When Clifford Smith Jr., also known as the rapper, actor, and producer Method Man of the Wu-Tang Clan, steps into the gym, it’s safe to expect some big weight to move around. On Nov. 1, 2022, the 51-year-old took to his Instagram page to share a video wherein he deadlifted 226.8 kilograms (500 pounds) in a conventional stance.
Tricked out in a purple training outfit, Method Man used an overhand grip and pulled the barbell without shoes. He wore a weightlifting belt and wrist wraps but did not wear anything on his knees. Check out the lift in the video below:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CkbyTRsJFG3/
[Related: Close-Grip vs. Wide-Grip in the Lat Pulldown — Differences, Similarities, and Does It Really Matter?]
Method Man has been steadily progressing his deadlift over the past several years and sharing that progress more routinely during the COVID-19 pandemic when the globe was in widespread quarantine. At the end of 2020, he locked out a deadlift PR of 215.5 kilograms (475 pounds). His mechanics in the deadlift have remained consistent — conventional stance in socks with an overhand grip.
The way Method Man lowers the barbell has also stayed the same. Rather than dropping the weight immediately, he lowers it slowly to his knees as though performing a Romanian deadlift. Seven-time Mr. Olympia Phil Heath hopped in Method Man’s comments to commend him on the lift:
EZ AF
It is likely safe to assume this 500-pound pull was yet another PR for the Hempstead, NY native. On Oct. 18, 2022, Method Man was seen on his Instagram in a near-identical video wherein he pulled a 224.5-kilogram (495-pound) deadlift. Heath was present in the comments then as well:
That’s what I’m talkin bout!!!
Given the rate at which Method Man has added weight to his deadlift — approximately 12.5 pounds per year — we’ll see how far into the 500s he can progress in 2023.
Featured image: @methodmanofficial on Instagram
