Joe Kovacs is a member of USA Track and Field (USATF) and competes in the shot put. His professional career began in 2012 and his competitive resume since has been exceptional — a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, and two gold medals (in 2015 and 2019) and a silver (2017) at the World Athletics Championships.
Currently, he’s continuing his training for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics — now scheduled for July 2021 — in his home gym where he is currently quarantined with his wife and coach Ashley Kovacs.
The 30-year-old Joe Kovacs, who stands at six foot with a bodyweight of 295lb, recently shared a video on his Instagram page of a gigantic squat set that consisted of 320kg/705lb… for a set of ten. If you have not yet seen it, you can watch it below:
[Related: Learn how different lower body training volumes affect strength and hypertrophy.]
“…there have certainly been limitations to my training. But there are also some positives and I am choosing to focus on those and use this time to build a monstrous base.”
Squatting nearly two and a half times your bodyweight (did we mention it was for ten reps?) is certainly likely to help “build a monstrous base”. For context, Kovacs’ personal best outdoor put was a huge 22.91 meters (75 ft, 1.75 in), only .21 meters (8.28 in) shy of matching the world record set by American Randy Barnes.
[Related: Learn proper weightlifting training for runners.]
In a response to the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, Kovacs wrote in an Instagram post from last month:
“I want to to compete against the best when they’re at their best, not when they have been training under unsuitable circumstances. When the time comes to compete, I will be ready.”
If Kovacs is able to stay healthy and maintain his training regimen, he will be a major competitor to watch make a run for Olympic gold in Tokyo.
FAQs
Who is Joe Kovacs?
Joe Kovacs is an accomplished member of the USA Track and Field team and competes in the shot put.
He won a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and is a two-time gold medalist at the World Athletics Championships (2015 and 2019).
How old is Joe Kovacs?
Joe Kovacs was born on June 28th, 1989.
He began his professional athletics career in 2012.
Featured image via Joe Kovacs Instagram page: @joekovacsusa
