Some of you younger lifters might not know the name Bruce Wilhelm – the winner of the first two World’s Strongest Man contests in 1977 and 78. Although I wasn’t born yet, I grew up in a house full of iron freaks and can remember watching VHS tapes of those Strongman contests.
Bruce was also an accomplished weightlifter, finishing 5th in the 1976 Olympic Games and bringing home a Silver in the 1975 Pan American Games. He was also the first American to snatch 400 pounds. Oh yeah, he also threw the shotput 66 feet and ¼ inch and was the Pac-8 wrestling champion in 1965. The dude is a badass and was a true renaissance man of the Iron Game. He could do anything that involved moving heavy weight.
Bruce Wilhelm Inspired Deadlift Workout
Using Wilhelm’s main tenets of Olympic movements and squats, what follows is a deadlift program inspired by this legend. As lifters it is always important to remember and acknowledge the Iron Warriors that came before us. Bruce Wilhelm is one of the all-time great all around strength athletes, and if you are looking to add some pounds to your deadlift consider giving his routine a try.
Bruce’s Notes
The lack of actual deadlifting and the preponderance of Olympic style lifts may have people shaking their heads in disbelief, but Bruce has this to say, “I know that there are many lifters who feel that it’s crazy to do power cleans, power snatches and other Olympic lifting assistance exercises to improve the deadlift, but they do work.” You can’t argue with results!
Bruce also espoused the importance of squatting in his deadlift training, “Squatting has a strong influence on one’s success in the deadlift. The leg strength derived from this exercise really helps when moving the weight off the floor.”
