Powerlifter Ray Williams knows how to shock the internet with his massive lifts. And, once again, he’s back on the squat rack, this time doing some ridiculous 432.5kg double. He didn’t clarify just how much weight he squatted on his Instagram, but from the looks of it, and from commenters on his post and Reddit there are eight 45-pound plates and some smaller weights, which puts him somewhere around 432.5kg to 450 kg.
[Here’s Williams’ response to people who think he squats too high in training.]
Wiliams captioned it, “If I’m not ready I can only blame myself!! No Growth without Sacrifice!!!”
In March, Williams squatted an incredible 490 kg, or 1,000 pounds raw at the 2019 Arnold Sports Festival. This was his third attempt squat and earned him a USAPL national record and an unofficial IPF world record.
Williams’ growth, and just all around powerlifting ability, has actually been explored in an academic study. Kevser Ermin at the Applied Physiology Laboratory at the University of Mississippi brought together a group of scientists to thoroughly understand the science behind the world’s strongest raw powerlifter, Mr. Williams himself. They found that the athlete “may be very close to a physiologic limit with respect to muscle size and geometry.”
So, what’s next for Williams? We’re not entirely sure if he’ll be competing again this year, but he has competed at the World Classic Powerlifting Championships in the past. Last year, he finished first in the raw 264+ weight class and squatted 442.5 kg/975.5 pounds, bench pressed 242.5kg/534.6 pounds, and deadlifted 398.5kg/878.5 pounds for a 1083.5kg/2388.7 pound total.
Worlds is the next major IPF event, scheduled for this June in Sweden. One thing’s for sure, whether it be the World Classic Powerlifting Championships this year or not, all eyes will be on him the next time he takes the stage.
Feature image from @optimusprime_334 Instagram page.
