Danny Grigsby is the first powerlifter to successfully deadlift over 1,000 pounds raw in a sanctioned full power meet. He performed a raw 465-kilogram (1,025.2-pound) pull on his third attempt at the 2022 United States Powerlifting Association (USPA) Virginia Beach Classic 2 on March 26, 2022, in the 140-kilogram weight class.
On July 17, 2022, Grigsby returned to the gym to pull a 455-kilogram (1,003-pound) raw deadlift in a sumo stance. He used an overhand grip for the lift and managed a bar speed that could have an unsuspecting spectator double-take to ensure that the barbell did, in fact, weigh over 1,000 pounds. At the top of the lockout, Grigsby held the barbell and looked in all directions with a smile. He presumably had more in the tank, as he suggested in the caption of his post that his grip was not a limiting factor.
Hands are not a issue now, thankfully.
Check out Grigsby’s 455-kilogram (1,003-pound) deadlift in the video below, courtesy of his Instagram page:
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[Related: John Haack (90KG) Squats 15 Kilograms More Than His Competition Best Lift Raw]
Grigsby received praise in the comments from fellow raw deadlift world record holder Jamal Browner. Grigsby’s 465-kilogram (1,025.2-pound) deadlift is the all-time deadlift world record. Browner’s 440.5-kilogram (971-pound) pull at the 2020 World Raw Powerlifting Federation (WRPF) Hybrid Showdown II is the second heaviest raw deadlift ever in a full power meet, according to Open Powerlifting. Superheavyweight Benedikt Magnusson‘s 440-kilogram (970-pound) deadlift at the 2005 WPC WPO European Semi-Finals is the third heaviest.
Browner and Grigsby trained together at Corrupted Strength, a strength gym in Stafford, TX, three weeks before Grigsby’s 455-kilogram (1,003-pound) deadlift. Grigsby didn’t cite specifics on what helped improve his hand care during that training period to remove it as a hurdle during his heavy lifts. Perhaps it had something to do with training in the Texas heat, which elevated his respect for lifters who train in southern temperatures.
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[Related: Powerlifter Andrew Hause (140KG) Hits 467.8-Kilogram (1031.4-Pound) Squat PR in Training]
Grigsby will compete next at the 2022 WRPF The American Pro on July 29-30, 2022. He will be chasing himself in the record books come the deadlift. He scored recent block bench press and squat PRs in the gym, so expect him to contend for his heaviest total ever. His heaviest total at the time of this article’s publication was 960 kilograms (2,116.4 pounds) at the 2021 WRPF The Bucked Up Showdown.
Featured image: @dan_grigs on Instagram
