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Max Dumbbell World Record Progression
The progression of the strongman one-arm max dumbbell world record. Note a long gap in the early documented history.
11 record-setting marks
+83 kg over the era
Early history sparse
Current Record Holder
151 kg
Progression Chart
Biggest Single Jump
+32 kg
Hafthór Júlíus Björnsson
(2016)
to 120 kg
Longest-Standing Record
18
years
88 kg
Ed Brost
1998 - 2016
Record Timeline
11 records| Year | Record | Athlete | Improvement | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 68 kg |
Vae Mafuli
|
First record | 1998 Strongest Man Alive |
| 1998 | 73 kg |
Jouko Ahola
|
+5 kg | 1998 Strongest Man Alive |
| 1998 | 75 kg |
Patrick Rankin
|
+2 kg | 1998 Strongest Man Alive |
| 1998 | 79 kg |
Jeff Maddy
|
+4 kg | 1998 Strongest Man Alive |
| 1998 | 84 kg |
Phil Pfister
|
+5 kg | 1998 Strongest Man Alive |
| 1998 | 88 kg |
Ed Brost
|
+4 kg | 1998 Strongest Man Alive |
| 2016 | 120 kg |
Hafthór Júlíus Björnsson
|
+32 kg | 2016 Arnold Australia |
| 2018 | 130 kg |
Dimitar Savatinov
|
+10 kg | 2018 Arnold Australia |
| 2023 | 132 kg |
Oleksii Novikov
|
+2 kg | 2023 WSM Final |
| 2023 | 140 kg |
Evan Singleton
|
+8 kg | 2023 WSM Final |
| 2024 | 151 kg |
David Shamey
|
+11 kg | 2024 Strongman World Cup |
Other Record Progressions
About This Record Progression
This page tracks the verified world-record progression for the max dumbbell. Every mark in the timeline beat the previous best in official competition, so the line shows a true running maximum rather than a list of every result.
Reading the Timeline
- Improvement: how much each new record exceeded the previous best, showing the pace of progression
- Biggest Single Jump: the largest one-step improvement, a watershed moment for the event
- Longest-Standing Record: the mark that proved hardest to beat, a ceiling that took years to surpass
Data Sources
Records are compiled from verified competition results across World's Strongest Man, the Arnold Strongman Classic, Giants Live, and major federations. Only sanctioned competition performances are included. Exhibition and gym lifts are excluded.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is built as a running maximum from verified competition results. Each entry in the timeline beat the previous best mark in official competition. Performances that did not exceed the standing record are not shown, which keeps the line clean rather than listing every result.
It shows how much each new record exceeded the one before it. The first mark in the timeline is labelled "First record" because there is no earlier value to compare it against.
We only publish a progression when the running-max line can be traced through documented competition results. When the history cannot be verified, we do not publish a line rather than guess.