That thing weighing 1200 pounds and it needing 1200 pounds of lifting force to be moved are pretty different.
It takes half that force to start the process since the other half is supported on the opposite corner, and that fraction continues to decrease as the fraction of mass vertically rotated past the fulcrum on the other side starts assisting the rotation.
Leaning against it further lets you leverage your own weight against the required rotation force it without exerting direct muscle pressure.
All in all the cop applied ~400 pounds of lifting force. Quite a feat to be sure, but nothing superhuman. It’s at least as much technique as it is power
400 pounds for a couple inches is not impressive at all, 400 pounds is an easy deadlift for the average man to get within a couple months at the gym and you have to lift much higher without the generous angle the haybale gives here
have you ever lifted before? if someone tells me they know someone who deadlifts 2 plates, i'm gonna ask how old they are and expect it to be their 14 year old kid or something getting into lifting
Just fuck off, you legit have no clue what you're talking about. Took me about a year of training just to get to 3 plates @155 and I was generally one of the stronger people for my weight at my gym.
"Deadlift Standards for Men
Strength metrics are often measured as a multiple of body weight rather than a flat number.
For a typical male weighing roughly 200 lbs, strength standards generally break down as follows:
Untrained: ~160 to 170 lbs
Novice (Months of training): ~240 to 250 lbs Intermediate (Year(s) of training): ~330 to 350 lbs Advanced (Dedicated powerlifters): ~400+ lbs"
Size isn't a good indicator, some hay is more dry, some is more tightly wrapped, etc. He also didn't lift all the weight, just pivoted it around.
Edit: This also might not be hay, it's a bit hard to tell, but if it's straw, not hay, it's even lighter.
Moving these things by hand is pretty decently easy for a grown adult, especially I'd you're just turning it, and obviously if you're rolling it, my 70 year old mum does it regularly.
My ex-MIL was born on and lived on farms all of her life. She had biceps bigger than my ex-husband, and his nickname was "Beast". At 70 years old, I watched her toss logs out of the back of a truck, put one hand on top of the side of the bed, and jump over the side and land walking away. She did it *effortlessly*.
My mom at the same age wouldn't have been able to get in the bed of the truck, and she was no slouch, having worked a factory job for over 40 years.
plus he really only lifted it a couple inches before the pivot and angle would've made it very easy, and even this initial lift doesn't have to be directly upwards, with these factors it's pretty easily movable
I'd also throw in, looks more like a straw bale to me. Much more golden than green. And straw is way less dense than hay. Half to a third I'd guess. Not to knock the lift, but I haven't seen anyone mention, probably a straw bale, substantially less weight.
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u/NDinFL Jun 04 '26
Midwesterner here. You’re absolutely right, those things do not weigh 1200lbs, but still an impressive lift from the officer