Big numbers in powerlifting
For quite some time, I have been puzzling over what the current world records actually are in the basic lifts: the squat, bench press and deadlift. There is plenty of talk about deadlifts of over 400 kg and bench presses approaching 500 kg, but never anything concrete.
As a dedicated gym fanatic, I feel it is almost my duty to know the absolute heaviest weights the human body has managed to move in these basic lifts. You might find yourself in a situation where a young beginner asks you, as an experienced lifter, what the most anyone has ever squatted, bench pressed or deadlifted is. And you have no answer.
OK, although this is essentially 100% powerlifters’ territory, I think knowing some of these all-time best figures would be useful general knowledge for strongmen and bodybuilders, too, let alone powerlifters. At least in this introduction, I will set aside the question of which federation each result was achieved in. After all, the record itself has been officially recorded and registered. Of course, there is plenty to discuss about the standards of the federations, their rules and the equipment they allow, and everyone knows that the conditions differ.
Now for the big numbers
Men
Squat (equipped) name/record/country of origin/lifter’s body weight/year/federation
Vladislav Alhazov/567 kg/Israel/152.7 kg/2008/IPA
Squat (without a squat suit) name/record/country of origin/lifter’s body weight/year/federation
Marc Henry/430 kg/USA/185 kg/1995/ADFPA/WDFPF
Bench press (equipped) name/record/country of origin/lifter’s body weight/year/federation
Ryan Kennelly/487.5 kg/USA/138.5 kg/2008/UPA
Bench press (raw) name/record/country of origin/lifter’s body weight/year/federation
Scot Mendelson/324 kg/USA/142.5 kg/2005/APF
Deadlift name/record/country of origin/lifter’s body weight/year/federation
Andy Bolton/455 kg/GB/160 kg/2006/WPO
Totals
Donnie Thompson/1293 kg/USA/170 kg/(squat 525 kg/bench press 408 kg/deadlift 360 kg)/2008/IPA
Andy Bolton/1273 kg/GB/156.5 kg/(squat 550.5 kg/bench press 305 kg/deadlift 417.5 kg)/2004/WPO
Garry Frank/1272.5 kg/USA/170.5 kg/(squat 492.5 kg/bench press 380 kg/deadlift 400 kg)/2004/APF
Women
Squat (equipped) name/record/country of origin/lifter’s body weight/year/federation
Becca Swanson/387.5 kg/USA/112 kg/2005/WPO
Bench press (equipped) name/record/country of origin/lifter’s body weight/year/federation
Becca Swanson/272.5 kg/USA/109 kg/2008/APF
Bench press (raw) name/record/country of origin/lifter’s body weight/year/federation
Roberta Collins/177.5 kg/USA/160 kg/2003/NASA
Deadlift name/record/country of origin/lifter’s body weight/year/federation
Becca Swanson/310 kg/USA/111 kg/2005/WPO
Totals
Becca Swanson/930 kg/USA/112 kg/(squat 387.5 kg/bench press 237.5 kg/deadlift 305 kg)/2005/WPO
Becca Swanson/855 kg/USA/89.5 kg/(squat 365 kg/bench press 217.5 kg/deadlift 272.5 kg)/2006/WPO
Laura Phelps-Sweatt/783 kg/USA/77 kg/(squat 350 kg/bench press 197 kg/deadlift 236 kg)/2007/APF
A few observations of my own. Powerlifters will, of course, have more insight here, and it would be good to hear from them. The first thing that immediately stands out is that male IPF lifters are virtually absent from the top of the record lists. It really does seem, then, that the equipment allowed by the IPF is still the most “natural” and kindest to the body, and provides the least assistance.
On the website listing these records, I think I could find only 8-9 records set in the IPF. There are virtually no IPF records in the squat, bench press or deadlift rankings. As I said, the IPF abbreviation appears perhaps 4-5 times in total.
Ryan Kennelly’s 487.5 kg bench press is, of course, out of this world, and I doubt anyone still disputes that bench shirts add an enormous amount to a lift, especially the shirts allowed by that federation.
Although I have not seen the video, there is something appealing about Marc Henry’s 430 kg squat without a squat suit. Vladislav Alhazov’s 567 kg is also staggering, but look at that squat… well, that is simply not a squat:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6drDFUKD9e0&feature=related
But it has been registered as a record.
If we subtract Mendelson’s record without a bench shirt from Kennelly’s record with a bench shirt, we get 163 kg. That, then, would be the extra weight the shirt adds. Allow for a variation of 20-30 kg either way, but Mendelson and Kennelly should be roughly equal in strength, with perhaps a 20-30 kg advantage for Kennelly. So the shirts allowed by these men’s federations add a hefty 150-160 kg? That is how it seems, at least.
This man’s total looks very strange:
Donnie Thompson/1293 kg/USA/170 kg/(squat 525 kg/bench press 408 kg/deadlift 360 kg)/2008/IPA
I checked it several times, but it seems he can bench press more than he can deadlift. Interesting, in any case.
The women’s numbers are, of course, also mind-bogglingly big, but it’s good to see that the same applies to them: take the bench shirt off and things look much more realistic. The difference between bench pressing with and without a shirt is almost 100 kg. Without a shirt, 177.5 kg seems more or less reasonable :)).
Multiple record holder Becca Swanson certainly looks like “every man’s dream woman” :))))):
Apart from our own Marek Kalmus, I doubt any Estonian bodybuilder can match her for sheer size :)))).
And just look at all those federations: WPO, IPA, IPF, UPA, APF, WPC, SPF, NPA, APC/GPC, WABDL, AAU, NSM, USPF… or whatever they are???
Author: Janar Rückenberg
Come work out! ArtGym
