Man deadlifts weight of Christ the Redeemer in epic 24-hour fitness challenge
A fitness fanatic lifted more than the weight of gigantic statue Christ the Redeemer in the space of one day to break a world record.
Daniel Mulligan (UK) claimed the most weight deadlifted in 24 hours (male) with a total of 822,242 kg (1,812,733 lb) last December.
The famous statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, weighs around 635,000 kg (1,400,000 lb) and the record Daniel outdid was 580,220 kg (1,279,166 lb), set by Nick Riding (UK) in 2022.
Personal trainer Daniel, 32, says he’s always wanted to hold a world record, but he was motivated by other things in his life too.
He said: “I'm good at deadlifting and have great endurance, but when my friend was diagnosed with cancer, it encouraged me to find something big enough to drive donations. Breaking a Guinness World Records title by deadlifting for 24 hours felt pretty big, to say the least.
“I'm also big on testing ourselves physically, since we have the choice when many don't. For those who are ill or disabled, they don't have a choice, but I feel blessed that I can choose to suffer like this. I'm able to push myself really hard when others can't, and if that encourages generosity for donations, it makes it worth it.”
Daniel’s friend, who wishes to remain anonymous, was inspired by what he did, but he says it’s her and anyone going through a health battle like this who are the inspiring ones.
Daniel trained for his record attempt for five months, fighting through the pain of blistered hands and a small hernia he had to battle to keep at bay.
But along the way, he perfected his deadlift.
Sharing his top tips, he told us: “The perfect deadlift doesn't generally have an exact look, but it does have an overall approach.
“First, place your feet underneath the bar, with the bar in line with the middle of your foot, heel to toe. Then, before reaching down, breathe in and brace well into the stomach, this keeps the trunk stable throughout, then work hard to pull the tension out of the bar before you lift, often called ‘taking the slack’. It's like pre-loading the body before you lift it.
“Then aim to pull your hips down at the start and throughout. Keeping your hips held down ensures good leg drive, and good leg drive gives you a strong deadlift and helps prevent injury.
“Aside from these technique cues, if every set you do is really heavy, you don't get the chance to improve your technique, so just do one hard set a week.
“In summary, breathe and brace into the stomach, and use your legs as much as possible to lift the weight. Do only one hard set a week, then your other sets to get your technique better.”
Read about more amazing feats of strength in our Sports and Fitness section.
During the 24 hours of his attempt, Daniel performed 11,749 reps, which works out at roughly eight per minute.
His efforts raised an incredible £7,032 ($9,519) for Macmillan Cancer Support, a charity that has been helping his friend.
In breaking the record and helping others, Daniel made his childhood dream come true, proving to himself just what he’s capable of.
He hopes to break several other records and has big ambitions for showing off both his strength and endurance in further challenges.
He said: “Even now, I'm often asked why I'd want to deadlift for 24 hours. I'd encourage people to just choose the hard thing, sometimes we don't need a why. I obviously wanted to raise money for charity, but I could have chosen an easier option. I chose the hard one because that's where the learning is, and the reward isn't just the experience, I wanted to prove to myself that I don't quit. And I didn't. That proof will help me on any future quest.”