Taylor Atwood Becomes First 74-Kilogram Powerlifter to Total Over 800 Kilograms

Taylor Atwood has solidified himself as one of the greatest powerlifters in any weight class. Atwood totaled 812 kilograms (or 1,790 pounds) raw in the 74-kilogram weight class at the 38th annual USA Powerlifting Florida State Championships held in Orlando, FL on Oct. 18, 2020. He’s the first powerlifter in his weight class to break the 800-kilogram total barrier. In the process of cementing his GOAT status, Atwood also set new American records for all three lifts. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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@t_atwood is the new Mr. 800! Taylor is the first 74 kg lifter to break the 800 kg mark. At 73.7 kg bodyweight his lifts were… . Squat – 267.5 kg, 280 kg, 293 kg (NR) Bench Press – 185 kg, 192.5 kg, 199 kg (NR) Deadlift – 295 kg, 310 kg, 320 kg (NR) Total – 812 kg (119.46 GL) . This total ranks Taylor 2nd all time in @theipf rankings behind Jesse Norris. Taylor is coached by @jasontsg, @alfredtsg and @kedrictsg. #TheStrengthGuys #BlueTakeover #ShiftingTheCurve #PositionsOfPower @kingofthelifts @usapowerlifting

A post shared by The Strength Guys (@thestrengthguys) on Oct 18, 2020 at 3:42pm PDT

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“In my 46 years of involvement in the sport of powerlifting — from the local to the world level — that was one of the most incredible and phenomenal performances that I have ever witnessed,” Robert Keller, the meet director of the event, told BarBend. “He had a lot more in him. It was a storied performance. People will talk about this performance for a very long time.”

Atwood’s last competition before this one was on Mar. 14, 2020, at the USAPL’s Squats and Science Championship event. The 31-year-old competed at 83 kilograms (183 pounds), though he weighed 167.5, and totaled 1,697.5 pounds. Not only did Atwood increase his total by 93 pounds at the Florida State Championships, but he also did so weighing five pounds less. Here’s a full break down of Atwood’s best three attempts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Taylor Atwood (@t_atwood) on Mar 6, 2020 at 7:29am PST

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Squat — 293 kilograms (645.9 pounds)*

Bench Press — 199 kilograms (438.7 pounds)*

Deadlift — 320 kilograms (705.4 pounds)*

Total — 812 kilograms (1,790 pounds) 

*American record

Currently, Atwood is ranked third in the International Powerlifting Federation, behind Ashton Rouska and Jesse Norris — who totaled 2,033.7 pounds raw at 198 pounds. The meet results are still fresh at the time that this article was written, but The Strength Guys on Instagram calculate that Atwood should surpass Rouska on the rankings to clinch the number two spot. 

Prior to his most recent Performance, Atwood won USAPL Raw Nationals (at 74 kilograms) six times from 2014 to 2019. He’s also a two-time IPF World Champion (74 kilograms). Clearly, this is not a man who likes to settle for second. But how long before Atwood takes Norris’ number spot in the IPF rankings? We don’t know, but he’s a heck of a lot closer. 

Featured Image: Taylor Atwood’s Instagram page @t_atwood / photo by 9for9 Media