At 3.2 times his bodyweight, powerlifter Larry “Wheels” Williams has set a personal record in the deadlift: 870 pounds (394.6kg) while weighing 270 pounds (122.5kg). For one of the strongest bodybuilders on Earth, this is a serious milestone for the twenty-three-year-old. Watch him beat his previous record by a gigantic fifteen pounds below. The speed off the floor makes it all the more incredible.
870 deadlift 15lb PR at 270 body weight. 5 weeks away from meet.
The meet he’s referring to is the 2018 Kern US Open, which will be held on May 12 and 13 in San Diego, and Wheels has been hitting some serious weight in the leadup. A few days ago he bench pressed 573 pounds for two reps and last week he PRd his squat with 765 pounds for three reps.
[Watch Larry Wheels compete with Tom Cruise, Cailer Woolam, and Jon “Jujimufu” Call in a recent “deadlift party” here.]
He has said in the past that his goal is to set a new total record at the meet. If Williams stays around that weight and competes in the 275-pound weight class, he’ll be trying to top his own record: 2,275 pounds (1,032kg), which he set at the RPS powerlifting meet Insurrextion last November.
His total was comprised of a 810 lb squat, 610 lb bench press, and a 855 lb deadlift, which you can watch here. He broke the previous total record by 49 pounds.
But it doesn’t look like he’s planning to compete as a 275-pound athlete. He holds the record in the total in the 242lb class with 2,171 pounds, he has the aforementioned 275lb record, and now he’s trying to bulk up to the 308lb class to take the record from powerlifting god king Eric Lilliebridge, who set a 2,369 pound (1074.5kg) record at a UPA meet two years ago.
Godspeed, Mr. Williams.
Featured image via @larrywheels on Instagram.
