The world as we know it is bound by the laws of physics. Every action requires an equal and opposite reaction. The gravitational pull of the earth is why objects, such as barbells and weight plates, weigh what they do. These are laws rather than hypotheses because they have been proven true beyond a reasonable doubt. But 62-year-old powerlifter David Ricks doesn’t care.
Ricks went to the Boynton Barbell Center in Boynton Beach, FL, recruited five spotters, and stepped inside a squat rack bearing a barbell loaded with 325 kilograms (716.5 pounds). That’s six 25-kilogram weight plates on each barbell sleeve plus the collars. While only wearing a lifting belt and knee sleeves, Ricks placed that weight on his back and then proceeded to squat it twice. With a look of agony across his face through the grind of each rep and the weight appearing as though it leaned to one side on the ascent, Ricks knocked out a raw PR double with 3.5 times his competition bodyweight.
Check out Ricks’ lift in the video below, courtesy of a post on his Instagram page on Valentine’s Day, 2022. For reference, Ricks has competed in the 93-kilogram weight class in every sanctioned meet he has appeared in since 2011, according to Open Powerlifting:
View this post on Instagram
[Related: Daniel Misencik (110KG) Squats All-Time World Record 432.5 Kilograms (953.5 Pounds) Raw With Wraps]
Since entering his sixth decade on Earth, Ricks has routinely squat titanic weights in the gym and in competition. At age 60, Ricks squatted 277.5 kilograms (611.8 pounds) for five reps a week after winning the IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships in Sweden, where he squatted 280 kilograms (617.3 pounds). At age 61, Ricks upped the ante again with a 292-kilogram (643.8-pound) squat for a set of five — also at the Boynton Barbell Center.
It’s not only gym lifts for Ricks. He holds the all-time world records for the squat, bench press, deadlift, and total in the 93-kilogram class and set two American Masters records at the 2021 USA Powerlifting (USAPL) Nationals on June 18, 2021, in Daytona, FL. Here are the current world records Ricks holds:
David Ricks World Records
- Squat
- 90KG | Masters 50-54 | 297.5 kilograms (655.9 pounds)
- 93KG |Masters 50-54 | 297.5 kilograms (655.9 pounds)
- 93KG |Masters 55-59 | 325.5 kilograms (717.6 pounds)
- 93KG |Masters 60-64 | 317.5 kilograms (700 pounds)
- 100KG | Masters 55-59 | 325.5 kilograms (717.6 pounds)
- 100KG | Masters 60-64 | 317.5 kilograms (700 pounds)
- Bench Press
- 90KG | Masters 50-54 | 202.5 kilograms (446.4 pounds)
- 93KG |Masters 55-59 | 210 kilograms (463 pounds)
- 93KG |Masters 60-64 | 202.5 kilograms (446.4 pounds)
- 100KG | Masters 50-54 | 202.5 kilograms (446.4 pounds)
- Deadlift
- 93KG |Masters 55-59 | 310 kilograms (683.4 pounds)
- 93KG |Masters 60-64 | 310 kilograms (683.4 pounds)
- 100KG | Masters 60-64 | 310 kilograms (683.4 pounds)
- Total
- 90KG | Masters 50-54 | 825 kilograms (1,818.8 pounds)
- 93KG |Masters 50-54 | 825 kilograms (1,818.8 pounds)
- 93KG |Masters 55-59 | 830 pounds (1,829.8 pounds)
- 93KG |Masters 60-64 | 817.5 kilograms (1,802.3 pounds)
- 100KG | Masters 50-54 | 787.5 kilograms (1,736.1 pounds)
- 100KG | Masters 55-59 | 830 kilograms (1,829.8 pounds)
- 100KG | Masters 60-64 | 817.5 kilograms (1,802.3 pounds)
In the video of his recent PR squat double, Ricks adorned a t-shirt that read “Never Stop the Progress.” Judging from his gym effort and performance on the sanctioned lifting platform, Ricks is living up to that mantra.
Featured image: @ricks.david on Instagram
