Eddie Hall is an English professional strongman who in July 2016 broke the 500 kg deadlift record which still stands today.

In his video interview with Brian Rose from London Real which you can see at the end of this post he explains his motives and preparation for the world record breaking 500 kg deadlift attempt.

Hall managed to lift his personal best and world record of 462 kg in March 2015 at Arnold Classic in Australia. It's then he set his sights on the magical 500 kg (half a ton) weight most thought was impossible to lift off the ground.

So how the hell did he manage to improve/add an incredible 38 kg in just a little over a year?

As a scientist explained to him it's not possible for a man to lift a half a ton except in unusual circumstances.

Hysterical strength

Those unusual circumstances is a flight or flight, life or death scenario.

A day to day person has access to maybe 50 % of his muscle fibers, a person who trains has access to at most 65-70 % of his muscle fibres. The only way to momentarily use a 100 % of your muscle fibres is in a life and death situation. Some reffer to it as hysterical strength. There have been cases of hyterical/superhuman strength where mothers have been able to lift a car to save their children trapped underneath a car, fighting off animals etc.

• In 1982, in Lawrenceville, Georgia, Tony Cavallo was repairing a 1964 Chevrolet Impala automobile from underneath. The vehicle was propped up with jacks, but it fell. Cavallo's mother, Mrs. Angela Cavallo, lifted the car high enough and long enough for two neighbours to replace the jacks and pull Tony from beneath the car.
• In 2006, Ivujivik, Quebec, resident Lydia Angiyou saved several children by fighting a polar bear until a local hunter shot it.
• In 2006, in Tucson, Arizona, Tom Boyle watched as a Chevrolet Camaro hit 18-year-old Kyle Holtrust. The car pinned Holtrust, still alive, underneath. Boyle lifted the Camaro off the teenager, while the driver of the car pulled the teen to safety.
• In 2009, in Ottawa, Kansas, 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in), 84 kg (185 lb) Nick Harris lifted a Mercury sedan to help a 6-year-old girl pinned beneath.
• In 2013, in Oregon, teenage sisters Hannah (age 16) and Haylee (age 14) lifted a tractor to save their father pinned underneath. source

Replicating the life and death scenario on the day of the lift

Obviously on the day of the lift Hall wouldn't be in a life and death situation. So they had to replicate a similar scenario in his mind. With the help of hypnotherapists Hall chose a dark moment from his past and trained to get it to kick in when the time came to lift the weight.

Hall says he doesn't even remember pulling the weight off the ground because he was in the zone (reminiscing a dark moment from his past). He says he only remembers the few extra seconds he held the 500 kg in the upright position to send a message to the sceptics and haters who said it couldn't be done.

Video interview with London Real

Here's the very interesting interview he did with Brian Rose from London Real.