Top 5 strongest bodybuilders of all time

[thebrink]

Big deal. He hits nine or 10 and does a compression-y bounce pause on the last rep. Hell, I am drug-free and can do that. I mean, Franco was strong, yeah, but not FREAK strong.

you're kidding lol. thats only 50 pounds more than you weigh, and over 100 more than his weight. thats freak strong, resting it on his chest like that.

[kimo]

rAY MENTZER SQUATTING 925 AT WHAT BWT 240 POUNDS .  its beyond possibility . i know he was strong but 925 is what a monster like kazmaier squatted .

[deceiver]

Tom Platz had insane squat, I wonder what was his actual 1 rep max, must have been well over 300kg. I don't really count all these "300kg squat" claims because when it's comming from bodybuilder then you can be 90% sure it's half squat.

[whitewidow]

Lb for lb def Franco.

[deceiver]

Lb for lb def Franco.

Platz could be stronger. Franco was no match for Tom's squat.

Allegedly it was 344kg. If that is correct then, pound for pound, he could be best IFBB squatter of all times and remarkable squatter all around.

[kimo]

platz squatted a bit more than 700 pounds against hatfield in their squatting match ..

[deceiver]

platz squatted a bit more than 700 pounds against hatfield in their squatting match ..

That puts him amongst top3 squatters in ifbb of all times. Coleman half squatted 360kg x2 in a suit, I doubt he could do more than 280kg ATG without straps (that alone give you 20kg) and suit (even more than 80kg).

[PJim]

rAY MENTZER SQUATTING 925 AT WHAT BWT 240 POUNDS .  its beyond possibility . i know he was strong but 925 is what a monster like kazmaier squatted .

Ray got up to like 300 lbs...

[dj181]

Ray got up to like 300 lbs...

[whitewidow]

He is NOT 185 in that video. More like low 200s. And swallowing Dianabol like it's Pez.

LOL-don't try to compare your lifts with franco. I doubt your form is half as good as francos. Franco was maybe a 190 lbs in that clip and I have seen clips of him benching 500lbs weighing around 200 lbs. Not the best at squats but huge chest and deadlift numbers plus he had the most insane chest split from his Incline-middle and decline. at his peak Francos chest just looked nutts! How do you know what he was taking? I am sure he was using dbol but you don't know the amounts! Arnold used more dbol then franco and I am just guessing that because of Arnolds heart problems same with old-school danny Padilla he had some bad heart problems but he competed in 81 Olympia at 160lbs and looked at least 210-220 lbs he was so shredded and he lifted alot for weighing 160 that year but not nearly as much as Francos 190lb bench press/deadlift ratio ratio.Franco trained light when the cameras were off him they all did.

Best way to build muscle is to lift some real light weight you can just get crazy pumps off of. maybe do 25lb dumbell curls.

[Viking11]

Best deadlift I would use over the squat if you want to use one lift. On that, I'd give rankings to Coleman, Franco, Ferrigno, Arnold, Francois..

[The Scott]

LOL-don't try to compare your lifts with franco. I doubt your form is half as good as francos. Franco was maybe a 190 lbs in that clip and I have seen clips of him benching 500lbs weighing around 200 lbs. Not the best at squats but huge chest and deadlift numbers plus he had the most insane chest split from his Incline-middle and decline. at his peak Francos chest just looked nutts! How do you know what he was taking? I am sure he was using dbol but you don't know the amounts! Arnold used more dbol then franco and I am just guessing that because of Arnolds heart problems same with old-school danny Padilla he had some bad heart problems but he competed in 81 Olympia at 160lbs and looked at least 210-220 lbs he was so shredded and he lifted alot for weighing 160 that year but not nearly as much as Francos 190lb bench press/deadlift ratio ratio.Franco trained light when the cameras were off him they all did.

Best way to build muscle is to lift some real light weight you can just get crazy pumps off of. maybe do 25lb dumbell curls.

This.  Pound for pound, Franco was it.

[BooRadley]

Goddamn he was laughably short.

Jut can't take a guy like that seriously.

[The Scott]

Goddamn he was laughably short.

Jut can't take a guy like that seriously.

Met him a long time ago.  Nice guy and seriously strong. 

[kimo]

320 pounds by 50 reps is not strentgh its endurance . ferrigno could bench 545 pounds i think and squats 600 pounds 8 reps . or so . bob reis benched 505 pounds 5 reps in 1981 . if not more . . and johhny o jackson is very strong .

[GraniteCityDon]

320 pounds by 50 reps is not strentgh its endurance . ferrigno could bench 545 pounds i think and squats 600 pounds 8 reps . or so . bob reis benched 505 pounds 5 reps in 1981 . if not more . . and johhny o jackson is very strong .

you need to have immense strength to support that endurance, cant have it any other way.

[kimo]

tom platz was great atr squatting not much else how could he bench and press and so on . most people beleive columbu was a freak of strentgh . but his 655 supposed squat was never seen in picture . iam sure arnold could out curl him . at least .

[Hulkotron]

BDB's right arm
Falcon
Cswol
True Adonis (225x112 reps in 5 minutes)
BDB's left arm

[Mr Nobody]

BDB's right arm
Falcon
Cswol
True Adonis (225x112 reps in 5 minutes)
BDB's left arm

This ^.

[Hulkotron]

This ^.

I can't remember the duration of TA's feat, might have been 10 minutes.

[Fortress]

LOL-don't try to compare your lifts with franco. I doubt your form is half as good as francos. Franco was maybe a 190 lbs in that clip and I have seen clips of him benching 500lbs weighing around 200 lbs. How do you know what he was taking? I am sure he was using dbol but you don't know the amounts!

Well, my old bosses, Robert Kennedy (RIP) and Johnny Fitness, saw Franco train many times during his peak years, and they would laugh at your suggestion that Franco could bench 500 at "around" 200 pounds. Bob also saw with his own two eyes what Arnold and Franco were taking because they didn't hide it. It wasn't illegal and no one cared. Kennedy told me he laughed one time when Arnold gulped down a huge handful of D-Bol tabs with a protein shake and then said, "Now we train!"

[MB]

Levrone was freaky strong in bench, incline, and military presses.  I think he was stronger than Coleman if they had both trained exclusively for powerlifting.  

[Fortress]

This is Franco's true strength reality. He hits four tough reps with 405 ... not exactly the strength required to hit 500. Not even CLOSE.

The guy was super strong, yeah, but let's not get carried away, people.  

[Fortress]

you need to have immense strength to support that endurance, cant have it any other way.

Exactly. How someone can suggest hoisting 300-odd pounds for 50 reps doesn't require strength, both structural and prime-movers, only endurance, is totally out to lunch.

[Fortress]

Levrone was freaky strong in bench, incline, and military presses.  I think he was stronger than Coleman if they had both trained exclusively for powerlifting.  

Levrone was a great presser, no doubt. But what poundage he was capable of lifting in the squat and deadlift we'll never know.