THE DEADLIFT, AKA the king of all compound lifts, has long been considered one of the ultimate tests of strength. That’s because it activates muscles across your entire body and posterior chain, from your glutes to your delts.
But because they’re such a good test of strength, deadlifts are also prone to comparison. “How much can you deadlift?” has been asked countless times in gyms around the world – with many inflated answers given in response, we’re sure.
If you’re looking for a good point of comparison, celebrities are a good place to start. These guys are often paid to look the way they do, with their physiques playing a big part in their overall image. So, if you can deadlift as much as them, you’re doing alright.
Some of them have modest PRs, while others can rival powerlifters. Take Hugh Jackman, for example, who proudly proclaims “If the bar ain’t bendin, then you’re just pretendin”.
Jason Statham: 165kg
Statham is more of a bodyweight workout and combat sports kind of guy. But as his trainer revealed back in 2020, he does devote an entire day of his weekly routine to building up to his deadlift one-rep max, which is a respectable 165kg. It’s an impressive number, but one that should be within reach for many people.
Charles Melton: 190kg
In his new Men’s Health US cover story, Charles Melton claimed he was deadlifting as much as 190kg to bulk up for his role in Beef season two.
Henry Cavill: 200kg
Henry Cavill bulked up for Man of Steel in 2013, adding around 10kg of muscle. In the process, he increased his strength and one-rep maxes significantly. His deadlifts in particular went from a respectable 135kg to an impressive 200kg.
Hugh Jackman: 210kg
In 2015, Jackman announced on Instagram that he had joined the coveted 1,000-pound club by squatting 355 pounds, deadlifting 410 and benching 235 (107kg). Since then, he increased his deadlift PR even further, up to 210kg.
Ashton Hall: 230kg
Ashton Hall (the guy with the famously extreme morning routine), recently tested his deadlift one-rep max with Larry Wheels. He managed to complete a rep at 230kg, a considerable amount for an exercise he “doesn’t do very often”.
Sylvester Stallone: 250kg
You’re no genius if you knew Sylvester Stallone was strong. He is, famously, one of the strongest men in Hollywood history. Naturally, he has an impressive deadlift PR. Stallone reached the peak of his strength in the mid-70s, before he tore his pec during a bench press contest with his trainer in the lead-up to Rocky II. By his own admission, he was never the same after that incident. Luckily, he hit his max deadlift before that.
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson: 260kg
The Rock’s college football teammate, Leon Searcy, has said that the actor was an incredible athlete during his time in college. “He was out-squatting and out-benching guys who had been there three to four years at Miami. He was benching over 400 pounds (180kg), squatting about 500 (227kg).” The Rock himself claims his PR is 260kg, but we’ve never seen proof of that – post it, Dwayne!
Now that he’s slimming down and over the age of 50, it’s unlikely we’ll ever see The Rock lifting this much again.
John Cena: 273kg
Back in 2015, John Cena celebrated his 40th birthday by setting a new deadlift PR of 602lbs, or 273kg. “Bringing in 40 with 602. Never let age define drive”, he captioned a tweet, announcing the achievement.
Bringing in 40 with 602. Never let age define drive. #EarnTheDay #NeverGiveUp @WWE @Tapout @espn @SportsCenter pic.twitter.com/JMptCq4Vmj
— John Cena (@JohnCena) April 23, 2017
Arnold Schwarzenegger: 322kg
In a conversation on The Pat McAfee Show, Schwarzenegger shared his PR stats on the big three. “My best bench press was 525lbs, my best deadlift was 710lbs, and my best squat was 610lbs,” he said.
Those are some seriously impressive figures, but Schwarzenegger still somehow managed to be modest. “So those were my lifts then, but I have to say they are not at all great compared to what some of the bodybuilders and lifters are doing today.”
Larry Wheels: 425kg
Fitness influencer and bodybuilder Larry Wheels (who openly admits he’s not natty), has an outrageous one-rep deadlift max of 425kg, putting Arnold to shame. Even if he’s on the juice, that is an astounding PR at a body weight of just 125kg.
Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson: 510kg (world record)
As the current deadlift world record holder, Hafþór Björnsson sneaks onto this list courtesy of having a few acting credits to his name. Björnsson is most well known for playing ‘The Mountain’ in Game of Thrones and has also appeared in The Northman and upcoming film Masters of the Universe.
Björnsson set the deadlift world record at the Mutant Deadlift World Championships in 2025, surpassing his own previous record of 501kg, which he set in 2020.
