Canadian powerlifter, Benjamin “Binnie” Downs, has wowed us with a herculean lift of a mythical weight. During training, he shared a new personal record on his Instagram page; an unbelievable 410.5kg (905lbs) pull using straps.
The number of weight plates needed for 905lbs was too much too fit on the barbell so Downs had to literally wrap the plates together using tape! Check it out for yourself:
Author’s Note: A big thank you to the @kingofthelifts Instagram page for first highlighting Downs’ latest deadlift, which brought him to our attention!
For context, Downs competes at about 118kg (260lbs) in the Canadian Powerlifting Union. So this 905lbs PR is nearly three and a half times his competition bodyweight.
If you are so inclined to watch the video again, take notice of the weight plates on the left side. When Downs drops the weight after locking out, the tape breaks and plates fly off the barbell. The tape snapping matched our minds exploding as we watched the seeming ease Downs displayed beating his previous PR by 22.6kg (50lbs).
Speaking of previous PRs, Downs decided that he needed to make quick work of that a couple weeks prior. Watch him psyche himself up before pulling 855lbs for two reps:
And if a 905lb single and 855lb double is not enough of an adrenaline rush for you, Downs has you covered.
Check out the video he shared on his Instagram page just four days ago where he pulled 317.5kg (700lbs) for ten (we repeat TEN) reps.
Downs said that if he had figure 8 straps, he could have likely hit twelve or thirteen reps.
Downs placed first at the Canadian Powerlifting Union National Championship in 2014 in the -120kg weight class where he pulled the heaviest deadlift of the competition: 325kg (716lbs). He failed his third attempt weight of 340kg (749lbs). A lot can change in just a handful of years. In Downs’ own words on his Instagram page, he says:
I remember a couple years ago it was my long time goal to hit a 700lb deadlift. Crazy where hard training and good programming will take you.
We do not yet know if or when Downs will compete next, but hopefully he does soon. We eagerly await his next mind-blowing deadlift.
Feature image from Benjamin “Binnie” Downs Instagram page. @binniedowns