Still Lifting: The Real Reason Deadlifts Endure from Youth to 60+

Long before barbells and gym floors, strength was forged in stone. The deadlift’s spirit has always been simple: lift what life throws at you—and rise.

Long before barbells and gym floors, strength was forged in stone. The deadlift’s spirit has always been simple: lift what life throws at you—and rise.

Introduction: One Lift to Rule Them All 🏋️‍♂️

The deadlift is many things.

Simple? Absolutely.

Easy? Not even close.

Timeless? Without a doubt.

Ask anyone who’s trained seriously—athlete, coach, therapist, or even your mate who swears by kettlebells—and you’ll get the same answer: the deadlift is the most honest movement in strength training.

It doesn’t matter how fit you look, how expensive your gym is, or how loud your playlist is blasting. When it’s just you and that bar on the floor, nothing fakes strength.

That’s why the deadlift isn’t just a staple in sport—it’s a universal checkpoint for human capability, especially as we age. For people in their 40s, 50s, and beyond, it’s not just about reps and sets anymore. It’s about function, resilience, and staying strong where it counts most: in real life.

So let’s dive deep into the roots, relevance, and real-world power of the deadlift. It’s older than you think. And more important than ever. 🧠

Where It All Started: Stone, Sweat, and Survival 🪨

Before barbells… before plates… before gyms with neon lighting and lemon-scented wipes… there were boulders.

And people lifting them.

In ancient cultures like Viking Scandinavia, young men had to lift massive stones—called testing stones—to prove their strength and worth. The legendary “Husafjell stone” in Iceland weighs 186 kg. If you could lift it to hip height, you earned the title fullsterkur—or “full strength.”

Talk about your original gym badge. 🎖

Meanwhile, over in ancient Greece, soldiers trained by picking up awkward stones to prepare for war. Not for PRs or Instagram—just for survival. If you couldn’t lift, you couldn’t fight. And that wasn’t an option.

Even across parts of Africa and Polynesia, rites of passage often involved lifting heavy objects. The message was clear across continents and cultures:

If you can pick it up, you’re ready.

The movement didn’t have a name, but the meaning was loud and clear. The deadlift has always been the human benchmark.

The Strongmen: Strength Meets Spotlight 🎩

By the 1800s, lifting made its way into the spotlight—literally. The strongman era gave birth to legends like Eugen Sandow and Louis Cyr, who turned feats of strength into theatre.

Imagine walking into a packed theatre in 1890 to watch a man lift a horse or support a dozen people on a wooden platform balanced on his back. 🎪

Behind the spectacle, these strongmen used lifts eerily similar to what we now call deadlifts:

• The “Health Lift” involved lifting a loaded bar from just above the ground with straps.

• The “Hand and Thigh Lift” was essentially a partial deadlift with enormous loads.

Sure, the moustaches were questionable—but the principles were rock-solid.

These men understood something we still preach at Fitfty: you don’t get strong by accident. You train smart, stay consistent, and respect the basics. And the deadlift was always part of the plan.

Before lifting platforms and sports science, strength was theatre—and the deadlift was centre stage. These early strongmen laid the groundwork for modern lifting, one globe barbell at a time.

Enter the Barbell: The Deadlift Takes Shape

With the invention of the barbell in the early 20th century, strength training got a facelift. Now athletes could load plates, measure their progress, and refine technique.

This is when the deadlift as we know it began to form:

• Bar on the ground

• Feet under hips

• Grip, brace, pull, lockout

Simple in setup, devastating in demand. 😤

Over time, it became one of the three main lifts in powerlifting, alongside the bench press and squat. But unlike those, the deadlift remains the most primal and raw. No racks. No bounce. No fancy setup.

Just a flat floor and a straight question:

“Can you pick this up?”

Deadlifting in Midlife: Why It Matters More Than Ever 🧓

You may have heard someone say,

“Deadlifts? Aren’t those bad for your back after 40?”

Let’s set the record straight—with love and science. ❤️

The truth is, deadlifts are not dangerous.

Bad form is dangerous.

Poor coaching is dangerous.

Ignoring pain or ego lifting is dangerous.

But a properly executed deadlift? It’s one of the most beneficial, full-body movements you can do, especially in your 40s, 50s, and 60s.

Here’s what it can help with:

• 🚫 Sarcopenia (muscle loss with age)

• 🦴 Osteopenia/Osteoporosis (bone health)

• 🎯 Hip hinge mechanics (essential for safe bending)

• 🤸‍♂️ Balance and coordination

• 🧠 Confidence and emotional wellbeing

If that list sounds like a life insurance policy for your joints—it kind of is.

