NordenBladet – Einar Hansberg Árnason this weekend broke a world record when he deadlifted a total of 528,090 kilogrammes in one day. He dedicated his world record to the fight for children’s welfare.
Einar spent most of the 24-hour slog with 60 kg on his barbell, but reduced it to 45 as the early morning approached. He completed 9,287 reps in total and his achievement is now in the process of being approved for inclusion in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most weight lifted in a single day. Einar completed his final lift at lunchtime on Sunday, to the loud delight of those gathered at CrossFit Reykjavík. The previous record stood at around 521 tonnes, which Einar broke by some seven tonnes.
Einar said after the record was broken that he is grateful for the support, both from those directly involved, and from the public.
“With hindsight, it was a lot of fun, but it was really tough and there were difficult periods, like at 09.00 this morning when the ship really stranded for a while, but we found a way around that. If you just put the right foot in front of the left and then the left foot in front of the right, you can get places,” Einar said.
He says he wants to use his achievement to direct people’s attention to child welfare: people need to listen to their children and work to improve communication with them.
Einar says that while the record was a challenge, his body remained in good shape: “I’m fine, though there’s surely a lot of endorphins rushing around my body and I’m very stiff.” Was he planning to train on Monday? “No. But I think that’s mainly because my wife wouldn’t let me!”