10 Times James Harrison Has Shown He’s a Beast
The only NFL players who are supposed to last until age 39 are kickers and Hall of Fame quarterbacks.
Outside linebacker, however, is not a position that features much longevity.
This makes James Harrison a big-time exception.
At 39 years old, the Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker is gearing up for yet another season. And he’s already posting some very impressive workout videos.
That said, let’s look at some of Harrison’s most beastly moments.
1. He Does Hip Thrusts with 675 Pounds
I didn’t know that this was a weight room exercise until I saw Harrison doing it.
That said, it looks tough, and I assume that hip thrusting 675 pounds is a hell of an accomplishment.
2. Harrison is the Steelers’ Best Pass Rusher at 39
Last season, you would’ve expected the 38-year-old Harrison to be a mere locker room presence.
But he was much more than that, leading Pittsburgh in sacks with 5.0 last season.
Granted, this wasn’t the Steel Curtain last season…but Pittsburgh had a strong defense that relied on Harrison to make plays.
He returns for the 2017-18 season as the best pass rusher on the roster right now.
3. He Benched 405 during “Retirement”
Harrison temporarily retired in 2014. And what did he do during retirement?
Move down to Florida?
Take a Caribbean cruise?
Work in his yard for 5 hours a day?
How about bench pressing 405 pounds…and doing it 4 times!
I plugged this into a bench press calculator and got a 458 max for Harrison, which is pretty close to double his weight of 242 pounds.
4. Harrison Benched 505…Twice!
I couldn’t really decide what’s more impressive: repping 405 in retirement, or the 505 max bench that Harrison did one year later.
Maybe I’m getting the order wrong, but this is still one of Harrison’s top 5 beastly moments.
5. He Racked up 16 Sacks in 2008
While Harrison gains a lot of attention for what he can do now at his age, let us not forget that he’s been great for a while.
Case in point, he tallied 16.0 sacks during the 2008 season.
In many years, this would’ve led the league. But unfortunately for Harrison, Dallas’ DeMarcus Ware (20.0), Miami’s Joey Porter (17.5), and Atlanta’s John Abraham (16.5) also had outstanding seasons.
6. He Averaged Double Digit Sacks for Three Straight Years
The season that Harrison got 16 sacks was only the beginning of a long string of success.
He also racked up 10.0 sacks in 2009, and 10.5 sacks in 2010.
Harrison nearly made it four straight double-digit seasons, collecting another 9.0 sacks in 2011.
7. Harrison Crushes the Farmer’s Walk
I normally associate the farmer’s walk with some Icelandic guy lugging giant pieces of metal around.
Now, I have image of James Harrison doing the same for over 30 yards.
8. Harrison Doesn’t Skip Leg Day
In the video below, you can see what Harrison’s leg day consists of.
He does six reps of 405 on the left side, and another five reps of 465-485 on the right (can’t tell if it’s a 25 or 35-pound plate on the outside).
9. Harrison Recorded 100 Tackles in Two Seasons
While Harrison still gets a fair amount of tackles, he was once all over the place, both sacking the QB and getting ridiculous amounts of tackles.
In 2008 – the same year he had 16 sacks – Harrison recorded 101 tackles. In 2009, he got 100 tackles to go along with his 10.5 sacks.
10. Guys Get Drug Tested Just for Working Out with Harrison
Harrison is certainly no stranger to NFL drug tests. After all, they probably get suspicious every time they see one of his instagrammed weight room feats.
But in a funny story, safety Mike Mitchell was drug tested following a workout with Harrison.
Maybe the league thought there was no way a safety could lift with Harrison.