When Liam Beville was 18, a stolen car mounted a curb in Limerick and crushed both his legs.
Doctors told him he’d never walk again.

But Liam didn’t just walk — he deadlifted 285 kg to become a Guinness World Record holder, and 310 kg at 75 kg bodyweight to become one of Ireland’s greatest lifters of all time.

This episode is about defying prognosis, rewriting identity, and proving that mindset is stronger than muscle.

💥 In This Episode

Sam Penny sits down with Irish powerlifter Liam Beville to explore:

• Growing up in a tough Limerick household surrounded by disability — and learning resilience early.
• The 1983 accident that shattered his legs and the long battle back from the edge.
• How walking to the gym on crutches became the first step to greatness.
• Competing against able-bodied athletes — and why he refused to accept the label “disabled”.
• The mental cost of chasing perfection and the darkness of depression.
• Discovering hypnosis and mindset training to control anxiety and rediscover love for the sport.
• Breaking four world records across four weight divisions — and holding them all simultaneously.
• Becoming the oldest and lightest man ever to hold the Guinness World Record for heaviest disabled deadlift.
• What “strength” really means after six decades of pain, purpose, and perspective.

🧠 Key Lessons

• Labels limit you. Don’t let anyone define what’s possible for you.
• Sit with pain. Whether physical or emotional, resisting it gives it power.
• Control the controllables. Focus on what’s within your reach — and forget the rest.
• Success and failure are imposters. Treat both the same, as Rudyard Kipling wrote in If.
• Never too late. At 60, Liam’s still training to break his own world record — proving you’re never too old to start again.

🗣️ Memorable Quotes

💪 The Brave Five

Liam reveals:

1. His most unexpected lesson from recovery.
2. What he felt when holding the Guinness certificate.
3. The truth about friendship and why being a people-pleaser nearly broke him.
4. The mindset that’s kept him competing into his 60s.
5. The one thing he wants every listener to remember: “Control what you can and forget the rest.”

🎯 Why You Should Listen

If you’ve ever felt broken, too old, too tired, or too far gone — this story will wake something up inside you.
It’s not about lifting weights.
It’s about lifting yourself.