Powerlifter Joseph Pena is a force to be reckoned with in the sport of raw powerlifting. Currently, Pena is in prep for 2018 USAPL Raw Nationals, which are going down in Spokane, Washington. At the young age of 20 years old, Pena continues to creep closer and closer to the incredible raw squat milestone of 1,000 lbs in competition.
As of right now, the above feat has only been accomplished a handful of times, and if Pena is able to hit it in the near future, then he’d be the youngest to do so by a long shot. At less than four weeks out from Raw Nationals, Pena recently shared one of his heavier squat singles from his current Nationals prep. Yesterday, Pena shared a speedy and easy 395kg/870 lb squat before heading into his backoff sets.
Now, is this Pena’s heaviest raw squat to date? No, absolutely not. In fact, he’s hit 425kg/936 lbs raw in competition, and did so this past June at the IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships. This feat broke the previous Junior World Record by a substantial amount, and is a wight that is creeping closer to powerlifting legend Ray Williams’ IPF Open Squat World Record.
But back to the focal point of this article, Pena’s latest 395kg/870 lb squat is a nice reminder of what we can hopefully expect from him at Raw Nationals, and it’s one of the faster squats we’ve seen him hit with this weight. Remember, he’s in mid-meet prep, so on a rested body we’re getting extremely excited to see what he’ll be able to hit.
Author’s Note: The video below highlights Pena’s 395kg back squat. For those on mobile experiencing viewing issues — check it out here!
At this point, we’re not wondering if Pena will eclipse the 1,000 lb raw squat milestone in competition, but more so when. Every competition from the last year alone, Pena has upped his squat bests by significant amounts. Not to mention, he has held and squatted over 1,000 lbs before in an equipped meet. All we have to say is, don’t sleep on the Pena!
Feature image from @hollapena Instagram page.
