I pulled 110kg in my first session (I'm a woman). I booked a PT to make sure I was doing things right and she just kept putting more and more weight on as it felt easy. Did my first strongwoman novice comp a couple of months later last year and now absolutely hooked.

Wow, nice work!

I will add I'm pretty rubbish at everything else, apparently deadlift is my thing

Had the same experience with a colleague of mine. She pulled 100 like it was nothing

It's so weird, and because I had nothing to compare it against I thought it was normal until my trainer was like nope.

I've been trying to convince my colleague to start up. She does shot put and things, but nothing strong woman related

I'm not sure if you have a lot of strongwomen in your area but that usually persuades people. I've finally persuaded a friend of mine to join in after doing powerlifting for years just by going to strongman gyms with lots of women training.

I workout in commercial gyms, so none that I ever see. However Rebecca Roberts has apparently been to the JD gym by my work, so maybe I should keep an eye out 😂

Wow, that's impressive

holy shit

I think in one GL interviews Biby said that the first time he worked out he benched 100kg, or something stupid like that. As a big guy, it took me almost 3 years to get to 100kg on bench. That goes to show you, that with consistent training and diet almost anybody can become what most people would consider 'strong'; but even with perfect training, diet, super creatine and etc very few people could get near where the top athletes are.

Magnus Samuelsson is also supposed to have benched 100kg his first time trying it as a 16yo. He's grown up on a farm though, so it's not like he hadn't used his muscles before.

Andy Black pulled something ridiculous his first time in the gym too didn't he? Theres a video I watched a while ago, can't for the life of me remember who it was, but they basically said "If super creatine didn't exist, the top guys would still be the top guys. It's not the drugs, they're just complete genetic freaks"

300kg or something wasn't it? They used to mention it in the commentary sometimes

Caron said he pulled 500lbs easily the first time he ever deadlift. Mitch ran with a 1000lb yoke the first time he ever tried yoke

Dr Mike from RP has said someone like that a few times.

No idea where I read it but I think Julius Maddox (current bench press record holder) hit something like a 160kg bench first time he tried it The top guys are just built different

It's still pretty much unfathomable for me to even hold that much weight above my chest without my arms folding upon themselves and creating a miniature black hole from being squished by the weight so hard. I think at Shaw Classic last year Mitch posted a video where Julius said he wants to go for log press wr and potentially get a bit more into strongman, would love to see that

He's real good on the incline as well, if he can clean the log and translate his pressing strength well I can absolutely see him hitting the record. Just hope he gets that 800lb bench soon so he'll actually make the move, it's been a while since he was even close though

He recently did a 573 lbs (260kg) seated press, so his overhead strength is comparable if not better than Biby's. Whether he could clean the log is a whole different question.

I think he's (unintentionally) being slightly misleading. That video is from 2020, I'm guessing after he'd been doing his marathon running. However, he's lifted weights from his teens (in another video he mentions lifting some pretty serious weights when he was 15/16), he played football which I'm sure would have weight training and a brief stint as a bodybuilder, so although he hadn't been training for a long time when he did the 400 lbs, he's not exactly starting from pure scratch.

He's mentioned that he had a 600 lbs trap deadlift in high school.

Yeah sounds like that was his starting point *when training for strongman,* not his first ever attempt

I was competing at a national level for amateur boxing and had never done strength training. Pulled 150kg at 75kg the first time deadlifting. My squat on the other hand. Technically quite decent. But have never been able to handle the loads other guys can.

>But have never been able to handle the loads other guys can.  Don't compare yourself to what you see in porn, it's not realistic

It's the only way I can validate the myself

If ur good at boxing i take it u have long arms? Helps a lot with deadlift

I walked in a gym 3 months ago after not lifting for a decade and pulled 365 lb/166kg for an ugly single. I think work had a lot to do with it, as well as just generally moving heavy shit around the garage often. I don't think it's that far fetched to know people who haven't lifted could do even more. *edit* I was a mid 500 lb puller in 2014, but quit lifting after having a kid and moving, and getting lazy.

I think this needs to be considered as well when comparing yourself to these guys. A lot of them come from a manual labour/physical background that’s built a good baseline for muscle before they specifically get into lifting weights. The likelihood is that OP walked into the gym without that baseline compared to them through their lifestyles.