Deadlifts keep you strong for:

• Picking up your grandkids 👶

• Moving furniture 🛋

• Standing tall with better posture 🧍

• Reducing fall risk as you age 🦶

And, let’s be honest—it just feels awesome to lift something heavy and know your body still has it. 🙌

Smart Variations for Real Bodies 💡

Not everyone needs to pull a barbell from the floor like a 22-year-old powerlifter. At Fitfty, we encourage personalised strength—adapting movements to suit your body.

Here are smart deadlift variations:

Variation	Why It Works
Trap Bar Deadlift	Load stays centred, reducing strain on the lower back and encouraging better posture.
Sumo Deadlift	Wider stance, shorter range—often more hip- and knee-friendly.
Block Pulls	Bar starts higher—great for mobility issues or post-injury training.
Kettlebell Deadlift	Perfect for beginners and for refining hinge mechanics.
Single-Leg Deadlift	Trains balance, coordination, and glute control.
Romanian Deadlift (RDL)	Targets hamstrings and glutes; less stress on the spine.

You’re not weaker because you use a variation. You’re smarter because you train where you are, not where someone else thinks you should be.

Meet Martin Tye: Lifting Beyond Limits 🇬🇧

Martin Tye, a veteran who was medically discharged after a suicide bomber detonated a car bomb adjacent to Tye’s vehicle, set the seated deadlift world record on May 6, lifting 1,113 pounds, 5 ounces. (Guinness Book of World Records)

Here’s a real-world story to inspire your next pull:

Martin Tye, a British Army veteran, was injured by a suicide bombing while serving in Afghanistan. He was medically discharged and left with life-changing injuries.

But he didn’t quit.

He trained.

And in 2019, he set the Guinness World Record for the seated deadlift, pulling a staggering 1,113 pounds (505 kg).💥

Let that sink in.

Not because it’s a record. But because it’s a reminder:

Strength doesn’t care about your setbacks. It responds to effort.

Quick Facts & Fun Comparisons 🧠

• The heaviest conventional deadlift ever recorded is 501 kg (1,104 lbs) by Hafthor Bjornsson—aka “The Mountain” from Game of Thrones. 🏔

  
  

• Grip strength, which improves with deadlifts, is a stronger predictor of long-term health than blood pressure.¹

  
  

• Your glutes—heavily activated in the deadlift—are the largest muscle group in the body. They also tend to weaken fastest after 40.²

  
  

• Many people avoid deadlifts because they “look hard.” That’s true. But so is brushing your teeth every day. And no one’s quitting that. 🪥

So… Why Do We Still Lift? 🤔

Because it’s not about ego.

It’s about agency.

To lift is to say:

• “I’m still capable.”

• “I’m still building.”

• “I’m still strong.”

Whether you’re deadlifting 30 kg or 130 kg, you’re training for life, not just the gym.

At Fitfty, we believe every lift should serve a purpose—whether that’s mobility, independence, or just being able to chase your dog down the street when it escapes again (looking at you, Buddy 🐶).

Final Thoughts: The Lift That Tells the Truth

Here’s the thing about the deadlift:

You can’t fake it.

You can’t shortcut it.

You can’t hide from it.

That’s exactly why it endures. Because life will always throw weight at you—and training to lift that weight, quite literally, makes you more ready for it.

So whether you’re a beginner, a comeback story, or someone who’s just not ready to hand over your strength to the calendar…

Still lift. Still rise. Still live strong.

---

👟 Next Steps: What You Can Read Next 👇

→ Jumping to Conclusions: What Your Jumps Say About Your Performance (and Why You Should Care)

→ Move Like You Mean It 🕺💥: The 7 Primal Patterns Your Body Was Built For

→ 🥊 Until You Get Punched in the Face. The Truth About Injury, Adaptation, and Moving Forward After 40

→ The New Face of Mortality: Are We Truly Healthier?

---

📚 References

1. Leong, D.P., et al. (2015). Prognostic value of grip strength. The Lancet, 386(9990), 266-273.

2. Fielding, R.A., et al. (2011). Sarcopenia: An undiagnosed condition in older adults. Current Opinion in Rheumatology, 23(6), 535-541.

3. Guinness World Records (2019). Martin Tye breaks seated deadlift world record.

4. Escamilla, R.F. (2001). Biomechanics of the deadlift. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 15(1), 75-85.

5. Delavier, F. (2006). Strength Training Anatomy.

   
   
   
   

---

Proof of Authorship:

This article was signed by the author using Keybase.

View the signed proof here