He’s in the home stretch of prep for his first strongman contest.
Powerlifter Jamal Browner is set to make his debut in the world of strongman at the 2023 World Deadlift Championships, which is part of the 2023 Giants Live Strongman World Open on Sept. 2, 2023 in Cardiff, Wales.
Browner has been a sumo deadlifter in his regular sport, but he’s had to transition into using a conventional stance for strongman, which doesn’t allow lifters to use the wide stance. Based on the looks of his training, he’s adapting pretty well. On Aug. 3, 2023, Browner posted an Instagram Reel of a short, intense set where he pulls 435 kilograms (959 pounds) for a double.
Browner used lifting straps and was wearing a weightlifting belt for this set, both of which are allowed in strongman. He pulled the first rep up to a lockout with no trouble. He then returned the barbell to the floor to begin rep number two. Although it was a little slower than the first, there was no doubt whether or not he could lock it out. He made an attempt at a third rep, but he was unable to bring the bar to knee-height.
Browner referred to this as a personal record, but he’s been showing steady improvement on the conventional version of the deadlift for months. This lift came less than six weeks after he had pulled 410 kilograms (903 pounds) for four reps. Prior to that, he had celebrated pulling the 435 kilograms for a single in April 2023 — now adding an additional rep to that PR.
Besides the use of his figure-eight straps and belt, Browner will also be allowed to wear a deadlift suit, but it is unknown whether or not he will. Even though this is his first time in strongman, he’s already considered one of the world’s renowned deadlifters. He is one of five men to have deadlifted 500 kilograms (1,102 pounds), which he did in September 2022. The others are former World’s Strongest Man winners Eddie Hall and Hafthor Bjornsson, and powerlifters Danny Grigsby and Krzysztof Wierzbicki — Wierzbicki actually pulled 502.5 kilograms (1,107 pounds) to capture the heaviest deadlift of all-time, albeit in training not on a competition platform.
Browner has been very successful on the platform as well. In September 2022, he set the world record for the raw total in the 110-kilogram category with a combined total of 1,052.5 kilograms (2,320 pounds), which included a 455-kilogram (1,003-pound) deadlift. As of August 2023, that record still stands.
Featured Image: @jamal_b15 on Instagram
