Strongman Rauno Heinla of Estonia recently went head-to-head in a deadlift showdown against the United States’ Jerry Pritchett for World’s Ultimate Strongman’s (WUS) “Feats of Strength” series. Each strongman attempted to lift 400kg/882lb for as many reps as possible in 75 seconds. Despite some discrepancies in the equipment used — Pritchett used calibrated plates while Heinla used bumper plates — as both competitors lifted remotely, Heinla came out on top with 5 reps to Pritchett’s 4. Although it was enough to win the showdown, it was one rep shy of setting the world record.
Earlier this week, Heinla took to his Instagram page to attempt that deadlift for reps record once more. This time he pulled that massive 400kg/882lb for a smooth 6 reps to set an unofficial world record. If you have not yet seen this impressive feat of strength, you can do so below:
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[Related: Anthony Pernice sets silver dollar deadlift world record of 550kg/1,212.5lb]
Heinla, who won the 2019 World’s Ultimate Deadlift competition by pulling a gargantuan 450kg/992lb, was not the only strongman vying for the deadlift for reps world record. A few episodes later in the “Feats of Strength” series, Adam Bishop and J.F. Caron — one of the men who has tied the world record at 5 reps — competed against each other in the hopes of setting a new world record.
Unfortunately, neither man was able to hit the elusive 6th rep. Bishop capped out at 4 reps and Caron suffered a groin injury going for his 5th rep.
[Related: Strongman Rob Kearney performs his first CrossFit WOD in a decade]
WUS announced season 2 of the “Feats of Strength” series set to begin in September 2020. The first event will be another 400kg/882lb for reps challenge to potentially break the record. Judging from his recent post, Heinla is raring to go.
Feature image from Rauno Heinla’s Instagram page: @rauno_heinla
