The 2021 U105KG World’s Strongest Man and 2023 Arnold Amateur Strongman World Champion Nicolas Cambi showed off his strength in an unconventional way on April 29, 2023. He push-pressed 193.6 kilograms (427 pounds) on a Tsunami Level 5 barbell at Untamed Strength in Sacramento, CA.
A Tsunami barbell is made of a composite of materials that allow it to support heavier weights while bending. The instability provides an extra training stimulus and forces the lifter to stabilize the weight while executing the lift.
The benefits that come with training with these bars include an increase in force against unstable objects and improved overall athleticism. They are used for increasing strength, hypertrophy, and endurance. Cambi shared a video of the lift on his Instagram reel, which can be seen below:
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Cambi wore elbow and knee sleeves and a weightlifting belt when he walked the weight out from a squat rack. Once he was positioned, he performed a push press to lift the bending barbell with the weights overhead to lockout. He then took steps away from the rack and turned to the side before lowering the weight to the floor. The lift was met with applause from onlookers in the gym.
Tsunami bars are thicker than traditional barbells. A typical Tsunami bar is three inches in diameter. However, they are lighter than a standard Olympic barbell. Tsunami bars weigh around 20 pounds and are ranked in levels one, three, and five. The higher the number, the more weight they can hold. The one Cambi used was a Level 5 bar, which can support up to 540 pounds.
Tsunami bars are popular in strength sports but also for training other sports like football. In July 2022, NFL running back Nick Chubb squatted 276.6 kilograms (610 pounds) with one.
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Cambi was no stranger to how the Tsunami bar would feel during the lift. He has many reels and posts on his social media wherein he trains with a Tsunami bar. Odd objects are a trademark of strongman, and Cambi is skilled in a variety of such unique implements He holds the U105KG world record Circus Dumbbell lift of 129.2 kilograms (285 pounds), set at the America’s Strongest Man contest in October 2022.
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Featured image: @cambidude on Instagram