Disabled strongman Tobias Anthofer aka “Big Sitting Bull” of Germany has set a new world record seated deadlift of an astounding 555 kilograms (1,224.8 pounds). The remarkable lift took place in Luenen, Germany during the 2020 World Strongest Disabled Man (WSDM) where he placed first. Before we dive into just how heavy this lift is compared to the previous world records in the discipline, check out the lift below courtesy of Anthofer’s Instagram page:
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When it comes to the seated deadlift — a deadlift done from a seated position with the barbell under the seat — the big name that likely comes to mind is Britain’s Martin Tye. Tye won the 2018 WSDM when he hit a world record 500-kilogram (1,102-pound) seated deadlift. That was a massive lift at the time as the only other person to ever pull that amount of weight was 2017 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champion Eddie Hall. Tye would go on to break that record by a single kilo at 2019 Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, OH in the Arnold Disabled Strongman competition — a weight that matches the current heaviest ever deadlift hit by 2018 WSM champion Hafthor Bjornsson.
Tye would go on to advance the record again when he hit a 505-kilogram (1,113.3-pound) seated deadlift recognized as a Guinness World Record™.
What makes Anthofer’s seated deadlift so impressive beyond being a new world record is the massive increase in weight — a full 50.55-kilogram (111.4-pound) difference. Anthofer did not share his bodyweight at the time of the lift in his Instagram post — there isn’t a weight limit in seated class 1 of the WSDM where he competed — but judging from the video that lifting such an immense amount of weight was not unfamiliar territory for him.
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It will be interesting to see if anyone will be able to match or best the Big Sitting Bull’s new world record or if he is now in a league of his own. However, we anxiously look forward to finding out.
Feature image from Tobias Anthofer’ s Instagram page: @big_sitting_bull