Benedikt Magnússon

Benedikt "Benni" Magnússon (, ; born 4 June 1983) is an Icelandic strongman and powerlifter. He held the raw deadlift world record from 2011 to 2022 with 460.4 kg, and it remains the heaviest raw deadlift ever done in conventional stance.

Benedikt also holds the record for the heaviest raw conventional deadlift ever performed within a full powerlifting competition at 442.5 kg. He also set the world record for the heaviest strongman deadlift in 2014 with 461 kg, which stood until 2015.

Strongman and powerlifting career
Benedikt formerly held the world record for the Hummer tire deadlift of 500 kg at the Arnold Strongman Classic, in which hummer tires are used instead of powerlifting plates under strongman rules where lifting straps are allowed. Benedikt finished fifth at the Arnold Strongman Classic in 2006 & 2008, and was winner of Iceland's Strongest Man in 2003 as well as runner up in 2004 and 2010.

Benedikt is the current WPO powerlifting world record holder in the deadlift. He lifted 440 kg in 2005 in Helsinki. He held the Icelandic Log press record at 180 kg until Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson pressed 213 kg in 2018, and the strongman deadlift world record, lifting 460.4 kg at MHP's Clash of the Titan's IV (Ronnie Coleman classic) on 2 April 2011, which is only surpassed in sumo stance.

Benedikt lays out his training routine leading up to his 460.4 kg deadlift in two simple steps, starting with the pre-conditioning phase and ending with the muscle-building phase. Between the two phases, he would spend 4–6 days in the gym per week. He was sponsored by online sports nutrition brand Myprotein.

After his absence from competing due to injury and the following rehabilitation, Benedikt returned and broke the Strongman Deadlift World Record at the Giants Live Strongman competition in Melbourne, Australia by deadlifting 445 kg raw with straps.

After only eight weeks of training due to an operation to re-attach a finger tendon, Benedikt broke his own strongman deadlift world record at the World Deadlift Championships at Europe's Strongest Man 2014 with a lift of 461 kg on a standard bar and plates.

Benedikt then went on to compete in the World Deadlift Championships at Europe's Strongest Man 2016, lifting 465 kg to equal the strongman world record deadlift on a standard bar, with standard plates, which had been set moments earlier by Eddie Hall. Eddie Hall then went on to be the first person to deadlift 500 kg, which Benedikt Magnusson attempted also, but was unsuccessful.

Personal life
Benedikt is the brother of fellow Iceland's Strongest Man winner Magnús Magnússon.

Benedikt and Britain's Strongest Woman winner ex wife Gemma Taylor co-owned a heavy lifting gym in Iceland called Super Gym, which ran monthly "raw" (without the aid of lifting suits) competitions including Log Lift Max, Deadlift Max, Rolling Thunder Max, Bench Press Max, and Squat Max.

Powerlifting competition records
Done in official powerlifting meets


 * Squat - 420 kg
 * Bench press - 220 kg raw
 * Deadlift - 460.4 kg
 * Total = 1042.5 kg (380, 220, 442.5 kg (838, 485, 976 lb)) raw with wraps

Done in official strongman competitions
 * Deadlift - 465 kg (2016 World Deadlift Championships)
 * Hummer tire Deadlift (15 in from the floor) - 471 kg (2008 Arnold Strongman Classic)
 * Log press - 180 kg (2015 World Log Lift Championships)
 * Apollon's Axle press - 166 kg for 3 reps (2006 IFSA Ukraine Grand Prix)
 * Timber carry (raw grip) - 392 kg for 35 ft in 11.47 seconds (2006 Arnold Strongman Classic)