On Apr. 25, 2023, Russel Orhii shared an Instagram training clip of himself capturing a 337.5-kilogram (744-pound) raw back squat for two reps. According to a floating caption in the video, the strength feat is a personal record (PR) for the elite competitor. This lift sees Orhii adding 8.61 kilograms (19 pounds) to a raw squat double PR from late March 2023.
The athlete wore knee sleeves, a lifting belt, and utilized wrist wraps to help him finish off this massive squat milestone.
The other vital portion of Orhii’s lift caption is that he notes his “next meet is gonna be crazy.” At the time of this writing, Orhii has not clarified when that sanctioned competition will come or that he was even training for a specific contest.
According to his page on Open Powerlifting, Orhii’s last meet was the 2022 USA Powerlifting (USAPL) Korea Winter Showdown. The athlete took home a first-place result in the first-ever appearance as a 90-kilogram competitor in his extended career. Orhii’s total of 885.2 kilograms (1,951.6 pounds) was not only his all-time raw competition best, it was the highest of any competitive powerlifter during the 2022 calendar year.
He additionally scored all-time raw competition bests on his bench press (195 kilograms/429.9 pounds), deadlift (350 kilograms/771.6 pounds), and squat (340 kilograms/749.5 pounds).
Orhii is on a seven-competition winning streak and has not fallen short of first place since a runner-up finish in the 2018 International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) World Classic Powerlifting Championships. The sterling powerlifter is a two-time International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) World Champion (2019, 2021) in the 83-kilogram division. Orhii has been competing as a powerlifter on sanctioned lifting platforms since November 2015, when he debuted as a Junior athlete.
Whenever Orhii does take to his “next meet,” it seems abundantly clear he’ll be prepared for any obstacles. At least, judging off his Instagram training clips.
Recent weeks have seen Orhii capture a 347-kilogram (765-pound) raw deadlift with ease, as well as capturing a three-rep squat with 306.1 kilograms (675 pounds) and an eight-rep bench press with 160.1 kilograms (353 pounds) with from mid-April 2023.
Orhii is not one to approach his lifts and competitive ventures in a timid fashion. His precedent suggests that he goes full steam ahead whenever it’s applicable. For this superstar powerlifting, another resounding performance in his next powerlifting contest might as well be written down in pen.
Featured image: @russwole on Instagram
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