Powerlifter Kheycie Romero has set the internet ablaze with discussion about her recent Instagram where she pulled an absolutely unbelievable 283.5kg (625lb) using wrist straps in the gym. We’ll dive deep into the significance of that number but first, check out the lift from Romero’s Instagram page:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B7mUAs3gCe7/
Oh yeah, if you watch the other video in her post, she also pulls a 279kg (615lb) deadlift too. Why? Because she can. Romero has been working well into the plus 600lb range since the end of 2019.
Okay, so what makes this 283.5kg (625lb) deadlift such a big deal? Well, she gives a summation of that in her post where she writes:
“625 would be a [All-Time World Record] for all classes/feds, but obviously would have to be done in a meet and without straps – which is much harder than this.”
It might go without saying, but had Romero pulled this in a meet and without straps, it would be the ATWR raw deadlift. That record is currently held by Chakera “C.C.” Ingram (when her name was Holcomb) and her 282kg (622lb) deadlift at the USPA Gulf Coast Open held in Houston, Texas in December 2018.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BjibpuEhjQy/
(For those curious, the most weight ever deadlifted by a woman is 315kg (694.4lb) by Becca Swanson, who pulled it equipped at the 2005 World Powerlifting Congress World Powerlifting Organization European Semi Finals in Helsinki, Finland.)
The last time Romero competed was last February at USA Powerlifting Battle of the Bay V where she claimed gold in the -89kg weight class and pulled 230kg (507lb).
It is not currently known when she plans to compete next but in her own words from her post:
“This is still only the beginning.”
Sure, we don’t know her bodyweight at the time of her new gym lift PR. But regardless of straps or not, this a big indicator that Romero should stay on your radar in 2020.
Feature image from Kheycie Romero Instagram page: @kheycie