Mitchell Hooper is a man who loves a good challenge, which is evident by the videos he shares on YouTube. Just one week ago, Hooper attempted and successfully completed the “Tom Platz’s 525-pound Squat Challenge“, but he has already upped the ante. In his most recent YouTube video, Mitchell Hooper attempted to perform Eddie Hall’s “Death By Deadlift” set.
Eddie Hall was the first man to deadlift 500 kilograms (1,102.3 pounds) back in 2016. That same year, during his prime, Eddie invented the “Death By Deadlift” set. The goal of the set was to start the first rep with only one plate on each side of the barbell. Then, another plate was added to each side, and he performed the rep without rest. This process was repeated until there were ten plates on each side, or 420 kilograms (926 pounds) in total.
Once the top weight was reached, the spotters took out one plate from each side, with Hall performing reps until only one plate was left on the barbell.
So, Eddie Hell performed one rep with each of the following weight increments: 60-kg / 100-kg / 140-kg / 180-kg / 220-kg / 260-kg / 300-kg / 340-kg / 380-kg / 420-kg / 380-kg / 340-kg / 300-kg / 260-kg / 220-kg / 180-kg / 140-kg / 100-kg / 60-kg.
Even in his prime, this set left Eddie Hall completely exhausted and on his knees. In fact, in 2021 Hall referred to this as his “most impressive deadlift session” ever.
Mitchell Hooper’s “Death By Deadlift” Attempt
Mitchell Hooper first gave credit where credit is due and revealed that he recognizes Hall as one of the greatest ever. This also meant that Hooper understood just how difficult this feat of strength is.
“There is no losing in a way because this is such a ridiculous feat… This is against probably, arguably, the best deadlifter of all time…
However, while Eddie Hall used 20-kilogram plates, Mitchell Hooper opted for 45-pound plates which are 0.4 kilograms heavier each. So, his set was even more difficult than Hall’s original one.
“I’m not interested in tying records. We are going to be using the pound plates… meaning we are going to be working up to 428 kilograms.”
Mitchell Hooper also attempted to replicate Hall’s setup as much as possible, opting to use only a lifting belt and lifting straps, as well as a standard barbell.
“It looked like Eddie did it on a gym bar, a standard barbell. So, it would be cheating to do it on a deadlift bar… I’m going to do it with figure eights (lifting straps) like he did.”
Mitchell Hooper started the set off very strongly, but his attempt stopped once he successfully locked out the second-to-last ascending repetition. So, once it was time to put on the final plate on each side, plates started sliding off from his barbell, and the “Death By Deadlift” challenge concluded.
“It’s attempt one. I reckon it is there. I was having some strap issues, but I think it is there… 380-kg was a grinder. It felt better than I anticipated… I’ll definitely go again. I’ll definitely have another crack at some stage.
Mitchell Hooper does not consider this attempt a failure, purely due to the level of difficulty it carries. His performance was still impressive, but a lot of reps were still left in the set.
“Just to reiterate, this is an attempt at probably the greatest deadlift strength feat, in my opinion, of all time. This is up there with 500 and 501 (kilograms).”
Watch the video here:
Related: Mitchell Hooper Shows Off Impressive Endurance Levels With a 465-lb (211-kg) Squat For 20 Reps
Although Mitchell Hooper did not manage to successfully complete Eddie Hall’s deadlift set, his Strongman career shows that he is the perfect candidate for this incredible feat. Since he began competing in Strongman a year ago, Hooper has participated in 10 international competitions, winning five of them. His most notable victories are the 2023 Arnold Strongman Classic and 2023 World’s Strongest Man.
Mitchell Hooper has gained a reputation for being a record-breaker. So, he will give his all to succeed in performing the “Death By Deadlift” set once again. One thing is certain, whenever Mitchell attempts this challenge again, he will make sure to put on a performance for the history books.