It takes most experienced lifters a year — sometimes longer — to add 30 pounds (or even 10) to a lift. Or, if you’re 25-year old Chris Weist, it takes three weeks. Exactly 21 days after pulling 428 kilograms (942.4 pounds) in competition for an unofficial world record, Weist ripped 440.5 kilograms (971 pounds) for what many would consider to be an utterly easy single. The deadlift was done raw with a lifting belt in training. You can check out the clip below, courtesy of Weist’s Instagram page.
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Weist’s last official record-setting performance took place on Feb. 6, 2021, in Allentown, PA, in the Pro Open Raw class of the Northeast Power Bowl USA–PA meet. He competed in the 140-kilogram (308-pound) weight class, weighing 308.8-pounds. He only deadlifted during that competition and managed to pull 350 pounds more than any of the other 13 competitors. The 428-kilogram deadlift isn’t recognized as a world record since it wasn’t an international meet, but it is nine kilograms over the current world record. According to Open Powerlifting, the late Konstantin Konstantinovs still holds the record at 419.9 kilograms (925.9 pounds).
Weist normally competes in full powerlifting meets. He’s entered nine meets (including two deadlift-only competitions) and has gotten first eight times. His best lifts in competition raw, to date, are as follows:
- Bench Press — 217.5 kilograms (479.5 pounds)
- Squat — 276.7 kilograms (610 pounds)
- Deadlift — 428 kilograms (942.4 pounds)
- Total — 800 kilograms (1,765 pounds)
It should be noted that Weist also competes with wraps. His best squat in that division is 367.4 kilograms (810 pounds), and his best total is 1,011 kilograms (2,230 pounds).
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Still in his twenties, Weist seems to just be heating up as a competitive lifter. Nearly 30 more pounds onto a world-record-level deadlift is surely a sign that the young buck has plenty in the tank and a high ceiling. His other two lifts are going up in training, too. Recently, he bench-pressed 229 kilograms (505 pounds) and squatted 382 kilograms (842 pounds), which you can watch in the video above, in what looks like a pair of knee sleeves.
Weist hasn’t yet announced when he plans on competing yet (after all, he’s definitely earned a rest day). Whenever he steps on the platform next, it’s safe to assume that big things will happen.
Featured image: @unleash_the_weist on Instagram