Ed Coan wouldn’t let a hip replacement or two stop him from beating your squat PR. The man who some consider the greatest powerlifter of all time is wowing his fans with this new clip of himself squatting a huge 265 kilograms (585 pounds), the second of at least two reps.
And remember, Coan is 53 years old and has had two hip replacements.
He posted it with the following caption:
Starting to iron the kinks out of my squat again. After 2 hip replacements, it just takes time. Not worried because I got time and I don’t give up. I’ll push this up again. This is rep#2. It’s coming.
When asked in the comments what changes he had to make to his squatting technique after the hip replacements, Coan replied only, “Mobility work!!”
While not everybody shares this opinion, a lot of powerlifters consider Coan to be the greatest of all time — his Wikipedia page is at the top of Google results for that term, and he even has a GOAT placemat on his desk.
Having broken dozens of world records throughout his powerlifting career, he’s one of a very small number of people who may have earned that title. Here he is squatting 950 pounds for a double in his prime.
But of course, we can’t discuss Coan’s legacy or his records without pointing out that he has tested positive for doping several times in his career, which not only resulted in him losing titles he would have won (like a first place finish in the IPF Open World Championships in 1996) but also a lifetime ban in the International Powerlifting Federation.
His best result in a drug-tested international contest was 2,282 pounds (1,035 kilograms) at the 1994 IPF Senior World Championships, where he competed in the 100 kg weight class.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BPOG-HHh
His all-time heaviest lifts all took place in the 100kg weight class: a single ply squat of 1,019 pounds (462.2kg), single ply bench press of 584 pounds (265kg), and a deadlift of 901.7 pounds (408.7kg), which is still the all-time USPF deadlift record. By today’s standards, the deadlift was raw — Coan was just wearing a singlet and a belt.
Coan can no longer compete in the IPF and we’re unsure as to whether he’ll ever compete again with his hips the way they are, but we can’t deny the man is still stronger than 99 percent of men in their 50s — and all men, period.
Featured image via @eddycoan on Instagram.
