John Haack Profile: Career, Training, Weight, Height, and More

Powerlifting is currently abounding with talented athletes, but one in particular that has etched his name in the history books is John Haack. Originating from Wisconsin, John has dominated multiple weight classes throughout the years, broken multiple All-Time World Records, and claimed some of the most prestigious titles that exist. So, here is everything about his life, training, career, and more.

John Haack’s Stats

John Haack Biography

Early Life

John Haack’s strength journey began very early on, as he started training at the young age of 10-years-old. Interestingly, he received a set of weights for his birthday, which is what he used to start training. He also gathered up some allowance money and bought himself a bench multi-station. His passion for strength at such a young age actually came from watching Strongman.

John Haack also worked on a dairy family farm at an early age, which helped him be more active, as well as build up a sense of discipline. Those attributes have followed him throughout his entire career and proved to be very valuable.

Although he was lifting weights at a young age, John Haack did not discover powerlifting for a very long time. Instead, he was first dedicated to Wrestling and American Football. However, he was 5-feet 6-inches high and weighed around 140 pounds, which was not ideal for the position he played (Outside Linebacker).

John Haack was in an AP chemistry class during his high school journey, and was a part of the school’s science olympiad team, which competed against other schools. Most notably, John finished in fourth place at the state championships. So, he has both the brain and the brawn, proving his exceptional talent in all aspects of life.

As he got older, John Haack realized that lifting weights was his true passion, similar to other elite powerlifters such as Russel Orhii, Ray Williams, and others. One of John’s friends was already experienced in powerlifting, and he helped John make his first steps in the sport.

Related: Powerlifter John Haack Cruises Through a Humongous 275-kg (606-lb) Raw Bench Press PR

Powerlifting Career

John Haack’s first sanctioned powerlifting competition came in 2013, when he was just 20-years-old. He immediately displayed signs of greatness, winning the competition and marking the start of an incredible career. During this time, John was competing in the 83-kilogram weight class.

Not long after, a fierce rivalry built up between John Haack and Brett Gibbs, as well as a massive debate about who the better of the two was. So, John made it his goal to prove that he was the best natural powerlifter in the world. However, to do so, he first had to qualify for the World Championships. John did not struggle too much since he won the 2015 USAPL Raw Nationals and secured his spot.

Then, John Haack appeared in the 2016 IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships, where he went head-to-head against Brett Gibbs. Despite still being a Junior, John dominated the Open age class and became the U83KG champion.

Related: John Haack (90KG) Sets Three All-Time World Records At The 2022 WRPF American Pro

The Crossroads

After winning the IPF World Championships, John Haack was in a tough spot, thinking about what his next goal should be. He initially wanted to defend his title in 2017, but ultimately left USAPL and IPF forever due to the opportunities that other federations presented. John remained natural for another year after leaving the USAPL and IPF, but then started using PEDs.

So, after seeing the prize money that was featured in the 2017 USPA CETC US Open Powerlifting Championships, John Haack decided to compete there. He placed second, but got $10,000 as a reward.

“I do wish I had stuck around and gone back for one more IPF title, and would have loved to go against Russ (Orhii). But with the first big Kern meet and the lack of support to the lifters by the USAPL, made leaving easy.” wrote Haack under a Reddit post.

John Haack spent some more time in the 83- / 82.5-kilogram weight class, setting more World Records, before finally deciding to seek a new challenge. He then made his way to the 90-kilogram weight class, which is where he gained the most fame.

Not only did he put up mind blowing numbers across the events, but John Haack also became the first and only athlete in the 90-kilogram weight class to Total over 1,000 kilograms (2,204.6 pounds). In fact, at the time, his Total was heavier than the raw World Records in both the 100-kilogram and 110-kilogram weight classes as well.

John Haack’s Powerlifting Stats

John Haack has taken part in 28 sanctioned powerlifting competitions over a full decade of competing, during which he also won 24 of them. He is also actively holding multiple All-Time World Records, and has broken countless of them in the past as well.

