I am going to do my best and try to find that article so you don't make a liar out of me. But seriously the guy was rumored to be close to 300 lbs at his peak so that kind of weight is not inconcievable.
Back in the 80's I witnessed a Mr Canada competitor squat 7 plates for an easy couple of reps with no warm up, no wraps and he was only 230. I myself have done 615 at 205lbs. Even today I rack squat 600 for 5 with no wraps. I cant imagine a guy who has 100 lbs more muscle than me and every drug known to man to be as weak as you say. I could be wrong.
Look, I used to be an editor at MMI, so I know
beyond know that most of the poundage claims in the mags are pure horseshit.
As I say, an official (below parallel) squat with 850 is gigantic. Hell, check out Coleman doing, what, eight-something ... ? ... He isn't
close to legal depth.
A 300-pound bodybuilder hitting good reps with five or six plates is
more than impressive. If he can do one or two legal reps with seven or more, AMAZING. Like,
way amazing.
" ... (I watched a) Mr Canada competitor squat 7 plates for an easy couple of reps with no warm up, no wraps and he was only 230." Don't buy it. Not to anything resembling a legal depth. IPF-style. I have been in hardcore lifting gyms for 27 years and never have I seen a man squat anything more than around mid-sixes for a rep or two, raw. The very best raw squatters in the world, juiced to the hills, do somewhere around 7-800, generally. In a meet after peaking their training.
To squat to rails set so the deepest point puts you one or two inches higher than true parallel is
not even remotely the same as sitting down to a full squat.
An 850 squat is a freakish feat.
Just by default of all the drugs and hormones floating through his system, Palumbo was a strong dude. But 850 is outlandish.
Three hundred pounds bodyweight is
nothing when considering the crushing ferocity of an 800 pound barbell strapped across your back.
The very best doing nine or more use gear that literally puts hundreds of pounds on the performance.
Anyone who can squat a set of 10 with 500 is hugely strong. A true freak, regardless of drug use or not.
