Powerlifter Heather Connor is a vision of strength in the 47-kilogram weight class. The 29-year-old American’s biggest claim to fame was being the first-ever female International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) powerlifter to deadlift four times her bodyweight raw. Recently, she shared the heaviest training squat she has ever performed of 145 kilograms (319 pounds). What makes that personal record lift so special aside from the fact that it is more than three times her 45.5-kilogram (100.2-pound) bodyweight? It is a full two and a half kilograms more than the current American record squat — a record that Connor herself holds from the 2018 Arnold SBD Pro American. Here were her first place stats from that event:
- Squat — 142.5 kilograms (314.2 pounds)
- Bench Press — 72.5 kilograms (159.8 pounds)
- Deadlift — 182.5 kilograms (402.3 pounds)
- Total — 397.5 kilograms (876.3 pounds)
Check out Connor’s unofficial American record squat below courtesy of her Instagram page:
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Record Setter
Hitting an unofficial record in training is par for the course for Connor. In addition to her American squat record, she also holds the world record deadlift record of 185 kilograms (407.9 pounds) from the 2020 USA Powerlifting (USAPL) Palmetto Classic — an improvement on her previous American record of 183 kilograms (403.3 pounds) from the 2019 USAPL Raw Nationals — and the American total record of 397.5 kilograms (876.3 pounds) also scored at the 2018 Arnold SBD Pro American.
She surpassed those massive deadlifts in training as several of her previous PRs are well above the world record. Previously, the two-time IPF world champion pulled 192.5 kilograms (424 pounds) at a bodyweight of 44.5 kilograms (99 pounds) as well as a break through of the 200-kilogram (440-pound) milestone.
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Connor’s training appears to be off to a tremendous start for 2021. When she is able to step onto a competition stage again, expect her to post some huge numbers.
Featured image via Heather Connor’s Instagram page: @heather.e.connor