“Ultimately, your best lifter will come when you turn that human sign off because honestly, truthfully, we do stuff on the platform that the human body wasn’t designed to do.” – Ray Williams.
That’s the opening line from the new SBD feature that highlights powerlifter Ray Williams’ final squat session before heading to Calgary, Canada for the 2018 IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships. This year, Williams is set to take the stage June 17th in the men’s 120kg+ weight class at 2:00 PM MT, and to tune in, check out the stream here!
Every year since Williams’ start in the sport, he continues to push the human body’s limits. Last year, Williams was crowned IPF Champion and squatted 470kg (1,036 lbs), and the year before he hit 438kg (965 bs). In the video below, Williams concludes his final squat session by his 39th and 40th 1,000 lb+ squats. On squat 39, he smokes 458kg (1,010 lbs), then on squat 40, he sinks 470kg (1,036 lbs).
“To do what we do, thousands of pounds, big weight like this in the gym by yourself. Something has to be off, something has to be wrong, there has to be a side of you that is just…pure…rage.”
[Williams wears and vouches for SBD Knee Sleeves, but how did they hold up in our review?]
One of the biggest takeaways from the Williams feature is how heavily he emphasizes having a powerlifting-focused mindset. Before his big squats he says,
“It’s not sorcery, but when you walk into the gym, that mentality is with you, it’s in your gym bag. You put it on, it’s there, it’s like a t-shirt. It comes to the gym with you. If your mind ain’t right, you might as well take the day off, do some accessory work, and come back another day. If the mind is off, everything else will be off.
You’ll see a lot of lifters they doubt themselves, they out think themselves, and once you learn to turn that off, and just go be a savage — you’ll be surprised what you can do.”
[What are some of the physical attributes that make up Ray Williams and allow him to squat the weight he does? Scientists dove in to find out!]
This video is one of the best powerlifting-focused features we’ve seen this year, and we’re excited to see what Williams can do on stage June 17th. Will he top his current 477.5kg (1,052 lb) world record that was set at the 2017 Arnold Classic?
Time will tell, but judging from the video above, we’d say Williams is ready. What do you think Williams will do this year?
Feature image from SBD USA YouTube channel.
