Listed below is the all-time deadlift world record progression across all strength sports and the progressions of 7 individual deadlift world records across powerlifting, strongman and armlifting (sport of grip strength).
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All-time progression across all strength sports Listed below is the all-time deadlift world record progression across powerlifting (raw), powerlifting (equipped), and strongman.
Notes: Despite historical claims about Hermann Görner, Bob Peoples and Benoit Cote having lifted heavier numbers, it is Terry Todd and Wilbur Miller who are generally considered the first two individuals to break the 317.5 kg (700 lb) barrier in a documented and official setting with irrefutable evidence, hence initiating the inaugural official world record deadlift in 1964.
From 1964 to July 2014, powerlifting record stood as the all-time world record. In August 2014, strongman record surpassed it and to-date stands as the all-time world record.
Weight Holder Date Event Location Sport Ref. Terry Todd Sep 1964 Wilbur Miller Wilbur Miller Sep 1965 Terry Todd Don Cundy Sep 1967 (788.2 lb) Torkel Ravndal Jun 1969 Don Cundy Aug 1969 (804.7 lb) Don Cundy May 1970 (810.2 lb) Torkel Ravndal (826.7 lb) Torkel Ravndal Nov 1970 Jon Cole Oct 1972 401.6 kg () Don Reinhoudt May 1975 401.9 kg () Bill Kazmaier Nov 1981 Dan Wohleber Dec 1982 Doyle Kenady Apr 1986 (920.4 lb) Gary Heisey Jul 1990 419.6 kg () Gary Heisey Mar 1992 (931.5 lb) Garry Frank Nov 2002 (932.6 lb) Andy Bolton Mar 2003 (937 lb) Andy Bolton Jun 2005 Benedikt Magnússon Nov 2005 Andy Bolton Benedikt Magnússon (971.1 lb) Andy Bolton Mar 2006 (1,003.1 lb) Andy Bolton Nov 2006 Andy Bolton Apr 2009 Benedikt Magnússon Apr 2011 Benedikt Magnússon Aug 2014 Eddie Hall Mar 2015 ) Eddie Hall Jul 2015 (1,025.1 lb) Eddie Hall Jul 2016 Jerry Pritchett Benedikt Magnússon Eddie Hall Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson May 2020 Hafþór Júlíus BjörnssonJul 2025 Hafþór Júlíus BjörnssonSep 2025 Raul FloresSep 2026
Progressions across individual strength sports Powerlifting In powerlifting, raw lifting allows only the use of a lifting belt, while equipped lifting allows the use of a deadlift suit, which is an elastic clothing made from very tight material (the suit tightens on the squat on the way down, storing energy, that gives an extra boost with the stored tension to break the floor).
Raw Weight Holder Date Event Location Ref. Terry Todd Sep 1964 Wilbur Miller Wilbur Miller Sep 1965 Terry Todd Don Cundy Sep 1967 (788.2 lb) Torkel Ravndal Jun 1969 Don Cundy Aug 1969 (804.7 lb) Don Cundy May 1970 (810.2 lb) Torkel Ravndal (826.7 lb) Torkel Ravndal Nov 1970 John Kuc Nov 1972 John Kuc Nov 1974 Paul Wrenn Aug 1976 Don Reinhoudt Gerrit BadenhorstOct 1990 Mark Henry Jul 1995 Benedikt Magnússon Nov 2005 Benedikt Magnússon Benedikt Magnússon Oct 2010 Benedikt Magnússon Apr 2011 Danny Grigsby Mar 2022 Danny Grigsby Jul 2022 Danny Grigsby Colton EngelbrechtJul 2026
