Nick symmonds maybe the first legit sub 5:00 mile with 500lb deadlift

Running a 5 minute mile is not special any decent high school track team is gonna have a couple of boys who can do it. Deadlifting 500 is a bit more impressive but we have several guys at my gym who can do it pretty easily and I’m sure there are 1000s of gyms across the country that have members who can deadlift over 500.

Together they are somewhat unique but more niche than some amazing feet. We have an absolute beast of a trainer who ran track on high school. He squats 550 and deadlifts over 600 for his workout and not a one rep I can do it PR but a legit 5x5 for each. He used to run track on high school and still runs for fitness and can break 5 minutes. Ray is ripped but he’s not a freak of nature who’s wining competitors he’s a 5’9 trainer who works out every day.

I ran a 4:51 mile a couple years back at 41 and at the time my deadlift PR was 415. I was only doing deadlifts 1-2 days a week as my focus was more on running 5k and 10ks at the time and my 3 days at gym were usually legs, chest, and back. I’m pretty sure if I focused more on strength I could have build my deadlift up to 500, even my 5’7 Asian trainer can lift that.

Bottom line it’s an interesting feet and not something a lot of people can probably do but it’s also not something a lot of people try. I’d be much more impressed with a 4:30 mile and 500 pound deadlift as they gets to more rarified air but for someone who is an athlete and devotes a significant amount of their time to training it’s not the most impressive thing.

San Diego Hobby Jogger wrote:

The track Michael Miraglia used is a 400yd track, not 400m. Yet it still is an impressive feat, the barrier has not been broken. People may think Ryan Hall is closer, but he uses straps, which can give a 2" height start advantage.

https://youtu.be/9QYCPmDYhVQ

SD hobby jogger, your name suggests that you might know the track micheal miraglia ran on, it’s the Coronado High school track, I know because I ran xc and track there. It is not a 400yd track, nor a 400m track, it is a 358m track, as the city would not allow them enough space for a full one. I also assumed he must not have a ran a full mile after watching him start at the 400m mark during the short insta video, so I DM’d him. He responded and said the full video shows that he used a wheel to measure out a full mile, and then ran it accordingly, because he realize it wasn’t a 400m track after arriving. So if we take his word for it, he did in fact accomplish the feat. And also he said it was live-streamed and all the viewers saw him wheel it out, I’m sure he still has the video.

Does Ray know how easily he could become sort of internet famous ?

San Diego Hobby Jogger wrote:

lots of guys talking sh*t here with out evidence but there is money on the line. Currently Nick has the 400lb deadlift / 400m time in 55 seconds. He will pay you $400 if you send him video proof beating that mark.

This is LetsRun. We all earn more than $400 for 55 seconds work in our normal jobs anyway. It's not worth it.

I remember the video.. 4 laps

Isn’t this Hunter McIntyre territory. I’m pretty sure he has done this. He can run sub 5 easily and is built like a pony. He also lifts an insane amount. He also has that power to endurance ability from obstacle racing. He’s the guy for this challenge if he hasn’t done it already.

Anyone who thinks this is remotely easy is delusional.

Yes, to men who take running semi-seriously and have been training for a decent amount of time, a 5 min mile is not a big deal. Yes, if you have spent a few years in the gym training consistently, a 500lb deadlift, while impressive relative to most people who workout, is not a competitive mark.

But they are on polar ends of the athletic spectrum. If you take a random, decently large public high school in America, there are maybe (generously) a handful of 5min milers. I would be extremely surprised if the average deadlift of this group would be over 250lbs, or if the strongest of the bunch could hit 315. Likewise in any random public school maybe some lineman or wrestlers could get up 500...and I would be impressed to see a 7min mile out of that group. And that's with perfect rest unlike the task which is is really a 500lb deadlift *directly followed by* what amounts to a 4:55 mile or so.

Agree with what others have said re: decathletes or sprinters having best chance at it. An anecdote-- I lifted for a time with a decent (all-region) D1 decathlete who ran 4:20 in the 1500, 51s in the 400H (so had some fast twitch), pressed 275 (so wasn't new to lifting), and yet struggled to hit a 405 deadlift.

An interesting question to think about: Is 500lb and 5:00 the easiest "pretty number" to achieve? Would guess nobody could hit 400 who runs under 4:00 for the mile, but maybe a couple guys who hit 600/700 could gut out a 6:00 or 7:00?

Macdaddy squatted 4-plates (405lbs) in his prime. He could have easily broken 4 while deadlifting 400+lbs had he even bothered.

I don't think so, that's essentially a 3:55 directly after pulling 4 plates.

Regardless, if he could really bring 4 plates (heck even 3!) to parallel while in sub4 shape, that is completely amazing in it's own right

other random fax wrote:

I would think a long list of decathletes could do it.

Finally.

Easy.

running_loco wrote:

When I was a 130 pound high school kid I lifted 330 pounds deadlift and ran under 4:30 for the mile. And that was lifting for 20 minutes a couple times a week. If an adult runner put some time towards it, I think a good amount of sub-elite runners could do it.

This is like a powerlifter saying “I ran a 6:00 mile with just a little regular training. I think a good amount of powerlifters could do sub-5:00.”

It shows how little you know and how very far you are.

For serious lifters who can also run, see the decathlon.

Anyone I've seen online running a sub 5:00 and DLing 500 look suspicious and are most likely on the juice. Any bro at the gym who looks like a cut freak of nature doing the same is also likely on the juice. Recreational steroid use is more common than you think.

Alan

Those were quarter squats, no way he was going to deadlift that.

To the other guy talking about how close 415 is to 500...it isn't. Four plates is nothing, I used to do bent rows at 385. 500 is the start of real weight for most people, and they aren't running a 5 minute mile.

Ya but I'm 170 now and can still run a 5 minute mile. Can't deadlift 500 but I could get much closer now with more muscle mass.

Huh? I never said I was anywhere close to that. I just think that it's possible for a decent number of folks.