Sign In / Register
Kaiwaka powerlifter Bernie Hall has come away with a new national record and a trophy at his first competition in 16 months.
The 47-year-old successfully lifted 267.5kg to beat the NZ record in his Masters 2 category at the Day of the Deadlift event held at ACTN3 – Performance Athletes, a specialist strength sports club in Browns Bay, on October 29.
Hall also took out the Heaviest Male Deadlift of the Day trophy at the competition, which had a Day of the Dead theme and featured many competitors in costume or wearing zombie make-up.
Hall said he was especially pleased with the result as it was his first competition since July last year and he had changed the way he carried out deadlifts in the meantime.
“I changed my starting technique as I was starting to get a build-up of injuries on my left side,” he said.
“So it was different and I was a bit slower to start with.”
The winning lift is the next stage in Hall’s bid to crack 272.5kg and maybe even his category world record weight of 275kg. To put that in perspective, try to imagine lifting a vending machine, grizzly bear or a baby grand piano, all of which weigh in at around 250kg.
With these targets in mind, Hall is continuing his regular training sessions at Kaiwaka Fitness Center and keeping in touch with the NZ powerlifting community for news of upcoming events and competitions.
“Since Covid, a lot of events have been cancelled. I’m not sure when the next Nationals will be, but I’m hoping they’ll put up a calendar in December,” he said.
“I’m definitely going to hit 272.5kg in 2023 and maybe even the world record. I’m feeling positive and strong.”
