On the weekend of Sept. 24, 2021, the 2021 World Raw Powerlifting Federation (WRPF) Showdown will see some of the strongest powerlifters in the sport descend on North Kansas City, MO, to compete for spots on the podium. One of those athletes is 90-kilogram bench press world record holder John Haack.
Haack is, of course, training hard in the gym with just over a month before the competition. He shared a video on his Instagram page on Aug. 10, 2021, of himself deadlifting a gargantuan 400 kilograms (881.9 pounds). But it was more than just a deadlift; it was training his mental game. To help assume the mindset of someone who can lift 4.4 times their competition bodyweight smoothly, Haack wore his “strength cape,” along with a lifting belt. Check it out:
View this post on Instagram
Clearly, the strength cape gave him that extra bit of oomph he needed with his mixed grip to lockout the weight:
Had to throw the strength cape on for that +1 boost to strength.
Haack’s deadlift gains over the past two years could leap tall buildings in a single bound. In 2019, he scored a then PR of 364.6 kilograms (804 pounds). His training tacked on strength faster than a speeding bullet as he scored a PR of 375 kilograms (826.7 pounds) in 2020. In September that same year, at the previous WRPF Showdown, Haack hit his biggest competition deadlift to date — 385 kilograms (848.9 pounds).
On April 24, 2021, at the WRPF Kern US Open, Haack battled against Chad Penson for the top of the podium. According to Open Powerlifting, Penson and Haack scored the current top two all-time heaviest totals at 90 kilograms, respectively:
90-Kilogram Total World Records
- Chad Penson — 997.5 kilograms (2,199.1 pounds)
- John Haack — 970 kilograms (2,138.5 pounds)
- Kalle Räsänen — 925.5 kilograms (2,040.4 pounds)
Haack made two failed 400-kilogram (881.9-pound) deadlift attempts at that competition after successfully opening with 370 kilograms (815.7 pounds). Had he scored either of those missed attempts, he would have both won the Kern US Open and posted the first-ever 1,000-kilogram (2.204.6-pound) total in the history of the weight class.
As the 2021 WRPF Showdown approaches, it is clear Haack is more powerful than a locomotive. Hopefully, his training will allow him not only to pull the deadlift he needs but the deadlift he deserves.
Featured image: @bilbo_swaggins181 on Instagram