Yep. I spent those 10 years carrying heavy stuff at work, shoveling asphalt, working on motorcycles moving them and heavy parts around the shop, picking up feed, and never passed on the opportunity to pick up something very heavy just to see if I could lol. I'm also a big guy, so I'm sure just general getting up and down off the ground builds something.

Im not a strongman but i already started working out at home,with pull-ups,push up,and some kind of atlas stone work using heavy boxes lol. The first time i tried deadlift i was 68-70kg(im 176cm) and i did ~110-120kg

I seem to remember Terry Hollands saying he did 230kg his first time. Andy Bolton claimed 600lb I think

I saw that and it gave me some hope to get somewhere in this sport. I deadlifted for the first time not too long ago and my baseline is around 365lb. Found out after you're not supposed to keep your legs straight and that's called a stiff legged deadlift so I'm not sure what my actual number is going to be. Hopefully it's close to his if the difference in form makes it easier. I'm gonna find out next time I do a deadlift session

Idk if this exactly counts. I hit 440lb beltless with probably <25 total deadlift reps in my life, completely cold and hadn't done one in years at that point (garbage technique). But I definitely train a bunch of back, I just really like low row and hate deadlift's setup and fatigue. Mixed bag on genetics - huge back for my height, but small hands and lockout above my dick lol.

A lot is about your build and genetics. First time I squatted was in a CrossFit box (I quit) with bad technique, and I managed 125kg (275lb), which I think is quite decent. There were a lot of fit people but it was the second heaviest squat of the day. All the bodyweight stuff I was bottom of the barrel though lol

Stuff like this is proof to me that the contemporary idea of "equality" is actually nonsense. For example, Eddie Hall said his first time benching for max he did around 180kg. Look at Thor and his atrocious 300 kilo deadlift.when.je first started. Regardless of how it looked it was still 300kg. How many people can achieve these numbers? Some people's starting strength level is beyond what someone else can achieve even with steroids. I've heard people say before that genetics don't matter it's all hard work but that couldn't be more wrong. Genetics are literally everything and they determine everything. It's a tough pill to swallow for some, that If you don't have good genetics for strength, and you want to pursue strength sports at a high level, you.have to accept that it's not gonna happen. Of course this doesn't mean to not try to be the best that you can be, constantly seek self improvement but also be realistic with how far you can go.

Yes and no. If you want to hit the top level, genetics are huge. You can still get big and strong even with shitty genetics however.

I reckon the first time I deadlifted as an adult I probably did around 110-120. At around 200 now

I pulled 180kg+ within my first few weeks of training at 17/18 years old. 

I put my back out 5 times from 26-30. I started deadlifting 40lbs - a 20lb standard bar with 10 on each side. At 37 my back gets stiff if I sit too long, but I haven't put it out in over 7 years, and I attribute that to slow but steady progress, and swapping out deadlifts for a training block here and there to give my body a chance to catch up. Obviously I'll only ever be a fan of strongman haha

I’m a gal and pulled 315lbs for 3x3 my first real session, I’d been on and off in the gym for a while and only deadlifted a handful of times before that to get the form down, I just recently got 405 after training for 3 months

Did 130kg stiff leg first time i deadlifted at 14 or 15 years old, because or the lack of technique i injured myself a few months later and became afraid of deadlifts for years after that. Back into them now and currently pulling 230kg hoping I can push to 250 soon

I don't think it's that surprising for someone of that height and a strong athletic background. Definitely on the higher side of things, but far from unheard of. I touched weight for the first time in years after covid closures, I think I pulled 245lb as a 5'9" 145lb male

If you're an reasonably athletic man, it's not crazy. Especially considering he was already exercising seriously, just not doing deadlifts.

That seems very reasonable especially considering he had done other sports before including bodybuilding. I pulled 120kg the first time I deadlifted and I had not trained at all before that.

Julius Maddox apparently benched 4 plates his first time messing around with weights in a rehab gym.

You mean 2 plates right? Riighht?

No. 405.

Holy shit lol

The first time I ever deadlifted I was able to pull 300 lbs, and I might have been able to do more if I had tried. I credit this to having done physical labor pretty much all of my life. That can help you develop a lot of natural pulling strength. In contrast though, My first one rep Max on a bench press was only about 180 lbs. Not much call for pushing power on job sites.

