At the 2022 World Raw Powerlifting Federation (WRPF) Freaks Come Out at Night contest on Nov. 5, 2022, 110-kilogram powerlifter Phillip Herndon scored a new all-time raw squat world record of 395 kilograms (870.8 pounds).
Weighing in at 109.4 kilograms, Herndon scored the new all-time raw squat world record on his second attempt. It was five kilograms more than the previous record by Kevin Oak. According to Open Powerlifting, Oak locked out 390 kilograms (859.8 pounds) at the 2020 WRPF Hybrid Showdown II. Herndon wore a lifting belt and knee sleeves during his world-record squat. Check it out in the video below, courtesy of his Instagram page:
[Related: Nabil Lahlou (67.5KG) Deadlifts New All-Time Raw World Record of 322.5 kilograms (711 pounds)]
Herndon’s world-record squat is 3.6 times his body weight. Per Open Powerlifting, it is 45 kilograms heavier than his previous competition-best raw squat of 350 kilograms (771.6 pounds) scored at the 2021 United States Powerlifting Association (USPA) Pennsylvania State Championship.
Below is Herndon’s full performance from the WRPF Freaks Come Out at Night contest, where he went six for eight on attempts — he forewent a third squat attempt:
2022 WRPF Freaks Come Out at Night | 110KG | Phillip Herndon
Squat
- 375 kilograms (826.7 pounds)
- 395 kilograms (870.8 pounds)
- 192.5 kilograms (424.4 pounds)
- 210 kilograms (463 pounds)
220 kilograms (485 pounds)
- 350 kilograms (771.6 pounds)
- 372.5 kilograms (821.2 pounds)
380 kilograms (837.8 pounds
Total — 977.5 kilograms (2,155 pounds)
Herndon also scored his competition-best raw deadlift at this contest. He also tacked on 37.5 kilograms to his competition-best raw total. Since 2018, the WRPF Freaks Come Out at Night contest was only the second time he has competed in raw competition. Per the caption of his Instagram post, all three lifts were raw personal records — two-pound squat PR, seven-pound bench press PR, and 55-pound deadlift PR.
Since April 2018, aside from two exceptions, Herndon has competed only in raw with wraps contests. Of the 14 raw with wraps contests he has appeared in, he only missed the podium once — a DQ at the 2022 WRPF American Pro on July 29 (he missed three attempts of a 415-kilogram (914.9-pound) squat). He won gold in 11 of those meets. The two other outliers were a silver medal at the 2019 USPA The Tribute and a bronze medal at the 2019 WRPF Kern US Open.
Featured image: @phillip_herndon on Instagram