All-time total world record holder John Haack will return to the competitive powerlifting platform on July 29-30, 2022, at the 2022 World Raw Powerlifting Federation (WRPF) American Pro at The Salisbury Center in Manassas, VA. His current training suggests he could challenge for a new squat world record.
On July 9, 2022, Haack took to his Instagram page to post a video wherein he squatted 355 kilograms (782.6 pounds) raw — a new personal record and 15 kilograms (33.1 pounds) over his current competition best, according to Open Powerlifting. While Haack believes he should be able to take the squat even deeper into the hole, this top single looked smooth from beginning to end.
Haack wears a lifting belt, wrist wraps, and what appears to be knee sleeves under his pants for the lift. Check it out in the video below.:
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[Related: Powerlifter Andrew Hause (140KG) Hits 467.8-Kilogram (1031.4-Pound) Squat PR in Training]
The lift in the video above is part of Haack’s progression while training for the 2022 WRPF American Pro. A week prior, he locked out a 350-kilogram (771.6-pound) squat in the gym, which was then a personal record. On June 18, 2022, Haack scored a 340-kilogram (749.6-pound) squat in the same monolift as in the above video.
Per Open Powerlifting, the all-time raw squat world record in the 90-kilogram weight class is 365 kilograms (804.7 pounds), scored by Amit Sapir at the 2015 Canadian Powerlifting League (CPL) Vancouver PRO-AM Expo. Assuming Haack remains on the same trajectory he’s been on in the past month, he could potentially match or beat that record in Virginia.
[Related: At 62 Years Old, Powerlifter David Ricks Squats 238 Kilograms (525 Pounds) for 8 Reps]
Currently, the squat is the only lift that Haack does not hold the world record for in the 90-kilogram class. He hit the world record bench press of 263 kilograms (579.8 pounds) at the 2021 WRPF The Bucked Up Showdown. At that contest, he also scored the current world record deadlift of 402.5 kilograms (887.4 pounds) and the current world record total of 1,005 kilograms (2,215.6 pounds). He remains the only 90-kilogram powerlifter to eclipse a 1,000-kilogram total.
Featured image: @bilbo_swaggins181 on Instagram
