Jamal Browner Profile — Career, Diet, Stats, and More

Jamal Browner is undeniably one of the greatest powerlifters in the world, especially when it comes to the deadlift event. Many notable figures, such as Hafthor Bjornsson and Larry Wheels, have turned to him in order to learn how to deadlift more efficiently. So, that places Jamal as a very special person in the strength community. In order to present a bigger picture of Jamal, we have covered everything about his life and career in this article.

Jamal Browner Stats

Jamal Browner Biography

Early Life

Jamal Browner first started lifting weights at the age of 12 years old. However, for a very long time, the only purpose of training with weights was to help him perform better in other sports that he was doing. Most notably, since being in eighth grade, Jamal has held a serious interest in American Football and Track Running. He also tried out for the Basketball team, but did not manage to get accepted.

Jamal Browner was signed up to play football at Reinhardt University at first. However, he could not afford to continue paying the tuition after some time, which forced him to drop out.
Understandably, this demotivated him quite a lot at the time. So, he didn’t want to go to another school at the time.

“I ended up getting a scholarship for Riendhardt University, which is the school where I was signed up to play at. But, the tuition there was super expensive… we couldn’t afford it, and I had to drop out.”

Shortly after, Jamal Browner experienced some family issues and moved in with his mom, and she pushed him to fulfill his potential. Thus, Jamal managed to get into Albany State University and complete his undergraduate degree.

While he was in university, Browner developed a friendship with Marcus Adodo, another high-level powerlifter who was also the main reason that Jamal started competing. They followed some other athletes on social media, one of them being Russel Orhii. After witnessing Russel’s debut in powerlifting, Marcus decided to give it a try and eventually persuaded Jamal Browner to do the same. Jamal did not have the desire to do so initially, but Marcus realized how strong he was and motivated him.

At first, Jamal Browner was hesitant to start doing powerlifting. Instead, he was warmed up to the idea of doing bodybuilding and did not want to experiment with powerlifting. However, Jamal realized that he loves food and does not want to lose weight. So, powerlifting looked like a better option.

Powerlifting Career

Jamal Browner’s career officially started in 2016, as he took part in his first competition. At that time, he still trained like a Powerbuilder, working on the three core lifts but also doing other exercises. Despite that, Jamal managed to win both the Junior and Open 105-kilogram weight classes. Moreover, he showed signs of greatness with a huge 302.5-kilogram (666.9-pound) deadlift.

After his debut, Jamal Browner was praised by many people for his strength and advised to take part in the 2016 USAPL Raw Nationals. After finding some more information about the competition, he realized that it was a major meet and took part in it. Jamal excelled once again, finishing second in the U105KG Junior division and fifth in the U105KG Open division. Jamal was deadlifting with a conventional stance up until this point of his career, but realized that sumo was better for him shortly after.

Related: Powerlifter Jamal Browner Crushes 435-kg (959-lb) Raw Conventional Deadlift PR In Training

Drug-Test Setback

The next year, 2017, seemed to be going well for Jamal Browner since he continued rising up the ranks. He was competing in the USA Powerlifting (USAPL) at the time, which was a drug-tested federation. However, bad news struck as one of the drug tests came back positive for Turinabol.

Jamal Browner stated that he did not use any PEDs and used his own money to pay for another drug test. Unfortunately, that one came out positive as well. He continued trying to prove his innocence, but soon realized that he did not have the means to do so at the time. Being near mid 20s at the time, Jamal realized that the 4-year USAPL suspension was too long for him and switched federations.

For some time after that, Jamal Browner did not even want to use supplements, just in case they contained something that was forbidden. He continued competing, though, and quickly became one of the best deadlifters in the world. However, Jamal was unhappy with where he was at the moment, since he had been working long-hour shifts in a warehouse and trained afterwards.

Despite that, it was clear that a bright future was ahead of Jamal Browner, as even one of his idols, Dan Green, recognized him at the 2018 USA-UA Hybrid Deadlift Invitational. So, it was clear that Jamal was becoming one of the most notable figures in the sport. As Jamal states, he was still a natural athlete at the time.

Related: Powerlifter Jamal Browner Smokes 1,003-lb (455-kg) Raw Deadlift For Two-Rep PR

In late 2019, Jamal Browner decided to start using PEDs since he was competing in untested federations and it seemed like the only way to “even the playing field”. He did his research, only used moderate dosages, and also made sure to do his blood work. Jamal felt the effects of the PEDs, but also hard work, at the 2020 WRPF Hybrid Showdown II. In fact, Jamal set new Deadlift & Total U110KG All-Time World Records. Browner has since made even more improvements to all of his lifts.

Jamal Browner’s Powerlifting Stats

Jamal Browner has been competing for nearly a decade, during which he took part in 16 sanctioned powerlifting competitions, where he won 11 of them. However, what makes him stand out the most is his deadlift, as he has broken countless records and milestones throughout the years.

Raw Competition PRs

*Jamal Browner set all of his competition PRs at the 2022 USPA Pro Raw Championships.

