At a certain point, we have to view John Haack as a strongman competing as a powerlifter. The weight on the barbell Haack has moved in the back half of 2021 is not only world-record-worthy, but it’s also comparable to the lifts made by the strongest men on the planet. On Nov. 22, 2021, Haack took to his Instagram page to share a video wherein he deadlifted 400 kilograms (881.9 pounds).
That amount of weight on the barbell for Haack, who competes in the 90-kilogram weight class, is comparable to the loads strongmen perform in elite competitions. Haack is no stranger to pulling this kind of weight in the gym, but this time around, by his admission, it wasn’t as much of a challenge:
Easiest 400 kilograms (881 pounds) has ever felt.
Check out Haack’s deadlift below. Haack wore a lifting belt and wrist wraps, held a conventional stance, and employed a mixed grip:
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[Related: 53-Year-Old Bodybuilder Kevin Malone Deadlifts 700 Pounds Raw Using a Hook Grip]
Haack didn’t share his body weight at the time of the lift, but it is nearly four and a half times his competition bodyweight. For context as to how heavy this lift is, it is 2.5 kilograms shy of matching his world record deadlift at 90-kilograms of 402.5 kilograms (887.4 pounds), scored at the 2021 World Raw Powerlifting Federation (WRPF) The Bucked Up Showdown. Additionally, it is only 10 kilograms (22.1 pounds) shy of matching all-time total world record holder heavyweight Dan Bell‘s heaviest competition deadlift of 410 kilograms (903.9 pounds) hit at the 2021 WRPF Hybrid Showdown III.
The weight on the Haack’s barbell is equivalent to what World’s Ultimate Strongman (WUS) “Feats of Strength” series featured in the strongman deadlift battles of Rauno Heinla vs. Jerry Pritchett and Adam Bishop vs. JF Caron. Haack’s potential future competing in strongman almost came to fruition at the 2021 Official Strongman Games (OSG).
Though Haack ultimately did not compete in the 2021 OSG, he did show off his pressing strength via social media with a 137.5-kilogram (303.1-pound) log lift. Check it out below:
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[Related: Powerlifter Yangsu Ren (83KG) Deadlifts 7.5 Kilograms Over IPF World Record In Training]
Haack is already the best powerlifter globally at 90-kilograms as the only athlete in that weight category to total over 1000 kilograms — 1,005.5 kilograms (2,216.8 pounds) at the 2021 WRPF The Bucked Up Showdown. Perhaps if Haack builds his log lift to be at the caliber of his squat and deadlift, he could compete as a U90KG or U105KG strongman on the Clash on the Coast Series or similar strongman competition series.
Featured image: @bilbo_swaggins181 on Instagram
