CONVERSATION STARTER
Join Us in Exploring the Deadlift as a Road to Redemption
More deadlift. More fully alive.
- BY DOUGLAS DANOFF, EDITOR IN CHIEF

in the pipeline
A tantalizing preview of the material we're preparing for you.

four-time World's Strongest Man, on boundless human strength, developing a clear mind, competing effectively against oneself, the day he felt his strongest, fitness after forty, and benevolent giants in Lithuanian mythology.

World's Strongest Man and 500 kg deadlifter, on the deadlift as antidepressant, the humility of aging, the calculated risks of becoming someone special, and the mind as the most powerful muscle of all.

25-time world-record holder, on bucking family traditions, strength as a byproduct of resilience, the value of long suffering, the elusiveness of deadlift mastery, and learning how to succeed at any sport.

champion powerlifter and IFBB pro, on the benefits of visual and kinesthetic focus, the rewards of grinding out heavy lifts, deadlifting for powerlifting versus for bodybuilding, and the history of postwar weight training.

the first unequipped powerlifter to total 2500 lbs., on monkish seclusion, how the deadlift forges character, the hardest hardcore gym in Russia, and the virtues of giving your phone number to only three people.

world-record powerlifter, on cultivating a healthy relationship with food, the power of reinvention, expanding definitions of female beauty, and how the deadlift helped her become a better mom.

the mad scientist of powerlifting, on delayed gratification, killing your weaknesses, giving every drop of your soul to a lift, the intense scrutiny of competition, and how the deadlift filters out the ego.

three-time World's Strongest Man, on rage and love, defiance as fuel, how adversity reveals the measure of one’s spirit, the trick-beat-kill principle, harnessing deprivation, and trying out for the NFL's Green Bay Packers.

among the greatest pound-for-pound lifters ever, on fear as a barrier to greatness, why competing is easier than training, the intersection of physical and mental strength, and the merits of catching one’s breath.

trailblazing female powerlifter and co-creator of the Arnold Strongman Classic, on farmer strength, stumbling upon life’s quests, the politics of being a strong woman in the 1970s, and the mouse who lived in her daddy’s arm.

iconic multisport strength athlete, on how an underground movie salon hooked him on weights, the blessings of skill acquisition, harmonizing strength with kindness, and the meaning of his bluebird and wolf tattoos.

the first man to deadlift 1000 lbs., on the seconds before a half-ton lift, the essential little details that people never see, entering uncharted territory, weathering kidney failure, and the torture of cake-shop windows.

federation founder and push-pull god, on thinking big, the spectacle of bendy barbells, the deadlift as a potential Olympic sport, setting world records with submaximal exertion, and the charismatic intelligence of Konstantīn Konstantīnovs.
