Ashton Rouska is the juggernaut of the 105-kilogram weight class. On Nov. 14, 2020, the 23-year-old powerlifter competed in the USA Powerlifting (USAPL) Virginia Winter Wrecker competition at a bodyweight of 98.4 kilograms (217 pounds) — 6.4 kilograms (14 pounds) under the maximum weight allotted in the 105-kilogram class. He set not one but two all-time tested world records in the squat and total.
Here were his stats from the event according to Open Powerlifting:
- Squat — 360 kilograms (793.6 pounds)
- Bench Press — 207.5 kilograms (457.4 pounds)
- Deadlift — 383 kilograms (844.3 pounds)
- Total — 950.5 kilograms (2,095.5 pounds)
Rouska won the Winter Wrecker by 193 kilograms (425.5 pounds) more than the runner-up in the Open class, Jeff Spawton. (Rouska also competed in the Junior 105-kilogram class.) More impressive than that, he lifted the heaviest total among all weight classes at that event. His world record squat was over three and a half times his bodyweight. Rouska is seriously strong.
Check out all three of Rouska’s lifts from the competition below, courtesy of his Instagram page:
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[Related: Yury Belkin Deadlifts All-Time World Record 445 Kilograms (981 Pounds)]
In addition to setting two tested world records, Rouska’s deadlift was the second heaviest of all-time, in the 105-kilogram weight class, behind Krzysztof Wierzbicki of Poland’s world record 400-kilogram (882-pound) deadlift. Wierzbicki set that record at the 2017 Polski Związek Kulturystyki Fitness (PZKFiTs) Polish Classic Powerlifting Cup.
In March of 2020, Rouska was victorious at the Arnold Grand Prix — a North American Powerlifting Federation (NAPF) sanctioned event. (Though Open Powerlifting doesn’t officially list Rouska’s competitive weight class, he weighed 92 kilograms or 203 pounds, which soundly suggests he competed in the 93-kilogram weight class.) At that event, he set multiple world records in the squat and total in addition to an American deadlift record. However, two months later, the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) decided not to recognize any records made at the Arnold Sports Festival (ASF). It was never officially sanctioned by the IPF.
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Rouska had to wait until the end of 2020 to officially rewrite the record books. And judging by his progression over the eight-month span between the ASF and the Virginia Winter Wrecker, it may not be long until he rewrites them again.
Featured image: @wreck_it_rouska on Instagram
