Few things compare to the excitement that we get when we start off our week by covering a massive deadlift.
Powerlifter Richard Cho is currently on a warpath chasing big numbers in the -74kg weight class. Most recently, Cho competed at 2019 USAPL Raw Nationals and took home second place in the -74kg junior weight class and third in the Open behind Taylor Atwood and Austin Perkins.
On top of taking home an impressive third place in the Open division, Cho was also the youngest athlete to place in the top seven — so we’re pumped to watch him continue to build and grow.
In one of Cho’s most recent Instagram videos, he highlights an absolutely massive 330kg/728.5 lb deadlift, and he made it look easy. Check out the smooth pull below.
For context, this lift is massive in the world of powerlifting for a few reasons:
- It unofficially tops the current -74kg IPF Open Classic deadlift world record of 322kg held by Egil Bakkelund by almost 10kg.
- It tops Cho’s 318kg deadlift from USAPL Raw Nationals by a considerable margin. It’s also worth noting that Cho had the heaviest deadlift out of all the -74kg competitors.
- This deadlift is ridiculously close to topping the 165 lb all-time deadlift world record, which sits at 728.5 lbs.
- It’s a 4.4x competition bodyweight deadlift, which is an insane feat of strength.
- He’s still a junior!
At USAPL Raw Nationals, Cho put together a strong 743kg total consisting of a 262.5kg squat, 162.5kg bench press, and 318kg deadlift. Like the video above, he made his 318kg deadlift at Raw Nationals look incredibly easy, and wrote in his Instagram caption,
650.3lbs/295kg. Looks like I’ll need to open heavier if I want that big 750 next year.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B32hXzHgz5v/
What might be most impressive about all of this is that he’s sharing this lift less than three weeks after USAPL Raw Nationals, so it’s a promising sign for what we can expect at his next competition. We’re optimistic that Cho will be pulling 750 lbs soon enough!
Feature image from @pugthegoat Instagram page.