Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson

On 2 May 2020 Icelandic strongman Hafþór Björnsson deadlifted 501 kg (1,104 lb) at his gym in Iceland, edging past the 500 kg that Eddie Hall lifted in 2016. Guinness recognises it as the heaviest deadlift ever recorded.

Guinness and powerlifting federations count lifts under different rules, and federation records under stricter equipment rules are lower.

Context

Guinness describes the lift as taking place at Thor's Power Gym in Kopavogur, Iceland, and says it was filmed. The bar visibly bent under the weight, and Björnsson used chalk and wrist straps, which are permitted in the Guinness category but not in many powerlifting federations.

Guinness notes that Eddie Hall's 500 kg deadlift at the 2016 World Deadlift Championships is still recognized in the separate strongman category, while Björnsson's 501 kg is the heaviest lift on record overall. The previous overall record before Hall's era had been 455 kg, set by Andy Bolton in 2006.

The difference between categories matters because rules on bars, straps, suits and lifting style change what weight is possible. Anyone comparing records should check which rule set applies, since raw powerlifting records, which forbid straps and supportive suits, are lower. Because the lift was recorded on video and judged by Guinness, it counts as documented, but it is not a result from a sanctioned strongman or powerlifting meet.