The first female International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) powerlifter to deadlift four times her bodyweight in competition is hitting milestones in the gym. Heather Connor, who competes in the 47-kilogram class, took to her Instagram page to share a video wherein she hit a new raw squat personal record (PR) of 152.5 kilograms (336.2 pounds). The video was posted on Aug. 29, 2022.
Connor wore knee sleeves, wrist wraps, and a lifting belt for the squat PR and visibly braced before dropping slowly into the hole and then steadily ascending to the lockout. Check it out below:
View this post on Instagram
[Related: Check Out Powerlifter and Bodybuilder Hunter Henderson Lift a 250-Pound Atlas Stone]
Connor’s signature lift is undoubtedly the deadlift. She currently holds the all-time IPF raw deadlift world record of 192.5 kilograms (424.4 pounds) — over four times her competition bodyweight. That doesn’t mean Connor isn’t a force in the squat.
Connor’s new training PR is 9.5 kilograms heavier than her competition-best squat of 143 kilograms (315.3 pounds), scored at the 2021 USAPL Raw Nationals.
IPF World Classic Championships
According to Open Powerlifting, Connor’s 143-kilogram (315.3-pound) squat from the 2021 USA Powerlifting (USAPL) Raw Nationals on June 14, 2021, is the third heaviest squat in IPF history. Only Wei-Ling Chen and Tiffany Chapon have lifted heavier. Wei-Ling hit a 152.5-kilogram (336.2-pound) squat at the 2015 IPF World Classic Championships, and Chapon lifted the world record of 160.5 kilograms (353.8 pounds) at the 2021 FFForce Test Match Eleiko.
Chapon recently captured the all-time IPF raw world record total from Connor at the 2022 IPF World Classic Championships on June 6, 2022, setting the mark at 426.5 kilograms (940.3 pounds) — 16.5 kilograms more than Connor. Connor scored the heaviest all-time IPF raw total of 410 kilograms (903.9 pounds) at the 2021 Ireland-UA ABS Pro.
View this post on Instagram
[Related: John LaFlamme (93KG) Sets New Masters 4 IPF Raw Squat World Record of 198 Kilograms (436.5 Pounds)]
Connor will get a chance to lift against Chapon again at the IPF World Classic Championships on Oct. 15, 2022, in St. Johns, Newfoundland, Canada. Given Connor’s strides in the gym, she certainly has the potential to post the heaviest total of her career in Newfoundland — and claim a few world records along the way.
Featured image: @heather.e.connor on Instagram