Brian Carroll has become the first person (to our knowledge) to ever squat over 1,300 pounds. On October 3rd, the 39-year-old Carroll competed in the Revolution Powerlifting Syndicate (RPS) Gene Rychlak Jr. Pro Invitational in the -140kg weight class. On his fourth attempt, squatting in a multi-ply suit and knee wraps, he hit a new all-time world record (ATWR) squat of 592.3 kilograms (1,306 pounds).
The ATWR squat in a multi-ply suit and knee wraps coming into the event was a 580 kilograms (1,278.68 pounds) lift by Nathan Bapist from the United Powerlifting Association (UPA) Utah Kick Off Meet on January, 2nd. Carroll’s squat advanced the record by 12.39 kilograms (27.32 pounds).
If you have not yet had the chance, check out Carroll’s absolutely colossal world record lift below courtesy of his Instagram page:
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[Related: Powerlifter Tom Kallas Grinds For An Epic All-Time World Record Squat]
The video makes it difficult to see if Carroll reached sufficient depth during his squat. The rules of RPS regarding performance of the squat state:
“The lifter must bend the knees and lower the body until the top of the thigh at the hip, NOT the hip joint, is lower than the top of the kneecap.”
The diagonal angle of the video with a matching colored background near his hip makes it difficult to tell, however the referee did rule the lift successful.
A few weeks before this competition, Carroll suffered a biceps tendon tear, compelling him to perform a “token” bench press and deadlift:
I figured I would be able to still squat big so I packed up my gear, headed to the meet.
Despite his injury, he claimed a third place finish in the event with the following stats:
- Squat — 581 kilograms (1,281 pounds)
- Bench Press — 118.3 kilograms (261 pounds)
- Deadlift — 120.6 kilograms (266 pounds)
- Total — 820.1 kilograms (1,808 pounds)
Carroll had a successful surgery to reattach his biceps tendon on Tuesday, October 6th — three days after the competition.
Notably, his second squat attempt secured the ATWR by a single kilogram before his fourth attempt — which does not count towards his total — achieved the milestone of the first ever 1,300-plus pound squat. His bodyweight at the time of the competition was 303 pounds, which means his ATWR squat was 4.3 times his bodyweight.
For reference, if you have not seen Baptist’s previous ATWR squat, you can do so below via PowerliftingLegends’ YouTube channel:
[Related: Heaviest Squats In IPF Competition History (Raw And Equipped World Records!)]
Baptist’s squat also makes it difficult to see for sure if they he a depth parallel to the floor, they were both done in competition settings. The UPA rules regarding sufficient depth of a squat state:
“The lifter must bend the knees and lower the body until the top surface of the legs at the hip joint are lower than the top of knees.”
As was the case with Carroll’s lift, Baptist’s squat was ruled by a judge in competition as a successful lift.
With the 1,300-plus pound milestone achieved, we look forward to seeing what record attempt will be made next.
Featured image via Brian Carroll’s Instagram page: @briancarroll1306
