500 lb Deadlift for Men - Sinister?



    Votes: 37 69.8%
  • No, 5 wheels is too heavy.

    Votes: 3 5.7%
  • No, 5 wheels is too light.

    Votes: 13 24.5%

  • Total voters


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We should step back here and figure out what we are discussing. Some people here are hung up on the word "equivalent," noting that TGUs, swings, and deadlifts are very different from each other. Agreed, these lifts are apples, oranges, and bananas, but we're still talking about fruit. I think a better word than "equivalent" would be "analogous." If StrongFirst were to create a S&S program for the deadlift, what would be a good/analogous "Simple" goal? That's how I read the question.

As for the multiple of weight discussion, I am on the heavy side so I am biased towards fixed weight standards. As noted, in real life if you need to carry something heavy, the object doesn't care how much you weigh or how old you are. The TSC is competed without weight classes, but it has pull ups which allows the lighter guys to a chance to compensate for the higher deadlifts of the heavier guys, and vice versa. Snatches can go either way as they require some strength (advantage heavier guys) and endurance (advantage lighter guys).


Certified Instructor
I (my OCD) would love for simple/solid/sinister to work out as 315/405/495 because the numbers almost exactly match the bells that would be used but I would say 365/455/545 is more accurate.


More than 500 posts
Certified Instructor
I like the idea of a simple and simister benchmark for the deadlift. Im just about a 2 x body weight at the moment at 200kg through using TB protocol. It's the recovery fall out from the DL that's the hardest part plus you are tilting the risk reward balance towards the risk side in terms of possible injury. To move to a 250kg DL I would need to trim back a lot of other things.. it's a worthy goal though.

Steve Freides

Forum Administrator
Senior Certified Instructor
@Steve Freides I must have misiniterpreted the original question framed this debate, ""Is a 500 lb deadlift the equivalent of a 48kg "Sinister?" as an evaluative question.

And I should have chosen my words for the poll question more carefully - I certainly see that now. I hope I've explained what I'm after more clearly than the original question did.

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