Despite only being 22 years old, Ashton Rouska has competed twenty-nine times. He has stood atop the podium a jaw-dropping twenty-eight times. In 2019, Rouska, who competes in the -105kg/231lb weight class, pulled an 372kg/821lb deadlift as part of an unofficial world record 900kg/1,984lb total at the USA Powerlifting (USAPL) Summer Power Fest.
Could that performance be made any more impressive? Yes. Rouska weighed just 94kg/208 lbs at that event.
For 2020, Rouska has a new goal: an 385.5kg/850lb deadlift. And he is well on his way. Check out Rouska pull 349kg/770lb for a breezy set of four from the post on his Instagram page:
Looks may be deceiving here as Rouska made it look easy, but he commented that this particular training day felt low energy for him due to “several hours of exam work.” Rouska’s follower moorepower305 commented, “Crazy bro did [you] even feel that? Made it look easy.” Rouska gave a glimpse into the struggle writing:
“Every second of it.”
However, this is not the first time we have seen Rouska pull extraordinarily heavy for reps. Just a week prior, Rouska shared a post where he pulled 340kg/750lb for a set of four. Check it out below:
“These have been trying times…Body is absolutely crushed at this point.”
One might wonder what weight Rouska could pull when he is back to feeling one hundred percent. Another follower, Nathan Alexander, speculated on that idea when he commented on the Rouska’s more recent post, “850+ looking like she will fall in 2020.” Rouska’s response:
“ITS GOTTA GO!”
Judging by Rouska’s competitive success historically and the consistency he maintains throughout his training, it is likely not a matter of if he will hit the 2020 goal of an 385.5kg/850lb deadlift, but when. We look forward to covering it when he does.
Feature image from Ashton Rouska’s Instagram page: @ashh117
