World record holder and 2012 Olympic gold medalist Lu Xiaojun is training hard and pulling some serious weight as he trains for the Chinese National Weightlifting Championships in September.
In a newly posted clip below, Lu throws 150kg (330.6lb) overhead for three reps in very quick succession.
Yes, it’s not technically three full snatches — those are closer to pull and catches, a common tactic for lifters who want to reduce the stress on their legs during training sessions. This way, they snatch the weight to a secure overhead position, then drop it so they don’t have to do the equivalent of another squat for each of them.
Of course, Lu’s leg strength and his overhead squat are world class. In case the video above has you doubting his abilities, take a look at this astonishing clip of the man overhead squatting 220kg (485 pounds) a little over two years ago.
Born in a small village near Qianjiang City in the central Chinese province of Hubei, Lu turned to weightlifting and has since broken two world records: a 177kg (390lb) snatch and a 380kg (840lb) total at 77kg bodyweight.
No spring chicken in the sport, Lu turns 33 this year, but still plans to compete in the Chinese Nationals and may have aspirations to compete at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. In an interview recorded last month, he enigmatically said that he “fights for Tokyo 2020” and that he’ll train for as long as his body will let him.
By then Lu will be 36 years old, though the oldest Olympic competitor in the sport thus far has been the Belgian Tom Goegebuer, who competed at 41 years of age in Rio and finished 12th in the 56kg weight class. But it’s worth noting that due to widespread doping bans, Gogebuer apparently only had nine days’ notice that he was going to compete.
Given Lu Xiaojun’s extraordinary accomplishments in the sport, we’re keen to learn more about how he plans to push the boundaries of the sport.
Featured image via @yangyang7878 on Instagram.