Japanese weightlifter Toshiki Yamamoto has had a hell of a leg week. We do say “week,” because three times in the last six days the -85kg athlete has managed phenomenal feats of strength, specifically with some insanely high rep squats.
Here’s the one that really caught our eye: back squats of 200 kilograms (441 pounds) for twenty reps. Clearly, the guy has read BarBend’s definitive article on why 20-rep squats are the best (and worst) thing ever. The way he crawls away after finishing the set really shows how close this was to his max.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bkol01bB-kg/
This was his second squat workout of the week, though. The first was this monstrous set of 250 kilos (551.5 pounds) for ten reps.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bkhi-R7BahK/
And before the week was out, he thought he’d build up to a somewhat challenging top set again. This is six days after the 250 x 10 and three days after the 200 x 20, when he decided to try for 260 kilograms (573.2 pounds) for 10 reps. This guy is operating on another level — check that depth.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BkxH5Tjh8BV
[Seems excessive? Check out these 17 undeniable benefits of squats and you’ll see why so many athletes use such high volume.]
Yamamoto, by the way, is the strongest -85kg weightlifter in Japan and currently holds the national records in the snatch (158kg), clean & jerk (187kg) and total (331kg).He also took a brief trip to the -94kg class last year and set another national record in the clean & jerk while with 197kg, a lift he made at last year’s National Sports Festival of Japan.
You can see his five warm-ups and all three attempts in this video from his Instagram. You have to wait a while, but it’s worth it.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BYBSuwghrl9
He still hasn’t quite cured himself of his helicopter jerk but hey, everything he’s doing seems to be working for him.
Featured image via @toshikis165j205 on Instagram.
