FEATS OF STRENGTH IN THE GYM

[Phantom Spunker]

You guys have witnessed much more impressive feats of strength than I have. I guess I've only ever been in one serious strength gym, though.

I had a friend I'd train with who was juiced up, looked incredible, and could do a few reps with 200kg (440 lbs?). That was mind-blowing to me. I hated spotting him as I was pretty sure I would be useless if something went wrong.

Another mate was really short (approx. 5'5") but he was insanely well-built and had one of the best physiques I'd ever seen in person. He claimed natural to others but he told me he'd 'experimented' with Dianabol and test. I saw him rep 140kg for 6-8 reps a few times, and that was impressive as hell. He also had great cardio and was a reasonable boxer.

*Forgot to mention I was talking about bench press. What a retard.

[wes]

i was training back in my garage.. had 295 on a barbell for rows.. my gf, who is now my wife, who never touched a weight in her life before, walks over to bar and deadlifted it w no warm up, no straps, overhand grip, weighing 140 some pounds... grew up on a farm!

That` freaking strong....she'd probably beat the living snot out of Hanky! 

[wes]

Yes the strongest 17 year old that ever lived.

[IroNat]

Unfortunately, after finishing school he fell into bad company and started drinking. He wasted a huge talent.

Was he good at drinking?

[joswift]

Was he good at drinking?

depends on your point of view

[JK]

Was he good at drinking?

I don't know because I lost contact with him then. I met him a few times on the street drunk, we talked a bit.

[Hulkotron]

Yes the strongest 17 year old that ever lived.

I was about to call bullshit on this, but there is a guy listed on openpowerlifting.com Chris Lajoie who did a 485 raw bench in 1982 at 17 in the 220-lb weight class.  Another 17-year old Allen Wentworth did a 475 raw bench in 1984 in the 275-lb class.  So it's not strictly speaking unprecedented but still probably something only a few 17-year-olds globally have ever done.

[38 returns]

about drinking - reminds me of a story from years back

I was working in a DIY store- like a home depot I suppose in the painting and decorating section.
A bloke came in really scruffy looked homeless so I was thinking whats he up to.
He came up to the counter and I said how can i help you mate.
He said 'I want some white spirit please'.
I said to him I am really sorry mate but i cant serve you that.
Why?
Well you might drink it.
Poor fella was filling up with tears. I felt like shit. He then looked at me and said, and I will never forget it-'I might look down and out but two weeks ago Id been on the streets for 18 years. 18 winters. 18 Christmasses. 18 birthdays. My family disowned me. I had issues with crack and booze I went into re-=han and managed to get myself on y feet. A week ago I was given th keys to a studio apartment. Its in a bad state of repair but its somewhere i can now call home. And just when i get the money to decorate it I am judged by you. I want the white spirits to clean my brushes- I am cleaning every surface and painting it all. Its getting a make over like myself. Or rather it would if you weren't so closed mind. You have judged me and all I aks of you today is don't judge the book my the cover. He was eloquent, well spoken and had clearly just fallen on hard times.
He said ' you have labelled me a drunk a degenerate and I used to be but today right now i am happily sober. Looks like my paintbrushes wil remain dirty.


I was taken aback,
I. apologised and said here oyu go mate 2 bottles of white spirits I will pay for them.
He looked at me smiled and said 'get us two out the fridge mate these are fucking warm'

[wes]

LOL

[funk51]

Yes the strongest 17 year old that ever lived.

this kid did 460  @ 18 years old.

[robcguns]

I was about to call bullshit on this, but there is a guy listed on openpowerlifting.com Chris Lajoie who did a 485 raw bench in 1982 at 17 in the 220-lb weight class.  Another 17-year old Allen Wentworth did a 475 raw bench in 1984 in the 275-lb class.  So it's not strictly speaking unprecedented but still probably something only a few 17-year-olds globally have ever done.

That’s crazy. I didn’t believe possible but I guess there is a very few that can do it. I wonder if there is much in the tank after that or they just peaked early and not much more? I know I hit peak flat benching power around 26 juiced and again around 36 naturally. I’m now at prob my strongest incline dumbbell benching and I plan to hit 180s sometime in the next year. Then would love to hit incline db bench with 200s by 50.

[IroNat]

I thought this thread was about smelly feets.

[Darren Avey]

Amateur boxer used to regularly come in my old gym.
Probably 225lbs.
Could shoulder press the 60kg db's for 8.
Threw them up himself too.
His other lifts were OK but nothing to shout about

[JK]

That’s crazy. I didn’t believe possible but I guess there is a very few that can do it.

I would have a hard time believing it myself if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. He was well-respected at school and a fairly well-known figure in our small town.

[robcguns]

I would have a hard time believing it myself if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. He was well-respected at school and a fairly well-known figure in our small town.

Yes I imagine he was very respected with that bench. How big was he at 17?

