Very few athletes possess the same level of what seems like unlimited raw strength as 77kg Chinese weightlifter Lu Xiaojun. He’s as decorated as he’s strong with two Olympic medals in the last five years, including a 2012 Olympic gold medal and 2016 silver medal.
Yesterday, Ma Strength, a Chinese Weightlifting outlet, shared an older video on their Instagram page highlighting Xiaojun smoking a 270kg (594 lb) deadlift single. The lift could also be a clean pull, but that’s dependent on the viewer’s discretion. The caption states that this pull is about 3.5 times Xiaojun’s bodyweight (77kg).
You can truly see Xiaojun’s power with the initial bar movement off the floor. The first sixish inches are crazy quick, which would make sense in regards to how much Xiaojun can clean. Also, note how his back and torso maintain a perfect angle with no sign of flexion.
Whether you’re a powerlifter, weightlifter, or recrational lifter, a lift that’s 3.5 times an athlete’s bodyweight is no joke. In addition, Xiaojun isn’t belted and has on lifters, which adds to the length the weight needs to be pulled (as opposed to flat shoe).
On the topic of shoes, the video discusses how Xiaojun drives through the ball of his foot, as opposed to the heel. Ma Strength then discusses how this allows him to lift the weight in a similar fashion to Olympic lifts and teaches proper mechanics, while keeping the bar close.
The video doesn’t state how old this footage is, but our guess is that Xiaojun probably isn’t too far off the strength of this lift. He recently returned to training with his short term sights set on the Chinese National Games in September.
In his return to training video, he states in the interview that he, “Fights for Tokyo 2020,” which might be a suggestion of Xiaojun’s future if he stays healthy.
Whether you’re a Xiaojun fan or not, there’s no arguing the fact that he’s one of the few athletes who possess an insane amount natural raw power. He also continues to prove that like fine wine, some things (his strength) get better with age.
Feature image from @mastrength Instagram page.