does not compete in a sport with time constraints. On paper, there’s no real reason to rush through your sets (especially your accessory work; you’ve gotta eat your vegetables).

However, du Preez’ performance highlights an underrated aspect of strength training that many intermediate trainees neglect. 

  • According to a 2014 study by Gonzalez-Badillo et al., (1) lifting weights with maximum velocity builds approximately double the muscular strength than moving slowly.
  • “strength gains can be maximized when repetitions are performed at maximal intended velocity,” the authors concluded. 

This study was carried out on the bench press, but we think it has validity for back workouts as well. If you want to increase strength, you’ve got to optimize your rate of force development, and bar velocity is an integral aspect.

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However, some exercises don’t mix well with lifting quickly. There’s a strong tendency to start swinging your torso during heavy barbell rows, as the added momentum can help you pull the bar into your stomach.

That’s why du Preez is so impressive — he’s maximizing his force development through speedy lifting without allowing his technique to get sloppy. It’s a recipe for success. 

What About Muscle Growth?: Take one look at du Preez’ physique and ask yourself if he has trouble building muscle (he doesn’t). Is his barbell row technique necessarily the culprit of his muscle gain? Not necessarily, but moving 405 pounds around quickly and with good form probably didn’t hurt.

If you only care about building muscle, heavy and fast barbell rows shouldn’t be the only back exercise you perform, especially considering that studies show eccentric tension applied when the muscle is lengthened to be key for gaining mass. (2) 

[Related: Never Start Back Workouts With Pull-Ups]

Who Is Nicolaas du Preez? 

du Preez, 29, is a powerlifter. He competes mostly in raw-with-wraps divisions in the 275 or 308-pound bodyweight categories. According to Open Powerlifting, du Preez’ best raw lifts (sans knee wraps) in the big three are: 

Which earned him a DOTS score of 564.41. DOTS are used to compare athletes of different statures and divisions against one another. For context, du Preez sits just behind legendary powerlifter and bodybuilder Stan Efferding, whose best DOTS score at 275 pounds is 572.80.

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References

  1. González-Badillo JJ, Rodríguez-Rosell D, Sánchez-Medina L, Gorostiaga EM, Pareja-Blanco F. Maximal intended velocity training induces greater gains in bench press performance than deliberately slower half-velocity training. Eur J Sport Sci. 2014;14(8):772-81. doi: 10.1080/17461391.2014.905987. Epub 2014 Apr 15. PMID: 24734902.
  2. Pedrosa GF, Lima FV, Schoenfeld BJ, Lacerda LT, Simões MG, Pereira MR, Diniz RCR, Chagas MH. Partial range of motion training elicits favorable improvements in muscular adaptations when carried out at long muscle lengths. Eur J Sport Sci. 2022 Aug;22(8):1250-1260. doi: 10.1080/17461391.2021.1927199. Epub 2021 May 23. PMID: 33977835.

Featured Image: @nicolass_du_preez / Instagram

About Jake Dickson, NASM-CPT, USAW-L2

Jake is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington with a B.S. in Exercise Science. He began his career as a weightlifting coach before transitioning into sports media to pursue his interest in journalism.

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