Before Larry “Wheels” Williams walked into the gym, his personal record in the squat was 850 pounds (385.5 kilograms) at about 268 pounds (121.5 kilograms) bodyweight. When he left, he was a man who had squatted 900 pounds (408.2 kilograms). (We’re not totally sure of his bodyweight right now.)
For a man as accomplished as Larry Wheels, who holds three world record totals in the 242lb, 275lb, and 275lb weight classes, a fifty-pound PR is a phenomenal achievement. Normally we’d say it’s the kind of PR he probably won’t ever see again, but we’ve learned not to underestimate the man.
Take a look at the lifechanging lift below. By the way, he made two PRs: 865lb and then the 900-pounder, which is the first lift below.
Now that’s a man who celebrates with the same raw intensity as he lifts. He posted with this comment.
900lb SQUAT PR IN SLEEVES TREMENDOUS PR FOR ME (50lb PR). And 865 right before it for a 20lb PR! 2 PRs in one day!(Swipe right) 2 weeks out from my first national bodybuilding show!
Yup, he hit a fifty-pound personal record two weeks out from a bodybuilding show, which for normal folks is when they’re in a calorie deficit, trying to shed fat, sticking to hypertrophy workouts, and generally feeling the weakest they have in months. But this is Larry Wheels we’re talking about.
[Watch him winning his first bodybuilding competition earlier this year here!]
Interestingly, the man doesn’t post a whole lot of heavy squat singles on his Instagram, instead showing off his incredible proficiency in the deadlift and in upper body movements. The most recent example is a casual 585-pound one-armed deadlift.
[Watch his 900-pound deadlift PR here, which he made just a week after his 870-pound PR.]
But he also hit a pretty interesting high-rep milestone in his squat last month: 500 pounds for 25 reps. This was also a personal record — the man just cannot plateau.
We’re looking forward to his bodybuilding show but we’d be lying if we said we weren’t really looking forward to the total he’ll put up at his next meet.
Featured image via @larrywheels on Instagram.
