Good morning, Lifter,

Yesterday on X I posted about the first time I deadlifted 500 pounds.

I’d trained hard for it. In a dingy basement powerlifting gym you might know as Massenomics HQ, somewhere in the frozen plains of Western North East South Dakota, I finally pulled 500 off the floor.

I was fired up.

When I got home, I told my now-wife (who was my girlfriend at the time) what I’d done.

She looked at me and said,
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“Wow… is that a lot?”

And I had to answer honestly:

“Yes. But no.”

Side bar: She did the same thing a year ago when I got my BJJ blue belt.

“So… are you good now?”

“Nope. Not even close.”

That answer rubs some people the wrong way, and it definitely stirred things up yesterday. So I want to explain what I mean and why lifters need to raise their standards.

We need to stop measuring ourselves against what’s “good for gen pop.”

Because if we’re being real, the average person’s strength, fitness, and physical capability in the U.S. is terrible

The average person will be sore, stiff, and borderline crippled after 20–30 bodyweight air squats.

If you’re a Dedicated Recreational Lifter which is someone who actually trains, shows up, and cares about getting stronger comparing yourself to the average person is meaningless.

A 500-pound deadlift is a massive effort for most men who just “go to the gym.”

You can walk through commercial gyms across the country at peak hours and never see a 500-pound pull unless there’s a dedicated powerlifting area. It’s rare in that environment.

But in real strength circles its a golf clap.

Go into any private strength gym and you’ll see multiple people pulling 500. Myself and my collegues in the barbell coaching world have coached lots of regular guys, no freak genetics, no elite athletic background, wide age ranges to 500-pound deadlifts.

What does it take?

It takes two-plus years of doing the obvious things well:

Your technique is dialed and efficient.
You pull heavy weights regularly.
You gain enough bodyweight to actually support the load.
You show up and attack your work sets with intent.
You don't quit when it gets hard or set backs happen

Do that consistently, and for most men, a 500-pound deadlift is attainable.

Is it world-class strength? Not at all

But it does separate you from the masses by showing your commitment to a long-term process.

And that process changes you.

Physically, obviously. Mentally, even more.

You become the guy disturbing the neighborhood at 5:32 a.m. with 500-pound pulls before work. The guy who knows what effort feels like. The guy who doesn’t fold when things get heavy, inconvenient, or uncomfortable. The guy who forever has an exceptional base of

That’s the real point of all of this lifting nonsense.

Raise Your Standards

— Sam Krapf, SSC