# Elephant bar

The elephant bar is a barbell developed by Rogue Fitness which is specifically used for the strongman raw deadlift. It was first created in 2016 by Terry Todd, the director of the Arnold Strongman Classic. The bar is known for being 10 ft (3.05 m) long and made from 200,000 psi tensile strength stainless steel, making it bend more than a power bar, and whip both up and down as well as forwards and backwards, while the deadlift is being performed.

## Elephant bar deadlift

Since its inception in 2016 Arnold Strongman Classic, the Elephant bar deadlift has been featured 8 times at the Arnold Strongman Classic and the Rogue Invitational. The event uses specially designed Arnold Schwarzenegger inscribed 2-inch thick deep dish stainless steel weight plates which allow the bar height to remain at the standard 9 inches off the floor. The rules state that no deadlift suits are allowed hence the lift should be performed raw. The event also allows only standard weightlifting straps and prohibits the use of figure of 8 straps.
Throughout the years, it became one of the most iconic and internationally recognized deadlift events in strongman history.

## World record

* 474.5 kg (1,046 lb) (Raw with standard straps) by Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (2019 Arnold Strongman Classic)
    → It is also the current all-time strongman raw world record irrespective of the bar Note: In strongman, a raw deadlift is a lift performed without the use of any deadlift suit or power briefs.
* 307 kg (677 lb) (Raw with standard straps) by Lucy Underdown (2025 Arnold Strongwoman Classic)

### Heaviest Men's Lifts

Only five men have deadlifted 1,000 pounds (450 kg) on the elephant bar. Two men (Hafþór and Brian Shaw) have done so multiple times. The table below contains all instances of 1,000lb+ elephant bar deadlifts.
| Weight | Athlete | Event | Remarks |
| 474.5 kg (1,046 lb) | Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson | 2019 ASC | World Record |
| 472 kg (1,041 lb) | Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson | 2018 ASC | Former World Record |
| 467.5 kg (1,031 lb) | Jerry Pritchett | 2017 ASC | Former World Record, performed outside the allocated 3 attempts |
| 465.5 kg (1,026 lb) | Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson | 2020 ASC | |
| 465 kg (1,025 lb) | Eddie Hall | 2016 ASC | Former World Record, done using figure-8 straps |
| 463 kg (1,021 lb) | Brian Shaw | 2016 ASC | |
| 463 kg (1,021 lb) | Jean-François Caron | 2018 ASC | |
| 463 kg (1,021 lb) | Brian Shaw | 2019 ASC | |
| 461 kg (1,016 lb) | Brian Shaw | 2018 ASC | |
| 458.5 kg (1,011 lb) | Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson | 2018 ASC | |
| 456.5 kg (1,006 lb) | Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson | 2024 ASC | |
| 456 kg (1,005 lb) | Jerry Pritchett | 2016 ASC | |

### Women's World Record Progression

Rogue held its first Record Breakers event for the women's elephant barbell deadlift in 2020. Since the introduction of the Arnold Strongwoman Classic, it has regularly been contested at that event. This table lists all world records in the history of the lift, including lifts that tied the record at the time.
| Weight | Athlete | Event | Remarks |
| 306.6 kg (676 lb) | Lucy Underdown | 2025 ASC | World Record |
| 302 kg (666 lb) | Lucy Underdown | 2024 ASC | World Record |
| 295.3 kg (651 lb) | Victoria Long | 2023 ASC | Former World Record |
| 295.3 kg (651 lb) | Tamara Walcott | 2023 ASC | Tied World Record |
| 290.8 kg (641 lb) | Tamara Walcott | 2022 ASC | Former World Record |
| 281 kg (619 lb) | Andrea Thompson | 2020 Record Breakers | Former World Record |
| 279.4 kg (616 lb) | Kristin Rhodes | 2020 Record Breakers | Former World Record |