Larry Wheels Heavy Deadlift - Image credit @Youtube
Larry Wheelshas decided to return to strength training, and his first training session back saw him perform a 700-pound (317.5-kilogram) deadlift for 21 singles. This workout marked the start of Larry’s preparation for C.T. Fletcher’s Iron Wars VIII, which will take place on January 19th, at the Iron Addicts Gym in California. With some extremely strong lifters coming to the show, Larry is also determined to bring his best shape, which is why he started off his prep with such an impressive training session.
Larry’s training philosophy changed significantly over the past year as his focus turned to bodybuilding. Consequently, he now has to ease into his new training plan, and what better way to do it than to perform 21 sets of one rep with 700 pounds (317.5 kilograms). Larry was also sticking to the EMOM (Every Minute on the Minute) format. So, he started the timer, performed one set, then rested for the remainder of the minute. He then performed another set at the start of each new minute.
Larry Wheels shared the entire workout on YouTube, where he first revealed what his goals for Iron Wars VIII are. As expected, Larry is hoping to set a new PR with an 800-pound (362.9-kilogram) for 10 repetitions. His previous best with the same weight was seven reps.
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“I’ve always had large goals in mind for deadlifts; I’ve mentioned 1,000 pounds before, and one day I still aspire to achieve that. But now, I have my eyes set on something a bit more attainable.”
Larry Wheels then began doing his workout and used a bit of a stiffer bar instead of the specialized deadlift one. This made his workout noticeably more difficult, but also more effective. However, Larry also explained how it can be more dangerous since some parts of the lower back are under more pressure. Interestingly, the initial plan was to perform 20 sets, but Larry miscounted and performed 21.
Surprisingly, despite the fact that Larry Wheels did not deadlift as much weight for a very long time, he still managed to breeze through all 21 sets. Moreover, the pace and effort invested to perform the rep looked roughly the same for each set, proving that Larry’s conditioning and strength are at a very high level already. This is especially impressive considering that he only used a lifting belt and lifting straps to perform the workout.
“This year, my priority was bodybuilding and arm wrestling as a hobby. But powerlifting was not even an afterthought… So, did I think that I could do 700 pounds, after this long hiatus, for 20 singles? Absolutely not! But what I found interesting is that it didn’t get any more challenging set by set.”
Although he did well in bodybuilding, Larry Wheels can seemingly never separate himself from the desire to lift humongous weights. This is most likely because of his history in powerlifting, where he set countless All-Time World Records. He also took part in a total of 16 sanctioned powerlifting competitions and won 11 of them.
Vedad is a journalist specializing in strength sports, with three years of experience covering powerlifting, Olympic weightlifting, strongman, armwrestling and bodybuilding. He is a lifelong fitness enthusiast, passionate about all aspects of strength training. Vedad's in-depth knowledge of training methodologies and dedication to constant research fuel his insightful and engaging reporting. He works hard to deliver accurate content while continuously seeking to improve his craft.