The bar is loaded. It lays massive and motionless on the platform. “The Beast” approaches. Disciplined, prepared and determined to accomplish what he has set forth to achieve. He focuses, his eyes glaze as he envisions every moment leading up to now…
The hours upon hours spent in the training hall, kitchen and recovering his body preparing for this moment. The moment where “The Beast” Eddie Hall becomes a legend and the world’s first man to lift an inhuman 1,102lbs (500kg) off the ground.
Simply put, this man was built to break records. Standing at 6ft 3 inches in height and a massive 401lbs Eddie Hall is no stranger to the deadlift. In the past 2 years alone he has broken the world record deadlift three times over lifting an incredible 1,021lbs, 1,025lbs. Today, four months later, is expected to be no different.
He begins the pull, his feet are firmly grounded on the platform below, as he pulls the bar his body begins to quake and blood rushes into every muscle to aid him in accomplishing this feat.
Chalk evaporates into the air as the bar slides up his legs and with a quick, effortless looking pull Eddie Hall has become a legend! The first man in the history to deadlift 1,102lbs. The crowd screams and cheers as they have just witnessed a once in a lifetime feat.
Triumph to near tragedy in seconds
The bar lowers and crashes to the platform below same as it always does. But this time something’s different. Eddie collapses. First to his knees, then to his hands. He lays dazed on top of the bar which has just marked his name in history forever.
Dozens of event staff and medical specialists rush to his aid. Eddie comes to and kneels, blood rushes down his face as his nose begins to bleed and the tens of thousands of people watching question whether or not this inhuman feat was truly just that. After several seconds Eddie staggers to a stance, walks and confirms that he is OK.
The world has just witnessed a staggering feat.
Later it is revealed that Eddie passed out and nearly died due to blood vessels that burst in his brain during the 1,102lb deadlift. When interviewed about the deadlift he said , “It nearly killed me. I don’t want to do it again but if it comes to the point someone breaks it, Hell, I may just have to break it again. There’s definitely still more in the tank!”
Eddie Hall risked his life for this achievement and nearly died. Yet he would still attempt to break this record, again risking his life, on an even greater scale.
Why is he willing to risk his life to achieve this dream?
As human beings, we are born and developed with passions and purpose. Weset goals to achieve to continue to grow in the pursuit of living a greater life. For some, this is to have a family, for others it is to manage corporate business and for a select few, it’s to deadlift half a ton!
We are all individual and what we prioritize and set out to achieve is unique to just us. It does not matter what the scale appears to be because the interpretation of what is important in life changes from person to person.
What is really comes down to is that life is growth. And if we do not routinely challenge ourselves then we cannot grow. We face challenges every single day that if we face and conquer will support us in our goal of accomplishing our dreams.
Conversely, if we back down from these challenges we lose the drive and motivation to accomplish what we have set forth to achieve. This hinders our growth potential and sets us up for a life where we become another wheel in a system we don’t control. A life we don’t control is not a life of happiness and therefore we cannot grow we cannot be happy.
And if we cannot be happy then what else is there?
What Eddie Hall has done is no different. It is just on a much bigger scale. A 1,102lb scale to be exact! Every moment leading up to this record breaking feat had been a series of choices. A series of challenges and sacrifices that he repeatedly faced and conquered until he had grown into a place where breaking world records is just the norm.
In this place he has one of two choices. Risk it all to grow and achieve a dream or settle for a life where he no longer challenges himself and give up on the pursuit of accomplishing his goal.
When he decided to do the ‘impossible’ he really had no choice. Life is growth and for Eddie Hall, growth is deadlifting 1,102lbs.