[JK]

Yes I imagine he was very respected with that bench. How big was he at 17?

He was about 6 ft tall and weighed 255 lbs.

[Walter Sobchak]

Excellent, sir!  I salute you!

Some of mine:

SQUATS-

300 lbs. 50 reps.

225 lbs. 100 reps.

Four set session:

1st set 515 lbs. 20 reps.
2nd set 535 lbs. 20 reps.
3rd set 585 lbs. 5 reps.
4th set 515 lbs. 20 reps.

Inverted leg press (the best kind) 700 lbs. 50 reps.

Leg extensions (broke the machine) 750+ lbs. 10 reps.
Leg curls 350 lbs. 10 reps.

Bench press - Fuggetaboutit.  I sucked at bench and barely got 350 lbs. for one rep.   

Bodyweight for these was between 225 lbs. and 250 lbs. at a height of 6' 1" or so.  I never did a single on the squat but have had it estimated by a couple of coaches to have been at least 700 lbs.    Leg training was what made me big and strong.  Now I am just a regular guy.  Dammit! 

Now I didn’t personally witness this unmatched world record squat workout performance, but this guy did, so there is NO reason to think for a moment that the whole thing is total bullshit.

The Scott…a lying gimmick typist, get fucked you moron.

[nobody in particular]

a mate whom I knew through working clubs, but lost contact with around covid, regularly deadlifted near700 at 210 lbs for a comp best of over 700lbs at under 210lbs bodweight. at the time I saw him do it iirc it was a national record but don't quote me on that. its a bees dick short of 3.5 times bodyweight. One of the most laid back personable humble blokes you'd ever meet. He's listed on openpowerlifting.org Tony Nguyen - from Victoria Australia.

[Van_Bilderass]

All I know is if someone is benching "a lot" of weight I don't want to see it, much less spot it. Because of the huge chance of tears or worse. Someone slips with a bar and catches it on the throat and no spotter has time to react. My buddy has a friend who bounce presses 620 but I don't care to see it 

I think there's some black powerlifter from the UK who supposedly deadlifted about 400kg (880) at 19. How in holy hell can that be possible? In the IPF too!

[wes]

a mate whom I knew through working clubs, but lost contact with around covid, regularly deadlifted near700 at 210 lbs for a comp best of over 700lbs at under 210lbs bodweight. at the time I saw him do it iirc it was a national record but don't quote me on that. its a bees dick short of 3.5 times bodyweight. One of the most laid back personable humble blokes you'd ever meet. He's listed on openpowerlifting.org Tony Nguyen - from Victoria Australia.

Fucking hilarious......never heard that one before. 

[CalvinH]

Friend of mine owns a gym and a bunch of the younger lifters were trying to deadlift 495lb. they were screaming and yelling and trying to psyche each other up. Not really being dickheads to other lifters but just annoying.
My friend walked up and deadlifted the weight with just four fingers on each hand without using his thumbs, held it and said "Yeah 495lbs is a good strong lift'' then he banged out four more reps with the same grip.

[Humble Narcissist]

In school days I had a friend who was a genetic monster. At 14 he benched 310 lbs, at 15- 375 lbs, and at 17 he benched 485 lbs RAW. He wasn't fat.

Was your friend Jimmy Pellechia?

[falco]

Once i was having sex with a big titted blonde. She coughed while inside, and almost severed my dick off. One strong vagina she had. Her name was Patricia.

[Cook]

Great thread guys.I have been trying to think of some big gym lifts I have seen.In 1978 I was trying to find a gym that was hardcore like the one in Pumping Iron .I had been going to a Bally’s fitness and it had chrome weights and purple carpet and a bunch of old business men talking while lifting.Someone turned me on to the Arlington athletic club so I walk in there and first thing I see is Doug Young standing in front of a bar with 700 lbs.He deadlifted it for 5 easy reps and I didn’t know who he was so I thought oh shit I may be in over my head here.He was actually stronger in the gym because back then there was no 275lbs class so he had to cut weight like a prize fighter to get down to 242.
 I can’t remember a lot of specific numbers I saw guys lifting but around 1985 or so I helped spot the late great Paul Brodeur squat 920 in the gym. Very easy and deep (no homo) rep.I’m sure there were some others that I can’t remember but fuck me I’m old and I forget.Later guys!

[bhank]

There are two specific lifts I witnessed that come to mind

First I dated a female ex competitive female bodybuilder in my 20s who weighed 145lbs. I have spotted her incline bench pressing the 80s for 8 reps.

2nd when I was about 18 at golds there was this massive guy in jeans and boots with a big janitor key chain on his belt. Dude was like slow or something like literally half retarded. He probably weighed about 350lbs but solid. He was dressed like a janitor no fancy gym gear. I talked to him and spotted him or well stood next to him as he benched. All he did was bench press that day. I saw him rep 5 plates a side up close. Never saw him again. Absolute retard strength