First there was the Thomas Inch dumbbell - deadlift it for grip-world bragging rights - and then came the Millenium Dumbbell (2-3/8 inch handle and 228 pounds), which until yesterday, nobody had ever succeeded in deadlifting.

Steve Gardener, Mark Henry and Ron Mazza have all broken it off the ground, but until Odd Haugen succeeded yesterday, nobody had completed a deadlift with it. Francis Brebner told IronMind® that "after he did a heavy session with the stones, Odd warmed up with the Thomas inch dumbbell, lifting it with ease and at one point saying 'it felt like a fifty pound dumbbell.' Odd then attempted the Millennium Dumbbell -and lifted it - to knee height; on his second attempt, Odd lifted the Millennium Dumbbell to a complete lockout with one hand. This is the first time ever it has be done."

Kevin Bussi, owner of the dumbbell, also witnessed Odd Haugen's feat of grip strength and shot a video of it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rNytGaTdDU

"I had always wanted to try it," Haugen told IronMind®. "I thought I could do it. The handle is good on it,  it is knurled, and you can get a good grip on it. I think any of the top people on the Rolling Thunder list could do it."

As you would expect, Odd Haugen happens to be one of the top performers on the Rolling Thunder, and just to give you an idea of his dominance on related feats of grip strength, Odd owns a pair of Thomas Inch dumbbells that he uses for the farmer's walk, one per hand. And as far as his future plans, Odd said that he would like to try to jerk the Millenium Dumbbell next.