It’s not uncommon to see blood gushing out of someone while they’re performing a grueling lift. When Eddie Hall became the first man to deadlift 500 kg (1,102 pounds) his eyes became bloodshot and blood poured out of his nose.
That being said, it was still crazy to see blood gush out of powerlifter and Instagram sensation Larry Wheels’ head after he hit an insane deadlift triple at 793 pounds. In the video below, you can see Wheels complete the set with relative ease but when he goes to sit down for a second there’s a good amount of blood on the side of his cranium.
Again, it’s not uncommon to see competitive powerlifters bleed. When you put your body under this kind of pressure, it immediately raises your blood pressure, which can result in bursted blood vessels.
This is what happened to Strongman Mikhail Shivlyakov when he deadlifted 940 pounds at the Arnold Classic in 2018.
In Wheels’ case, it may be a result of steroid-induced acne that led to the bleeding. Wheels has been open about his use of gear, and acne is a common side effect of some steroids, so it’s not crazy to think that Wheels might have some bumps on his head that could’ve popped when he put his body under that kind of pressure. He has noticeable acne on other parts of his body, and even mentions it in this video.
We’re not sure if Wheels has ever cried in the gym, but if he has then he can say with full confidence that he’s given his blood, sweat, and tears to this industry.