Equipped Weight Holder Date Event Location Ref.400.3 kg () Jon Cole Oct 1972 401.6 kg () Don Reinhoudt May 1975 401.9 kg () Bill Kazmaier Nov 1981 Dan Wohleber Dec 1982 Doyle Kenady Apr 1986 (920.4 lb) Gary Heisey Jul 1990 419.6 kg () Gary Heisey Mar 1992 (931.5 lb) Garry Frank Nov 2002 (932.6 lb) Andy Bolton Mar 2003 (937 lb) Andy Bolton Jun 2005 (942.5 lb) Andy Bolton Nov 2005 (971.1 lb) Andy Bolton Mar 2006 (1,003.1 lb) Andy Bolton Nov 2006 Andy Bolton Apr 2009
IPF (International Powerlifting Federation) Raw Weight Holder Date Event Location Ref. John Kuc Nov 1972 John Kuc Nov 1974 John Kuc Nov 1979 (865.3 lb) Ray Williams Mar 2017 (878.5 lb) Ray Williams Jun 2018 (879.6 lb) Jesus Olivares Mar 2023 (903.9 lb) Jesus Olivares (905.0 lb) Temur Samkharadze Jul 2024 (906.1 lb) Temur Samkharadze Sep 2024
Equipped Weight Holder Date Event Location Ref.401.6 kg () Don Reinhoudt May 1975 401.9 kg () Bill Kazmaier Nov 1981 (892.9 lb) Lars Norén Nov 1987 (895.1 lb) Lars Norén Apr 1988 (896.2 lb) Tibor Mészáros Nov 2001 (898.4 lb) Tibor Mészáros Nov 2002 (899.5 lb) Tibor Mészáros May 2004 (900.6 lb) Krzysztof Wierzbicki Jul 2017 (925.9 lb) Krzysztof Wierzbicki
Strongman In strongman, raw lifting means lifting without a deadlift suit (which allows the use of a lifting belt & straps), while equipped lifting allows the use of a deadlift suit in addition to lifting belt & straps.
Includes: a.) Standard Deadlift bar, Power bar, Ironmind S-cubed Stiff bar and Flintstone bar depending on the evolution of the sport, b.) lifts from standard 9 inch height only , c.) both figure 6 and figure 8 (F8) straps, and d.) both single-ply (S) and multi-ply (M) deadlift suits.
All-time Weight Holder Date Event Location Equipment Ref. Gerrit Badenhorst Oct 1996 Oleksandr Pekanov Jan 2005 Kevin Nee Jul 2008 Mark Felix Mar 2011 Laurence Shahlaei Terry Hollands Brian Shaw Mark Felix Laurence Shahlaei Brian Shaw Laurence Shahlaei Brian Shaw (959.0 lb) Terry Hollands Sep 2011 Žydrūnas Savickas Brian Shaw (970.0 lb) Žydrūnas Savickas Brian Shaw Aug 2013 Benedikt Magnússon Mar 2014 (983.2 lb) Benedikt Magnússon Aug 2014 Eddie Hall (1,016.3 lb) Benedikt Magnússon Eddie Hall Mar 2015 ) Eddie Hall Jul 2015 (1,025.1 lb) Eddie Hall Jul 2016 Jerry Pritchett Benedikt Magnússon Eddie Hall Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson May 2020 Hafþór Júlíus BjörnssonJul 2025 Hafþór Júlíus BjörnssonSep 2025 Raul FloresSep 2026
Elephant bar (Raw)
Weight Holder Date Event Location Equipment Ref. Eddie Hall Mar 2016 Jerry Pritchett Mar 2017 Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson Mar 2018 Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson Mar 2019
Armlifting Double overhand Apollon's Axle Three notable features make Apollon's Axle hard to lift: the thick, nearly 2-inch diameter of the bar, its smooth surface and non-revolving wheels.
Weight Holder Date Event Location Equipment Ref. (502.7 lb) Rich Williams Jun 2010 (507.1 lb) Mike Burke Jan 2013 (518.1 lb) Mike Burke (520.5 lb) Igor Kupinsky Dec 2019 (523.6 lb) Carl Myerscough Dec 2022 (529.1 lb) Kirill Sarychev Dec 2025
See also Progression of the squat world record Progression of the bench press world record World record progression men's weightlifting World record progression women's weightlifting
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