• Squat: 370-kg (815.7-lb)
• Bench Press: 227.5-kg (501.5-lb)
• Deadlift: 455-kg (1,003.1-lb)
• Total: 1,052.5-kg (2,320.3-lb)

Check out Jamal Browner’s World Record Total here:

Related: Powerlifter Jamal Browner Smokes a Four Paused Rep PR Of 410-kg (903.9-lb) Raw Deadlift

Powerlifting Training

Jamal Browner has always been extremely detail-oriented in training, but he had to learn a lot of stuff by himself. While he was still building up his reputation, Jamal would send messages to elite powerlifters at the time, hoping to receive some tips from them. However, he did not receive a reply in most cases. So, he would use the videos of their lifts, slow them down, and look for anything that could improve his technique as well.

Jamal Browner often shares the summary of his workouts on social media, such as Instagram. His training plan is carefully planned out and suited to his goals. He often mixes up all three of the powerlifting lifts in training as well, sometimes performing heavy low-rep sets, but also not avoiding workouts of a bigger volume.

Jamal Browner’s Deadlift Tips

Jamal Browner’s recommendation for beginners is to start with a conventional stance, since it is more applicable in everyday life and helps build the posterior chain. However, he also made a YouTube video revealing his full sumo technique.

Jamal Browner has found the perfect sumo stance width for himself, and it requires placing the shins of both legs in front of the notches that can be found on barbells. Moreover, his favorite way to grab the bar is with a hook grip, which is also the hardest one to perform properly. Jamal is also not completely against using the mixed grip but believes that the double-overhand grip should be avoided.

According to Jamal Browner, another important skill needed to achieve a heavy deadlift is pulling the slack out of the bar. It comes down to personal feeling, but it requires a person to create tension and bend the bar before the main pull.

Initiating The Deadlift

One thing to keep in mind, as per Jamal Browner, is that the deadlift should feel like a press. So, you should be pressing your legs into the floor instead of pulling the barbell with your back.

The cue that Jamal Browner uses is a “Hip Shoot”. So, once he sets up the stance and grabs the bar, he raises his hips, which helps him create tension and elongate his arms as much as possible.

Lockout

With some training and perfecting of the aforementioned factors, deadlifts should become better. However, Jamal Browner points out another detail that can often be neglected. That is the lockout portion. As per him, the best thing to focus on during the lockout is the timing. In fact, it is important to note that deadlifting requires the lockout of the hips and knees. So, those two lockouts should happen at the same time, but many lifters make a mistake and lock out the knees first. In turn, they then have to put in extra effort to finish the lift with their hips.

Related: Jamal Browner Hits 760.6 lbs Raw Squat Triple PR, Follows It Up With 903 lbs Conventional Deadlift Double PR

Diet

Jamal Browner is following a planned-out diet but looks to keep it simple and effective. As he describes it, he basically eats like a bodybuilder. This makes sense as Jamal is maintaining a high amount of muscular mass while also carrying a pretty low body fat percentage.

Jamal Browner is not an advocate for counting macros, as he believes it would make him overcomplicate the meals. However, during the 2023 season, he believes that his daily intake was close to 4,000 calories. Partly due to the fact that he prepared to take part in a Strongman-style competition.

Meal One

• Oats (80 grams)
• Whole Eggs (Four)
• Egg Whites (276 grams)
• Blueberries (100 grams)

Meal Two

• Avocado (90 grams)
• Ground Beef (280 grams)
• Jasmine Rice (290 grams)

Meal Three

• Creamy Rice (100 grams)
• Protein (Two scoops)
• Almond Butter (30 grams)

Pre-Workout Shake

• Creatine
• Pre-Workout
• Intra-Workout Carbs
• Salt

Meal Four

• Chicken (280 grams)
• Rice (290 grams)
• Pineapple (100 grams)

Related: Jamal Browner Hits A Massive 953.5 lbs Conventional Raw Deadlift And 749.5 lbs Raw Squat PRs

Jamal Browner’s Current Life

Jamal Browner has not taken part in any powerlifting competitions throughout 2023. Instead, he appeared in the 2023 Giants Live Deadlift World Championships and was the only powerlifter among a dozen other Strongman athletes. He still impressed everyone with a 430-kilogram (948-pound) conventional deadlift.

However, Jamal Browner is now looking to come back to powerlifting in 2024, with his next appearance set to take place in April. So, seeing that Jamal Browner is still in his offseason, his main focus now is remaining injury-free. In order to perform well, Jamal needs to build a strong and solid base, and it could all fall through if he gets injured now. Jamal is also looking to squat around 850 pounds (385.6 kilograms) by the time of the competition. He has come close on a few occasions in the past, but injuries have stopped him.

Moreover, Jamal Browner is one of the few athletes who have deadlifted 500 kilograms (1,102.3 pounds) in training. Ever since that, he has been attempting to lift 505 kilograms (1,113.3 pounds), but has failed on multiple occasions. So, that remains one of his goals for the future.

Related: Jamal Browner Attempts A Gargantuan 501 kg (1104.5 lbs) Deadlift In Training

Jamal Browner has made history in powerlifting and has been one of the few special athletes who have pushed the limits of what was considered impossible. For that reason, he is regarded to be one of the greatest powerlifters of the modern era. His abilities have also been praised by other elite powerlifters as well as strength athletes from other sports.

Featured Image via @jamalbrowner on Instagram.

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