Here’s a lift that’s stirring up some pretty interesting discussion in powerlifting circles. Swedish powerlifter Eddie Berglund totaled 642.5 kilograms (1,416.5 pounds) at a meet this weekend, and more importantly the -66kg athlete made a bench press of 192.5 kilograms, or 424.4 pounds.
This wasn’t an IPF meet, but if it were it’d be an IPF world record lift — Berglund holds the current world record, a 188.5kg lift that he made at last year’s IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships in Texas. But take a look at Berglund’s performance from this weekend. These are unofficial European records in the squat and total as well as an unofficial bench press world record.
First, that was one of the fastest drops into the hole we’ve seen in a squat, and second, that’s one of the shortest ranges of motion we’ve ever seen in a bench.
[Is arching in the bench press unsafe or “cheating”? Here’s our deep dive into the rules and the physiology.]
You can check out Berglund’s IPF world record bench from last year below. The range of motion appears to be a little bigger here — the guy must have been really working his mobility lately.
[Wondering who has the heaviest raw bench press of all time? Check out our infographic!]
Some folks are calling short range of motion benches like these “full T-rex mode” since it seems to favor lifters with shorter arms — which is why athletes who bench like this sometimes suffer in the deadlift.
Berglund’s lift brought to mind another lift from the Chinese powerlifter Shao Chu. She benched 400 pounds (181 kilograms) at an IPF meet in 2014, a lift that did indeed meet the requirements and earn her a world record. Even the commentators seem pretty surprised that this counted as a valid lift.
Curious about the IPF’s rules? According to the latest rulebook on their website, a valid bench press needs to needs to lower to the “chest or abdominal area”, the elbows need to be locked out, and the hands can’t be further than 81 centimeters apart.
In any case, we’re definitely looking forward to Berglund’s next attempt at an official IPF record.
Featured image via @strongeddie on Instagram.