Raw Competition PRs

• Squat: 362.5-kg (799.1-lb) — (2023 WRPF The American Pro 2)
• Bench Press: 272.5-kg (600.7-lb) — (2022 USPA Pro Raw Championships)
• Deadlift: 410-kg (903.9-lb) — (2022 USPA Pro Raw Championships)
• Total: 1,030-kg (2,270.7-lb) — (2022 USPA Pro Raw Championships)

Check out John Haacks U90KG ATWR Total here:

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by John Haack (@bilbo_swaggins181)

Related: Powerlifter John Haack Squats 365-kg (804.7-lb) For a New Personal Best

John Haack’s Diet

John Haack does not dedicate too much of his time to tracking macros; instead, he only pays attention to protein intake. So, he eats as many carbs and fats as he feels comfortable with. The diet can be a problem for him since there are days when he is extremely busy and cannot keep up with the eating plan.

John Haack bases his diet adjustments on both his subjective feelings and weigh-ins. He still aims to eat four times a day, with the goal of intaking around 50 grams of protein per meal. As he gets closer to a meet, John makes small adjustments to his diet depending on whether he wants to gain or lose weight. So, for example, he alternates between regular and sugar-free hydration beverages.

PED Cycle

John Haack is now competing in untested powerlifting competitions, and he is completely open about his PED (Performance Enhancing Drugs) use. However, it might come as a surprise that he is not using large amounts or abusing the substances. Instead, he maintained roughly the same number of PEDs throughout the years.

Once he decided to move away from the drug-tested competitions, John Haack first began using SARMs (Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators), but later progressed to the more common stuff. His cycles usually consisted of a testosterone base, anavar, and sometimes a switch to anadrol.

Testosterone

• Week 1-4: 200 milligrams per week (Inject twice a week)
• Weeks 4-8: 240 milligrams per week
• Weeks 8-12: 280 milligrams per week

Anavar

• Week 1-3: 50 milligrams per day
• Week 3-6: 60 milligrams per day

Anadrol

Note: John Haack starts using Anadrol after six weeks of Anavar.

• Training Days: 50 milligrams
• Off Days: 25 milligrams

“That is basically what I have done for the last two years or so. It’s been working well, so I figured why change it.”

Moreover, there have been instances where John Haack went completely off the PEDs during his offseason. On the other hand, he has also used 100 milligrams of testosterone per week during some of his offseasons. Haack is also staying away from other stronger steroids, such as trenbolone, since he saw what it can do to people.

Related: Powerlifter John Haack Breaks Two All-Time World Records At The Hybrid Showdown 4 Meet

John Haack’s Training

John Haack usually trains five days a week, with the majority of his focus being on the three powerlifting core lifts. He does perform accessories, but focuses the most on performing heavy singles. Moreover, out of the five days that he trains, John separates Saturday and Monday as the two staples of his week.

• Monday: Heavy Deadlift + Back Day
• Tuesday: Heavy Rep Bench Day
• Wednesday: Heavy Squat Rep Day
• Friday: Super Light SBD
• Saturday: Heavy Squat and Bench Single

Current Life & Goals

John Haack has a full-time career outside of powerlifting as a chemist, specifically doing research and development. Notably, he held a position at a company that specializes in water and surface disinfection technology, with the task of installing and planning of the equipment.

John Haack could quit his job due to the income he receives from sponsors, prize money, and coaching. However, as he states, all of that income could dry up at any moment.

John Haack currently has a few goals in mind for the future. Firstly, he wants to total 2,300 pounds (1,043.3 kilograms) while competing in the 90-kilogram weight class. That is the ultimate milestone for him, after which he plans to move up to the 100-kilogram weight class.

Next, he wants to break some more records in the 100-kilogram weight class, motivated by Ed Coan, whom John Haack considers to be one of the greatest powerlifters in history. Most notably, he wants to Total over 2,405.5 pounds (1,091.1 kilograms), since Coan did so over three decades ago. The only difference is that John strives to achieve this Total raw, while Coan performed it in the equipped (Single-Ply) division.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by John Haack (@bilbo_swaggins181)

Related: John Haack Hits Another Deadlift PR With A Huge 410 kg (903.9 lbs) Lift Raw

John Haack also made his debut in Strongman during the month of July in 2023, when he appeared in the U90KG Kaos Classic. Impressively, among the 23-man lineup, John managed to place third, displaying incredible prowess in Strongman as well. So, not only has he proven himself in powerlifting, but in other strength sports as well. For this reason, John is widely considered to be one of the pound-for-pound strongest men on earth.

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