Powerlifter Nathan Alexander broke his cervical vertebrae and some ribs during a squat session in April. The injury left him having to take about eight weeks off from lifting to recover, but thankfully all of the damage didn’t require any surgery. Now, about four months after the accident, Alexander is looking stronger than ever deadlifting 800 pounds.
At 6’3″ and weighing in at 264 pounds, Alexander competes in the United States Powerlifting Association’s (USAPL) -120kg weight class. According to Open Powerlifting, he recently lifted at the the USAPL’s Southwest Regionals in July and finished in first place for his weight class with a 622.8 lb squat, 418.8 lb bench press, a 749.5 lb deadlift, and 1791.2 lb total.
Since the April injury, Alexander has been working incredibly hard to get back to the 800-pound deadlift club. Currently, Alexander is in full training mode and told BarBend that he is gearing up for USAPL Raw Nationals in Lombard, Illinois in about eight weeks.
“I plan on doing Raw Nationals in October. Overall, I am extremely blessed to be alive, let alone walking and lifting,” Alexander told BarBend. Back in April, Alexander blacked out when he was squatting, breaking a bone in his neck, and the injury has been tough to overcome. But he told us it hasn’t been debilitating.
He shared his latest 800 lb pull on his Instagram and wrote,
“Look who’s back in the 800lb club! This guy! Great finish to an SBD day under incredible fatigue! 800×1 going up on a Tuesday! 18 weeks after breaking my freaking neck!!!! I’ve been working like crazy to get back to this point. God is good!”
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The last time Alexander pulled 800 lbs was in 2018 at the Southwest Regionals where he deadlifted 815.7 lbs for a meet personal best.
We’re pumped to see Alexander looking strong again, and we can’t wait to see him on the platform again in October.
Featured image from @alexandernathan Instagram page.
