Heaviest World Records

Mark Farhat pressed 858 pounds for eight reps on a plate-loaded 45-degree leg press at a Planet Fitness in Las Vegas, Nevada, at age 70. The set was filmed from the front corner of the machine in one continuous 25-second take: he lowers the loaded sled with his hands on the seat handles and drives it back to nearly straight legs on every rep. RecordSetter counted the reps from the video; the 858 pounds is his stated total for the plates and sled, consistent with the stacks on camera, and his date of birth was confirmed privately. That is 40 pounds more than his 818-pound set from two weeks earlier.

Stanley Tomajko, 61, deadlifted 505 pounds, more than two and a half times his 192-pound (87-kilogram) bodyweight, for two full reps in his barn gym in Strasburg, Virginia, holding the bar with a double-underhand hook grip, both palms facing forward. A pair of large spoked wheels on the barbell sets it about 13 inches off the floor, the classic wagon wheel deadlift height from strongman, with three 45-pound plates and one 50-pound plate stacked outside each wheel. The continuous video shows both pulls to a full standing lockout with the wheels resting on the floor between reps, and Stanley itemized the load (plates, wheels, a 44-pound bar and collars) to the 505-pound total. Surrounded by anvils, ropes and antique iron, it is old-school strength in every sense.

Stefan Popovic loaded 354 pounds of plates onto a seated tricep press machine at a gym in Calgary, Canada, and pressed it for five full reps. The handheld video circles the machine during the set, showing the stacked plates as he drives the handles from bent elbows down to straight arms, with a short pause before the last rep. RecordSetter counted all five lockouts in the continuous clip. Not bad for a lifter who says he weighs under 185 pounds.

At 50, Matthew Lawson loaded five 20 kg plates onto each side of a plate-loaded Viking press at a gym in Bathurst, Australia, 200 kilograms in all, and pressed it overhead with both arms. A Viking press is a standing shoulder-press machine worked through lever arms with handles at head height; the video shows him drive both handles from his shoulders to a full lockout and hold it there, then walks the camera along both loaded sleeves so every 20 kg plate is counted on screen. His aim is to show that age does not define what you can lift.

Mutis Dragos loaded a 45-degree plate-loaded leg press with 30 plates of 20 kilograms, 600 kilograms in all, at a gym in Bucharest, Romania, and ran through ten slow calf raises without a leg strap. The continuous video opens with a pan across the stacked horns on both sides of the sled, then circles round to show both legs locked straight while the ankles alone drive the sled through every rep. That's more than half a tonne, about 1,322 pounds, pushed around by a pair of calves.

Isaiah Tolbert pressed 847 pounds on a 45-degree leg press at a gym in Snellville, Georgia, three days before he turned 13. Before the lift he shows the camera the sled's 167-pound label and the plates loaded on both sides, then lowers the sled into a deep knee bend and drives it back up to nearly straight legs in one continuous take. The total counts the plates plus the sled, as the rules require. Not a bad way to sign off on age 12.

At a New York gym, 56-year-old Joseph Naggar hung two kettlebells from a dip belt and pulled himself from a dead hang until his chin reached the bar. The bells are cast with 12 kg (26.4 lb) and 36 kg (80 lb), for 106.4 pounds of added weight, roughly 60 percent of his reported 176-pound bodyweight. The rep was verified from one continuous clip, with a separate photo of both kettlebells confirming their markings. Plenty of people half his age can't manage a single pull-up without the extra iron.

Matthew Lawson loaded a 35-degree plate-loaded leg press to 750 kilograms at a gym in Bathurst, Australia, and knocked out eight straight calf raises with it. His legs stay locked straight through the whole continuous set, moving the sled with nothing but his ankles, and he finishes by walking the camera around the sled to show the stacks of 25 kg and 20 kg plates on every horn. That's three-quarters of a tonne, moved by two calves, eight times in a row.

Matthew Lawson loaded a 35-degree plate-loaded leg press to 790 kilograms at a gym in Bathurst, Australia, locked his knees and pushed the sled up onto his toes using nothing but his calves. The continuous video shows his legs staying straight as the sled rises, holds at the top and comes back down under control, and he then walks the camera around the machine to show the stacks of bumper plates and 20 kg plates loaded on the sled. That's more than three-quarters of a tonne, lifted by a pair of calves.

Matthew Lawson loaded seven 20 kg plates, 140 kilograms in all, onto one arm of a plate-loaded Viking press at a gym in Bathurst, Australia, and pressed it overhead with his left arm for eight straight reps. A Viking press is a standing shoulder-press machine worked through lever arms with handles at head height; on this one each arm moves on its own, and the continuous video shows the other arm parked while the left handle travels from shoulder height to full lockout eight times in a row, with the seven-plate stack in view the whole way. Seven plates, one arm, eight reps.

Matthew Lawson loaded eight 20 kg plates, 160 kilograms in all, onto one arm of a plate-loaded Viking press at a gym in Bathurst, Australia, and pressed it overhead with the left arm alone. A Viking press is a standing shoulder-press machine worked through lever arms with handles at head height; on this one each arm moves independently, and the continuous video shows the other arm parked while the left handle goes to full lockout seven times in a row. The plate count is clear on camera, and a training partner keeps a hand on the end of the sleeve only to hold the plates on. One arm, eight plates, seven reps.

William Neal Quackenbush pressed 1,502 pounds for five repetitions on a 45-degree plate-loaded leg press in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on the day he turned 62. The sled is stacked with plates out to the ends of both pegs, and the set runs in one continuous take, from unracking the sled through the fifth rep and racking it again. A gym staff member totaled the load at 1,502 pounds on camera in a separate clip. Not a bad way to spend a birthday.

William Neal Quackenbush pressed 1,502 pounds for five repetitions on a 45-degree plate-loaded leg press in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on the day he turned 62. The sled is stacked with plates out to the ends of both pegs, and the set runs in one continuous take, from unracking the sled through the fifth rep and racking it again. A gym staff member totaled the load at 1,502 pounds on camera in a separate clip. Not a bad way to spend a birthday.

Michael Joseph Drouin of Elk Grove, California completed six lat pulldown repetitions using 430 pounds at age 67. The lift adds a senior disabled-strength category to RecordSetter’s training records, with the submitted video documenting the weight and repetitions. His form is not textbook, but the attempt shows a completed heavy lat pulldown set under the category claim.

Spencer Martin lifted a total of 227.5 pounds of weight on his back while performing a push-up.

Michael Drouin performed seated presses eight times using a total of 320-pound weights. He is 64 years old. Michael is a Navy veteran, former bodybuilder, physically challenged with full spinal hardware and right full hip replacement. He strives to continue to work out regardless of his medical conditions.