What can’t Larry Wheels lift? Since recovering from his quad injury sustained in September 2021, he’s shoulder pressed 63.5-kilogram (140-pound) dumbbells with Fat Gripz for 17 reps with bodybuilder Regan Grimes, bench pressed 265.4 kilograms (585 pounds) for four reps, and deadlifted 347 kilograms (765 pounds) seven times for a new PR (personal record).
His streak of insane lifts continued on Nov. 17, 2021, as he took to his Instagram page to share a video wherein he shoulder pressed 85-kilogram (187.4 pound) dumbbells for six reps.
The dumbbells are labeled as 100 kilograms (220.5 pounds). However, Wheels says he weighed them on a scale to find that each dumbbell was actually 85 kilograms (187.4 pounds). During the set, Wheels was spotted by several athletes, including seven-time World Armwrestling Federation (WAF) World Arm-wrestling Champion Levan Saginashvili of Georgia. Check out the set below:
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According to Open Powerlifting, Wheels competed in the 140-kilogram weight class at his two most recent sanctioned meets — the 2020 Xtreme Powerlifting Coalition (XPC) Arnold and the 2019 Revolution Powerlifting Syndicate (RPS) InsurreXtion 8. He took first place in both contests. Although Wheels did not disclose his bodyweight at the time of the above dumbbell shoulder press set, he lifted 60 percent of his competition bodyweight — in each hand.
For the sake of comparison, the current dumbbell shoulder press world record* belongs to 2017 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champion Eddie Hall. He lifted 110 kilograms (242.5 pounds) in each hand on Jan. 6, 2020. Check it out in the video below, courtesy of Hall’s Instagram page, at the 3:40 mark:
*The maximal dumbbell shoulder press is not a lift performed in sanctioned competition.
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[Related: USA Powerlifting to Reinstate Original Weight Classes, Adds Two New Women’s Categories]
Given how many subsequent PR’s Wheels has hit in the gym over the past month and a half, it seems inevitable that he will perform another massive lift or score one or more PRs before Christmas rolls around. We’ll see how heavy he goes on his next lift of choice to bring in the new year.
Featured image: @larrywheels on Instagram
