Larry Williams, better known to strength sports fans as Larry Wheels, has done a great job of branding. Over the last few years, the phrase “personal record” has become part of that brand because of the powerlifter’s (and sometimes bodybuilder/strongman competitor’s) seemingly endless string of PRs.
His first major personal record of 2021 involved the deadlift. On January 21st, Williams posted a video on his YouTube channel that showed him peak on the classic lift at 855 pounds (387 kg) for three reps. The moment can be seen at the 17:45 mark in the video below.
The feat took place at Strong Gym in Dubai. Williams used lifting straps as well as a deadlift suit when he performed the set. He did state in the video that he was using the deadlift suit because he wanted to get used to it in the event that he competes in a strongman contest at some point.
However, he wasn’t sure when that would be because of the lack of available scheduled events due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I intend on doing strongman in the future. (I) don’t know exactly when because nothing is concrete right now, but that is my intention.”
Nonetheless, he was very pleased with his performance, which he acknowledged as an all-time best in a post on Instagram.
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Williams said that his previous record for three reps in the deadlift was 838 pounds (380 kg). For further perspective on how much he has improved, his all-time personal record for the deadlift for a single is 924 pounds (419 kg). Another note that Williams shared was that he was using iron plates during this training session. He said that it was the first time in two years that he had used regular iron plates in training. His training sessions in Dubai have generally involved calibrated plates.
Williams was being cheered on in the background by his training partner, Michael Todd, who is the current World Arm-wrestling League (WAL) World Heavyweight Champion. Todd has been working with Wheels on his other recent ambition: developing as an arm wrestler.
Unfortunately for Williams, his back down set of 685 pounds (310 kg) was where he may have suffered an injury. While attempting his 6th rep, he immediately drops the bar and acknowledges to Todd that he injured his lat. After an initial review, he was concerned that it may be a potential tear in the muscle, but remained optimistic.
“I have full range (of motion), which is a good sign. Maybe it’s just muscle and not a tendon coming off the bone like my bicep.”
Williams also said that he would have an MRI performed to see what exactly happened.
Featured Image: Instagram/larrywheels
