Although it is difficult to determine who the greatest pound-for-pound squatter in the world is, Phillip Herndon is without a doubt somewhere on the top of that list. He has reached a point where world records are expected from him every time he steps onto the competition floor. Fortunately, Phillip typically exceeds those expectations because he is constantly breaking down historical barriers. This is exactly what he is planning to do again, as he just landed an Unofficial All-Time World Record Squat of 914 pounds (414.5 kilograms) in training.
Phillip Herndon shared his new 914-pound (414.5-pound) Unofficial World Record Squat on Instagram, where he can be seen wearing nothing but a lifting belt and knee sleeves to complete the lift. This is important since it means that his lift is raw and heavier than the greatest squat completed in official competition in the 125-kilogram (275-pound) weight class.
Reece Fullwood, who squatted 909.4 pounds (412.5 kilograms) at the 2023 GPC-GB Welsh National Championships, currently holds the U125KG All-Time World Record for Raw Squat. So, by successfully locking out his recent lift in training, Phillip Herndon has unofficially outperformed this record by 4.6 pounds (2 kilograms).
However, what seemed most surprising was how smooth Phillip Herndon’s squat looked. He actually made it look very comfortable, and it might even be one of the easiest record-breaking lifts ever.
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Phillip Herndon is currently preparing for the 2023 WRPF American Pro 2, which will take place on October 27-29, at the Salisbury Center in Manassas, VA. Last year’s edition of this competition proved to be one of the most epic shows, with over 90,000 livestream viewers. So, this year will feature an even bigger prize pool for the competitors, and Phillip Herndon will do his best to put on a show for the viewers.
So, despite the fact that Phillip Herndon has recently Unofficially Broken the Raw Squat World Record, he seems more tempted to break Zahir Khudayarov’s Knee Wraps World Record. However, his raw squat strength will definitely transfer to his squats with knee wraps, meaning that Zahir’s World Record could fall after six years.
It is testament to Phillip Herndon’s constant improvement that he achieved all of his competition personal records in just two competitions this year. However, he is a very experienced athlete, having taken part in 42 competitions and winning 28 of them.
Data Source: Open Powerlifting. Last Updated: August 17, 2023
Similar to Bodybuilders and fighters, a lot of powerlifters cut weight before a competition, which can sometimes make them a bit weaker than in training. However, Phillip Herndon has made sure not to exceed his weight class, making sure he does not have to cut weight. He currently weighs around 271 pounds (122.9 kilograms), so he is definitely ready to break World Records in the 125-kilogram weight class.
If you have questions or need clarifications, please leave a comment below, and Vedad will respond promptly.
Vedad is a journalist specializing in strength sports, with three years of experience covering powerlifting, Olympic weightlifting, strongman, armwrestling and bodybuilding. He is a lifelong fitness enthusiast, passionate about all aspects of strength training. Vedad's in-depth knowledge of training methodologies and dedication to constant research fuel his insightful and engaging reporting. He works hard to deliver accurate content while continuously seeking to improve his craft.
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