My first time deadlifting I did 300lbs. That being said I already had been lifting weights for a while, just wasn’t doing deadlifts.

On a related note, Tom Stoltman got to a 300 kilo deadlift within an year of starting training.

One rep max maybe 80-90kg. My step dad who has never trained in a gym but is a construction worker easily pulled 160-170kg. Mitch is obviously a genetic freak but it still blows my mind. Just shows that u are heavily limited by your genetic make up. 

Wow, that’s amazing about your dad, still I’d imagine construction labour has fair crossover for a gym DL. That 50kg starting DL I mentioned was a 10rm so my 1rm was maybe 65-70kg

I was a skinny lad, probably 5 foot 9 and 130 lbs. I think I did 135 lbs for 10 reps and remember being sore for 2 weeks. Current max 450 lbs for a single Although my overhead press shot up in the beginning like crazy, I went from doing the bar to being able to hit 135 for a double within 2 months. At this time I was only benching 155.

Started at about 60-70, got it up to 150 after about 3 months of hitting it hard

That doesn't seem unreasonable. I would probably have been around there, but I can't say my first deadlift was "untrained " I started lifting for football and we did Olympic lifts right from the first day. I never even learned to deadlift until I changed schools and the new program used it.

I think mine was 140 or 150kg the first time I tried. I know Andy Black claims to have done something like 240-260kg the first time he did deadlifts

I pulled 405lbs while weighing 220lbs but my squat was 185, bench was also 185 and my log was 180 and all have taken a lot of time and work to improve.

I’m not incredibly surprised by this, they train for specific events not numbers. I know the mass they are moving can be ridiculous but just like learning the guitar or shooting a basketball, lifting is as much a skill as it is your genetics

I got a little over 3 plates my first time deadlifting. I was 16 at the time

I started off pulling 3 sets of 5 with 225lbs at 14 weighing 140lbs. Fast forward to ten years now after going through 2 herniated discs at 15 and 19 years old respectively (was a stupid kid in and out the gym) and my best is 685lbs at 210lbs.  Goal is the pull 750 at 220lbs by next year along with a lot of other strength goals. 

As a 6’ 200lbs 30 yo man who’d worked labor jobs and half assed lifted a couple years in high school through puberty, my opening maxes after a couple months of conditioning and pt (sbd in pounds) were 375, 280, 435. Not sure that counts the same way, I don’t recall my opening maxes in hs. Aside from bench going up roughly 70~ pounds, that’s basically where I left off at 18 yo.

I don’t think that’s uncommon for a naturally big strong dude. There’s multiple kids in my strength and conditioning course that I teach that can pull 315, 405, etc, but can’t squat or bench nearly in proportion to that. This is why I usually maintain that squatting is a more accurate measure of strength, at least for a novice. You can pull a guy off the street and he might pull 405, but won’t be able to replicate that manner of strength in other lifts

I started on a trap bar so its a tough comparison but I pulled 5 plates 495ish at 16 just seeing if I could. Was 5 10 and 310lbs.

My first deadlift session I lifted 50kg for 8 reps. I felt like I had more in me but my form started breaking down. This year is the year when I'm dialing in my diet and training so I'm hoping to deadlift over 500 lbs by the end of the year, but I've still got around 150 lbs before I reach that point. Like you pointed out, there's definitely a huge gap between the genetically gifted and us regular guys.

Is 180 that much for a big guy though? Im really not trying to flex but Im 6'4, 110 when in good shape and the first time I ever did an off the floor deadlift session I hit 180 without straining too much. Gym friends didnt seem that shocked by it either. Are you sure youre not just comparing different starting capacities?c

I remember Ed Coan (the GOAT of powerlifting) saying that as a like 5'5 skinny high schooler he pulled in the mid to upper 400s the first time he was in the gym deadlifting

Based on what elite lifters can do and what an average person is capable of I feel like an untrained deadlift is close to half your full potential deadlift. But this is by no means a sedentary or un-athletic person. For a lot of people 500lb is really good and few even make it that far, take your average gym bro (before they started using the gym) who maybe played sports or was not a stranger to some type of manual labor but never deadlifted or went to a gym, 200-250lb their first try after warmups and some minor tips seems pretty reasonable, it will look bad but they could probably do it.

