Powerlifter Eric Lilliebridge is training hard in preparation for Big Dogs 2, a meet that will be held in Australia on October 15th. And by training hard, we mean squatting the average lifter’s total. Take a look at this squat of 465 kilograms (1,025 pounds) that he just performed with knee wraps in training.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BYJ8lUdBRhs/
He posted this with the following caption:
465kg/1,025lbs top set from my heavy squat session this week. Body weight 137kg/302lbs. This is the most weight I’ve had on my back in nearly a year and also the most I’ve ever squatted on a 35mm/60lbs squat bar. 7 1/2 weeks out from Big Dogs 2.
He’s also been dropping training tips in the comments, noting that he puts chalk under his knee wraps to help them grip against his skin more easily and that the only secret to gaining strength at his level is “Very smart, consistent training.”
Indeed, Lilliebridge has been in the game for a long time — long enough to earn two squat world records in his weight class. He made a 920-pound (417.3-kilogram) squat without wraps and 1,052-pound (477-kilogram) lift with them, both of which took place in the United Powerlifting Association (UPA). Take a look at that 1,052lb squat below — be warned that the video is shot from pretty far away, but you can still see how smooth he makes his earth-shattering lifts.
The man also has the highest raw Wilks score of all time: he totaled 2,370 pounds (1,075 kilograms) weighing 308 pounds (140kg) at a meet in April 2016, resulting in a Wilks of 601.5. This was also a world record total and he achieved it without wraps, but three months later he went ahead and took the world record total with wraps as well with 2,458 pounds (1115 kilograms). Again, all of these records are in the UPA.
So, what’s the plan at Big Dogs 2? His fans are pretty pumped to see whether or not he’ll outlift longtime rival Zahir Khudayarov. Lilliebridge has only said,
I haven’t planned out my attempts yet, I’ll have a better idea once my training cycle is over with in 5 weeks. But possibly somewhere around this weight, maybe a little lighter and save it for the 3rd.
This should be a squat battle for the ages!
Featured image via @ericlilliebridge on Instagram.