Polish powerlifter Krzysztof Wierzbicki lifted the heaviest deadlift ever caught on camera. According to a video shared by Wierzbicki on his Instagram stories, he pulled an astounding 502.5 kilograms (1,107.8 pounds) in training in a sumo stance while wearing lifting straps.
In the video, Wierzbicki appears to not be wearing a belt, though that is unconfirmed* as he is wearing dark attire and it may be under his shirt. Regardless, the lift is an incredible feat of strength.
It seems Wierzbicki has been building up to his unofficial all-time world record attempt for some time, having scored a 490-kilogram (1,080.3-pound) lift on April 20, 2022, and a 461-kilogram (1,016.3-pound) deadlift triple on April 12, 2022. Check out Wierzbicki’s 502.5-kilogram (1,107.8-pound) pull below, shared by Julian Howard’s Instagram page on April 27, 2022:
*BarBend has reached out to Wierzbicki for confirmation regarding his use of a lifting belt or lack thereof during his 502.5-kilogram deadlift.
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Wierzbicki’s lift above is more than both of the only other two athletes to ever deadlift over 500 kilograms — 2017 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) Eddie Hall and 2018 WSM champion Hafthor Björnsson. Hall was the first human to enter the 500-kilogram club with his successful pull at the 2016 World Deadlift Championships and Björnsson exceeded that lift by a single kilogram on the World’s Ultimate Strongman “Feats of Strength” series on May 2, 2020.
There are major differences that make it difficult to compare Hall and Björnsson’s deadlifts to Wierzbicki’s. Aside from the fact that Wierzbicki’s lift was done in training rather than a sanctioned contest with an official judge to rule on the lift, Wierzbicki used a sumo stance rather than a conventional stance like Hall and Björnsson did. While Wierzbicki does not compete in strongman, sumo stances are not legal in competitive strongman contests.
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Another notable difference between the former strongmen and Wierzbicki is that Hall and Björnsson’s deadlifts were performed equipped, whereas Wierzbicki’s was closer to a raw lift. For clarity, Wierzbicki’s 502.5-kilogram pull was not a raw lift as he used lifting straps. However, it is clear in the video that Wierzbicki is not wearing a lifting suit.
For reference, the all-time heaviest deadlift ever in a sanctioned powerlifting meet is Benedikt Magnússon‘s raw 460.4-kilogram (1,015-pound) lift from the 2011 Hardcore Clash of the Titans IV, according to Open Powerlifting. However, Danny Grigsby exceeded that lift when he pulled 465 kilograms (1,025.2 pounds) raw at the United States Powerlifting Association (USPA) Virginia Beach Classic 2 on March 26, 2022.
While isn’t clear if Wierzbicki could deadlift within range of Hall or Björnsson in a conventional stance, he has the ability to eclipse Magnússon’s all-time raw deadlift world record if he is can forego the lifting straps and pull any of his exceptionally heavy recent deadlifts in sanctioned competition. When he steps onto a lifting platform next, expect those responsible for editing the record books to be watching.
Featured image: @worldsstrongestfan on Instagram
