The deadlift record books rewrote themselves across multiple competitions in 2025 and 2026, as powerlifters and strongmen alike pushed the boundaries of human strength. From competitive powerlifting platforms to strongman stages, athletes across multiple weight classes and federations delivered performances that redefined what the human body can pull from the floor.
Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson headlined the strongman world in July 2025, lifting 505kg (1,113.3lbs) at the Eisenhart Championships in Bavaria to extend the sport’s all-time deadlift record. The lift surpassed Eddie Hall‘s iconic 500kg pull from the 2016 World Deadlift Championships in Leeds, a mark that had stood for nearly a decade. Hall’s 2016 performance itself had overtaken Benedikt Magnússon and Jerry Pritchett, both of whom pulled 465kg at that same Leeds event. Björnsson’s 2025 effort represented the culmination of a long progression in strongman deadlift history.
Björnsson’s 505kg lift in 2025 finally ended Eddie Hall’s legendary 500kg record, which had stood since 2016.
On the powerlifting side, Jesus Olivares made headlines at the 2026 AMP Nationals by pulling 417.5kg, a new American Record and an unofficial IPF World Record in the +120kg class. His total of 1,110kg, built on a 440kg squat and 252.5kg bench press, secured the national title and earned him qualification for the 2026 IPF Classic Open Championships.
At Sheffield 2026, Austin Perkins delivered a 343kg deadlift as part of a 891.5kg total, shattering the previous world record total of 843kg by a margin of 48.5kg. His squat of 341kg and bench of 207.5kg rounded out a dominant performance that claimed first place in his division. His deadlift ranked among the top ten pulls at the competition, alongside efforts from athletes including Tiffany Chapon, Kjell Bakkelund, Chiara Bernardi, Sara Naldi, Emil Krastev, Alba Boström, Keenan Lee, Karlina Tongotea, and Etienne El Chaer.
In the IPF’s official record ledger, Guanheng Wu set a 273kg deadlift in the 62kg class on June 29, 2025, in Shanghai, contributing to a 607kg total in the same session. Qi Liu pulled 326kg in the 94kg class in Sydney on October 12, 2024, while Krzysztof Wierzbicki posted a 400kg deadlift at a bodyweight of 97.1kg.
Dave Mwardaga also drew attention with a 322kg squat in the 94kg class at the Melbourne competition on March 30, 2025. That same year, Deamo Bagua returned to competition and secured a new squat record in the 85kg class, adding another milestone to a career that had previously produced a deadlift record back in 2017.
Para powerlifting records continued to develop as well. Craig James pulled 147kg in the 69kg Parkinson’s class on October 11, 2024, while Greek lifters added to their national ledgers, with Doumas Ioannis pulling 100kg in the 56kg class and Kartsakis Nektarios lifting 120kg in the 77kg class, both recorded at Athens events.
Together, these performances across disciplines painted a picture of deadlift strength advancing simultaneously at every level of the sport.