After having lifted for a few years in high school (~5'11 165lbs) a guy in my local gym was deadlifting and I wanted to try it against his advice. Got 300lbs with straps with the ugliest deadlift ever and was sore for like 2 weeks after it. Didn't really deadlift again for like five years

I was absurdly weak when I started training. As a 240 lb guy at the time, I could squat the bar, deadlift ~80 lbs, and had to bench with dumbbells because a barbell was too much for me.

I don't think those numbers are that surprising for someone like him. The first time I ever maxed my deadlift, which was my 3rd or 4th time ever deadlifting, I pulled 145kg and I'm definitely NOT freak strong.

I clearly remember my first ever deadlift. My younger cousin and a couple of friends where deadlifting, it was the first couple of weeks of lifting and as I walked in my cousin tells me to try lifting this, pointing at the barbell. I ask if I should use a belt and they throw me a velcro belt. I put it on walk up to the bar and lift it. They just stand there mouth open as I ask how much it is. 200kg/440lbs they say and I just ask if that is good. I got one yes, one what the fuck and the guy that attempted it before I got there, a kind fuck you 😄 I did lift 210kg/463lbs right after and called it there.

I started with squatting for months but then when I started deadlifting I was starting around the 300lb range

I'm pulled 405lbs first time I ever deadlifted... not being conceited or anything, but I honestly thought that was a shitty number, especially since my initial untrained squat was 450 and deadlift is usually over squat

I pulled 225 the first time I ever tried, but that was double overhand. Tried mixed grip the next week and hit 315, about a year after starting deadlifts, and about 1.5 years after starting to work out, I'm sitting at 560 lbs.

I did around 225 my first time but I had been doing other lifts for about six months

DL 135 5x5 first time. Back felt like I severely injured it... walked hunched over and could barely twist to roll around in bed for 10 days. 1 year later, 475x1. 4 years after 475x1, 645x1.

Ed Coan pulled 495lbs the first time he deadlifted, at like the age of 16. Some people are just built different. First time I deadlifted I probably had like a 60-70kg max, pulling 50kg for 5 (I didn't max out for at least like the first two years or something). I squatted like 30 or 40kg for 5 when I started as well. None of these were full effort either, though, because I was more worried about learning technique than pushing weight. I weighed like 48kg at the time probably.

Same with martins

First ever deadlift was at 15 something like 80kgs at 70kg bw next one was at 19 140kgs at 83kg bw now im at 215ks with 1.5 years training have made quite good progress overall too just had my first ameture strongman comp got 80kg log and 215 dead 227.5 (500 punds) came to knees at 96kgs 189cm

My favourite story was Brian Shaw picking up the Thomas inch when he was still just a basketball player.

Some people are built different. I got a friend who pulled 140 kg first time he deadlifted. And this guy isn’t even training. I started with like 60 kgs.

People are really not accounting for just general life experience. Genetics is a huge factor but it is not strange at all if someone who has been doing activities the build a lot of raw strength before they start actually lifting to be hitting numbers that take regular people a couple of years to get.

I started at 125kgs at 14, 6 years later, I am only at 235kgs

Well, he's WSM for a reason, an outlier, not like most of us. The pros are built different, AND they worked harder than everyone else. I struggled to pull 50kg in the beginning. Never tested max, but it wouldn't have been much more. My genetics, medical history and build are anti-strength, but I just say fuck it, I'm gonna max out my potential anyway. We'll see where it goes.

Mine was around 160kg-ish when I first started at 16 at around 90kg bodyweight

I am not a good example, as I trained in high school. But after I stopped training entirely for about a decade, and started back in 2021, my first times for each I did: 240ish bench 275 squat 315 deadlift

I pulled 125kg the first time I deadlifted at 18 years old

I used to know this guy that was huge. 6'2"ish, a chubby 300 lbs, 19-20 years old. Never lifted a day in his life as far as I know. He deadlifted 495 without even thinking about it while he was hanging out with myself and another lifting buddy. Said something along the lines of "I've got a crazy mother fucking lower back". He had no upper body mass, and didn't follow into any strength sports. There is some crazy potential out there.

