Who Has Lifted The Heaviest Weight Ever?

Weight lifting is not for the faint hearted. The sport requires extraordinary strength and a rigorous training regime. Seasoned weight lifters have the capability to lift much more than their own weight. The competition is so tough that lifting even 500 lbs. may not guarantee you a world record. So, how much weight humanity’s strongest people have been able to lift so far. Well, it varies depending on the individual’s weight and type of competition such as snatch, clean & jerk, deadlift, powerlifting, bench press, etc.

If we look at world records in weightlifting, the highest is 491.63 pounds in snatch and 584.22 pounds in clean & jerk. But if we consider just the weight being lifted and not the technique, the numbers swell up much higher. Here’s a look at some individuals who have lifted the highest weight ever.

Andy Bolton – A British strongman and powerlifter, Andy Bolton started his journey in powerlifting when he was 21 years of age. One of the significant achievements for Bolton is his deadlift record of (457.5 kg / 1008.6 lb.). He was the first individual on the planet to deadlift more than thousand pounds. Bolton is also the current world record holder in squat, having lifted a staggering 550.5 kg / 1213 lb.

Benedikt Magnússon – Born in Iceland, Benedikt Magnússon is a powerlifter and strongman. He currently holds the record in raw deadlift with a lift of 460.4 kg (1,015 lb.). This was achieved in 2011. Three years later, he broke his own record by lifting 461 kg (1,016 lb.). Benedikt has proven his capabilities in other events such as Arnold Strongman Classic, log lift, squat and bench press.

Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson – From Iceland, Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson is a professional strongman and actor. He has registered victories at various events such as World’s Strongest Man and Europe’s Strongest Man. Standing 6 ft. 9 in. tall, Hafthor’s first started his career as a basketball player. He switched to strongman career later. The highest weight he has lifted is 474 kg (1,045 lb.) in deadlift event.

Eddie Hall – A British professional strongman, Eddie Hall was the winner at 2017 World’s Strongest Man championship. He has also won several competitions in his home country such as England’s Strongest Man and UK’s Strongest Man. Eddie has started his career as a swimmer. He later switched to being a strongman. Eddie’s best ever is a deadlift of 500 kilograms (1,102 lb.).

Žydrūnas Savickas – A Lithuanian professional strongman and powerlifter, Žydrūnas Savickas is regarded as one of the greatest strength athlete of all time. He got interested in the sport after he watched a national strongman contest on television. He started training at a young age of 17 years. He has had one of the longest active careers as a strongman. His best performance was 525 kg (1,155 pounds) at 2014 Arnold Strongman Classic.