The 26 year old Russian powerlifting phenom Yury Belkin is continuing to make waves across the sport of powerlifting. Belkin has become best known for his legendary deadlift strength, but is proving he’s also one of the most well-rounded lifters competing right now.
Saturday, August 26th at the Boss of Bosses IV powerlifting meet, Belkin weighed in at 219 lbs (99.6kg). He went 5/9 on the day (5/7 after two scratches), and ended up totaling a ridiculous 2,276 lbs (1,034kg). That total is over 10 times his bodyweight, and earned him a 629 Wilks score.
To top if off, Belkin put up the highest total of the day for every weight class, bested his previous All Time World Record 220 lb Total by 83 lbs, and even topped Dan Green’s 242 lb All Time Total Record by 66 lbs. Below we’ll go over Belkin’s performance, and what other big named powerlifters are saying about him.
Squat
Belkin’s squats didn’t go as planned, but he still managed to record a 837 lb (380kg) lift, which was his opener. On the second squat, Belkin called for 880 lbs (400kg) on the bar, but had the bar slide off his right shoulder causing him to lose balance, so the bar got dumped to the floor. Check out the 880 lb squat dump video below.
Luckily, Belkin and none of the spotters got hurt, but this dump led to Belkin passing/scratching on his third attempt.
Bench
Belkin’s bench attempts went slightly better than his squats, and he finished with a 512 lb (232kg) second attempt bench.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BYRUw2TBH80/
Deadlift
Belkin’s deadlift battle with Cailer Woolam could be argued to be one of the highlights from the whole meet. Woolam and Belkin went back and forth with their attempts, both claiming the 220 lb All Time World Record at one point. Belkin opened with 881 lbs (400kg), then hit a 925 lb (420kg) pull that topped his previous 903 lb (410kg) record from April, 2017.
Woolam’s third attempt was a successful 927 lb (420.5kg) lift, which slightly topped Belkin’s second pull and awarded him the All Time Record. In what could only be described as a power move, Belkin then called for 948 lbs (430.9kg) for his third attempt. Unfortunately, he couldn’t lock it out at the top, and Woolam remained with the record.
What Others Are Saying
A few of the biggest names in powerlifting have commended Belkin for this past weekend’s performance. After the squat mishap, this young powerlifter remained calm and composed, which earned him nods from many.
Brandon Lilly wrote in his Instagram post below, “All 3 Deadlifts from @belkin_one_power. I would classify him as the “future” of powerlifting at only 26 years old, but he’s annihilating totals, and lifts right now. I’m so impressed with him as a lifter on the platform, but his composure off of it as well. 2276 lbs total at 220 lbs. that’s just incredible.
Kabuki Strength Lab’s Chris Duffin also shared a post of Belkin’s deadlifts and wrote, “Yuri’s lifting is so amazing to watch and there are so many things about this young man that are phenomenal from His technique, composure, attitude, and then his damn lifting and consistency.”
Wrapping Up
There’s no doubt that the sky’s the limit for this young powerlifter. After going 5/9 on th day (5/7 with two scratched attempts), he was still able to best his previous total record by over 80 lbs. Which records will Belkin claim next? We’ll have to wait and see.
Feature image screenshot from @brandonlilly3 Instagram page.
