In the dark mist that wafts through Gotham City, billionaire Bruce Wayne — who moonlights as a crime-fighting vigilante known as the Dark Knight — shutters fear into the hearts of wrongdoers. The Caped Crusader’s chiseled physique, built on a diet of no cheat days, enables him to run multinational company Wayne Enterprises by day (with the help of Business Manager Lucius Fox) and fight crime by night in a custom-made suit equipped with a utility belt and cape.
Though his schedule is busy, Batman still finds time to train in the gym. Check out 83-kilogram Taiwanese powerlifter Carter Wu, dressed as Batman, deadlift 320 kilograms (705.5 pounds) raw at a bodyweight of 78 kilograms (171.9 pounds) on Halloween in the video below, courtesy of his Instagram page. He used a mixed grip and a lifting belt:
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[Related: Bodybuilder Frank Zane Was Cast as Marvel Superhero in Failed “Silver Surfer” Movie]
Superhuman Strength
At the time of Wu’s deadlift, his body weight was 78 kilograms, which means the lift was over four times his body weight. For comparison, the world record deadlift in the weight class Wu competes in (83KG) is John Haack‘s 362.5 kilograms (799.2 pounds) — 4.3 times his body weight. Haack also holds the deadlift world record in the 93-kilogram class — a 402.5-kilogram (887.4-pound) pull from the 2021 World Raw Powerlifting Federation (WRPF) Showdown in Kansas City, MO.
The International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) world record deadlift at 83 kilograms is much lower than Haack’s world record, though. The current IPF deadlift world record is 336 kilograms (740.8 pounds), scored by Asein Enahoro at the 2021 World Classic Powerlifting Championships. Enahoro’s lift was almost exactly four times his body weight. Pound for pound, Wu’s deadlift was heavier. Suppose Wu were to add on the five additional kilograms allotted in the 83-kilogram class, and his deadlift increased pound-for-pound at the same rate. In that case, he could theoretically lift within a couple of kilograms of Haack’s world record.
Although it is not clear when Wu intends to compete in a sanctioned meet next, he has five kilograms of weight to put on his frame. Considering he is already pulling dangerously close to the IPF deadlift world record, he could be a legitimate threat to claim that record from Enahoro. Although “The Caped Crusader” has never canonically been seen deadlifting, maybe that’s what Batman is about.
Featured image: @carterwu__ on Instagram