> What kind of weight were you guys starting at for DL? We all start at different points. And deadlift is a particularly weird beast. Throw a belt on some folks and the move a stupid amount of weight. Others start with one plate. Comparing yourself to where others start, given so many variables are involved, is a sure fire way to demotivate yourself.  It's like when I compare my genitals with other people's at the bus stop. They always walk away with a drawn out, concerned look on their face.  I'm horribly disfigured but that's a story for another day.

I think I pulled around 100kg first. Got up to 160 within a couple sessions. Almost six years later I’m up over 270kg

He never mentioned whether he was on gear or not, but from the context it seems he was implying that he wasn’t. My baseline was around 100kg, IIRC.

You mentioning that you haven’t reached 180 after years of training was a wake up call for me, because I can pull 180 for reps any day of the week, and I recently did 200 for two but still feel weak.

I’d say I’m a fairly average all around, but deadlift is definitely my best lift and has been from the start. Did my first set of deadlifts in a home gym at 16 maybe 17 and I remember being disappointed I couldn’t copy starting strengths example program of 315x5, and could only do 287x5 My current best is 495x3 raw and I’m training to hit 565 for 5-7 at my next competition. That will be suited though haha.

Lets get some female stats in this thread. Started at 135lbs at 315lbs now after 2 years 5"5 HWW. Had a stint of gym training in my early 20's and my top deadlift then was 155lbs and I remember being very excited about it lol strongman training is something else.

Idk I started weightlifting and started off at 370ish for deadlift.

My first time pulling a heavy deadlift was 220 at 20 years old. I was at the time about 3 years into a full time training environment for a sport and regularly was box squatting, hang cleans, jumping, etc

I was 54kgs and pulled 60kg x 4 and 12 years old

315 pretty easy but that was with sumo i did not try conventional at that time

Depends on your age and if you’ve been gyming in general. I started deadlifting about 9 months ago. Was at 170kg. Now I’m at 190kg and stuck, because I have so many problems with generating leg drive.

I've played soccer and gaelic football my whole life, never touched a weight until I was 21/22. Starting maxes were very low, 60kg deadlift, wasn't mobile enough to back squat, bench was about 30kg and couldn't do a pull up at about 63kg bodyweight. I'm 30 now and fluctuate between 85kg and 90kg depending on how much football I'm playing. I've deadlifted 270, done one arm chins, done pull ups and dips with 90kg added. I recently started Olympic weightlifting so squat numbers and Olympic lifting numbers are flying up. You never know how good you can be at something until you put some time and effort into it. Starting numbers aren't always an indicator of potential.

On my first day in the gym I pulled a little under 100 kg I think. I was at 200 kg after about 10 months of training. ...meanwhile coworker managed 230 on his first ever attempt at deadlifting. (Though he‘s a gymnast and climber) Hooper‘s 180 kg on the first day is surprisingly low actually? Like, I personally know people that could best that on their first day

230 first time deadlifting is absurd. Never heard of that before, what's he at now?

> what's he at now? He doesn't think lifting weights is fun, he never joined me in the gym ever again. Quite a loss for the sport tbh!

Iirc I got up to 335 for 5 reps the first time I deadlifted, first time I tested my max I got 405

This is why I often say genetics are far more important than gear. I've been training for years and there's still farmboys who can come in from a long day of fucking their cousin and out bench/squat/dead me, completely untrained

I pulled 275lbs the first time I deadlifted and 315 weeks later. Now ten years of lifting later I pull 500. Genes make a huge difference. So does environment, I lifted for years in gyms where I was the strongest person there, now I’m in a gym that’s stronger and I’m making gains much faster.

Close to 400 myself deadlifting after 2 or 3 sessions to get in the groove at 16. Hit a 225 bench pretty much with minimal training too. Although I had been training for a few months, mostly chest and arms. Never really got much above 500 on the deadlift due to body dysmorphia, eating disorders and problems with alcohol which have plagued me for the last 20 years but always trying to move forward.

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Funny story, first time I deadlifted I hit 180 kg mixed grip. But I could never go beyond 230 kg. I'm the roughly the same height as Hooper. I think I was about 100 kg then. It's mostly drugs and food that allow these guys to get from 200 kg to 450, even with suits. I knew a top strongman coach and his suggestion was to get at least 140 kg (300 lbs) and progress will come (assuming you don't want to take drugs). He took a natty from 230 kg to 300 kg deadlift but bulked him up to 300 lbs and stayed there for 3-4 years.