Powerlifter Rudy Kadlub is an exceptionally strong individual. Just five days before his 72nd birthday, the CEO and Co-Owner of strength training facility Kabuki Strength took to his Instagram page to share a video wherein he squatted 172.4 kilograms (380 pounds) for a set of seven reps. He performed this gigantic personal record using Kabuki Strength’s Transformer Bar, which can adjust to function similarly to a safety squat bar instead of a standard barbell. He wore knee sleeves and a lifting belt for the set alongside his training partner, powerlifter Paul Downs, and his son, Andy Kadlub.
Kadlub still competes at an elite level in the 110-kilogram weight class and has made it somewhat of a tradition to break through a PR each year for his birthday. For his 71st trip around the sun, Kadlub deadlifted 226.8 kilograms (500 pounds). At age 70, he deadlifted a pair of 229.1-kilogram (505-pound) singles.
Check out the video of Kadlub’s squat set, posted on April 6, 2021, courtesy of his Instagram page:
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[Related: Chris Duffin Squats 1,001 Pounds for Three Reps]
As a competitive powerlifter, Kadlub has dominated the Masters’ Division. According to Open Powerlifting, he hasn’t placed lower than first place in a single sanctioned competition since 2012. Since the 2013 American Powerlifting Association (APA) Spring Championships, Kadlub has stood atop the podium in 14 out of 14 events — raw, with wraps, and equipped — across three different weight classes (90, 100, and 110 kilograms). Highlights within that baker’s dozen-plus win streak include:
- 2013 World Powerlifting Coalition (WPC) Amateur Worlds (Equipped)
- 2015 Global Powerlifting Coalition (GPC) World Championships (Equipped)
- 2018 International Powerlifting League (IPL) Drug-Tested World Championships (Wraps)
- 2019 IPL Drug-Tested World Championships (Wraps)
- 2020 United States Powerlifting Association (USPA) Drug-Tested National Championships (Raw)
Kadlub’s most recent competitive appearance was the 2020 USPA Drug-Tested North American Championships on Nov. 6, 2020, where he emerged victoriously in the Masters 70-74 Division and set IPL world records in all three big lifts and total in the 110-kilogram class. Here were his stats from that event:
- Squat — 195 kilograms (430 pounds)
- Bench Press — 137 kilograms (303 pounds)
- Deadlift — 235 kilograms (518 pounds)
- Total — 567 kilograms (1,251 pounds)
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[Related: Chris Duffin: Squatting 1,000 Pounds and More Impossible Feats]
Judging by Kadlub’s squat PR, age is not slowing him down in the gym. The question now is: What feat of strength will he attempt for his 73rd birthday.
Featured image from Rudy Kadlub’s Instagram page: @rudykadlub
