Blaine Sumner is one of the most elite powerlifters in the 120kg+ weight class, and he continues to prove it. He holds a handful of records, but possibly his most impressive record is for his squat. Sumner – or The Vanilla Gorilla as most call him – is known for his epic squat strength and he continues to prove how strong he truly is.
This weekend at the Arnold Classic, Sumner is competing in the Arnold Powerlifting Grand Prix. This is where he set a new IPF world record for the squat in a single-ply suit with a successful 505kg (1,113 lb) lift.
At last year’s Arnold Classic, Sumner broke the IPF world record with his crazy 500kg squat, which was a first for the 500kg barrier in any condition. What might be the craziest part of his recent 505kg is how easy it looked as he stood up.
Sumner’s ability to eccentrically load during the squat, then finish with that type of speed, is something most lifters spend their lives striving for. In Sumner’s world, it’s just another day under the bar.
To add to the impressiveness of his latest feat, he passed on his third attempt, which meant that 505kg was only his second lift. How much more could he have put up on a third attempt?
Sumner stopping on his second attempt makes sense when we look back to a recent interview BarBend did with him as he prepped for the Arnold Classic. I asked Sumner if 2017 would be another record breaking year and he responded by saying…
“I’m going into the Arnold with the same attitude I did last year. Planning to lift light just to win the money. If I feel it’s there, I’ll go for something big. Unfortunately, I took 2 months off from training after winning the World Championships to try and heal some things, so I’ve only been back in a training regime for 4-5 weeks and things aren’t feeling back to where I want yet.”
In the terms of setting new records, it appears Sumner definitely accomplished what he set out to do this Arnold. Will he take home first like he did last year? Time will tell as the day rolls on, but for now, it’s safe to say he’s off to a great start.
Feature image from @theipf Instagram page.