This year was supposed to be a real delight for all powerlifting fans, as Dan Bell and Hafthor Bjornsson both had goals to set new World Records and battle against each other. However, the situation has quickly changed for the worse, as both men injured themselves. Dan’s injury is the more recent one, having suffered it at the 2023 USA-UA Pioneer on the Beach and revealed it just a few days ago on Instagram.
Dan Bell injured himself while performing a 425-kilogram (937-pound) squat on his third attempt. He got stuck in the middle of the lift, but somehow managed to push through. Although it looked like it was time to celebrate, Dan immediately showed signs of injury, barely being able to walk out of the squat rack.
“This one hurt. Felt like my left glute was getting torn in half then following the leg simply locked up and wouldn’t work. It was wild.”
Dan Bell tried to rest for some time in the hopes that his injury was just a small tweak of some sorts. However, after a few days it only got worse.
“Woke up Monday 4/17 unable to feel or move my toes. Absolutely wild a week after.”
However, Dan Bell took a positive approach to this, hoping to find out what the injury is and recover in the best way possible. After visiting two different hospitals, he finally found out the extent of his injuries.
“Moving forward with morphine and 2 different hospitals finding one of the largest MRI machines in Florida to find out my spine and 6 bulging discs have seen better days.”
Dan Bell’s recovery process has begun and he wants to avoid surgery if possible. However, his future is currently very uncertain.
“Already in the process of working things out and avoiding surgery at all costs… Got to be honest the future is up in the air. Just one day at a time.”
Dan Bell has experienced some injuries throughout his career, but he has always managed to come back better than he was. Thus, he built an incredible resume, appearing in 36 sanctioned competitions and winning 27 of them. Alongside that, Dan has claimed a number of World Records as well.
National Powerlifting and Benchpress Championships
Open
2022.7
504.75
Location
USA-IL
Competition
National Powerlifting and Benchpress Championships
Division
Open
Age
27
Equipment
Wraps
Class
308.6
Weight
304.5
Squat
788.2
815.7
-837.8
815.7
Bench
424.4
451.9
474
474
Deadlift
705.5
733
-749.6
733
2
UPA
2014-02-15
Powerlifting & Bench Press National Chamionships
MOR
1907
476.16
Location
USA-IA
Competition
Powerlifting & Bench Press National Chamionships
Division
MOR
Age
27
Equipment
Wraps
Class
308.6
Weight
303.8
Squat
650.4
705.5
749.6
749.6
Bench
380.3
413.4
440.9
440.9
Deadlift
683.4
716.5
-749.6
716.5
DQ
APF
2005-03-12
Illinois State Meet
M_TCR_3_APF
Location
USA-IL
Competition
Illinois State Meet
Division
M_TCR_3_APF
Age
18
Equipment
Wraps
Class
308.6
Squat
451.9
-600.8
-617.3
451.9
Bench
319.7
352.7
-402.3
352.7
Deadlift
-501.6
-600.8
-600.8
Data Source: Open Powerlifting. Last Updated: April 12, 2023
Any injuries around the spine are extremely risky and complicated. So, Dan Bell definitely needs to take his time and make sure that he is healed properly before coming back to the sport. Luckily, Bell is experienced enough to avoid making any mistakes, which should be good enough to see him back on the stage in the future.
