Bill Kazmaier
William Kazmaier (born December 30, 1953) is an American former powerlifter, strongman and professional wrestler. During his career, he set 40 world records across both powerlifting and strongman, and won two International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) World Championships and three World's Strongest Man titles. In the 1980s, Kazmaier became famous for his claim to be "the strongest man who ever lived" by equaling and surpassing feats of strength of famous strongmen of the 20th century.
Vital Statistics
Bill Kazmaier is a United States powerlifter with a best competition total of 1100.0 kg and a best DOTS of 594.31.
- Best total
- 1100 kg
- Best DOTS
- 594.31
- Competition context
- 125+ kg class, USPF, Single-ply
- Meet count
- 11 sanctioned meets
- Born and height
- Born / 188 cm
Career Details
Personal Records
| Lift | Weight | Bodyweight | Meet | Date | Weight Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Squat | 420 kg | 147.4 kg | West Georgia Open Powerlifting Championships | 1981-01-31 | 125+ |
| Bench Press | 300 kg | 147.4 kg | West Georgia Open Powerlifting Championships | 1981-01-31 | 125+ |
| Deadlift | 380 kg | 147.9 kg | Senior National Championships | 1983-07-23 | 125+ |
| Total | 1100 kg | 147.4 kg | West Georgia Open Powerlifting Championships | 1981-01-31 | 125+ |
PR Progression
Career best lifts over time from competition data
| Date | Meet | Squat | Bench | Deadlift | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978-08-26 | Senior Nationals | 355 kg | 242.5 kg | 365 kg | 962.5 kg |
| 1979-04-05 | Hawaii International Powerlifting Championships | 385 kg | 267.5 kg | 377.5 kg | 1030 kg |
| 1979-11-02 | Men's World Powerlifting Championships | 395 kg | 282.5 kg | 362.5 kg | 1040 kg |
| 1981-01-31 | West Georgia Open Powerlifting Championships | 420 kg | 300 kg | 380 kg | 1100 kg |
Bill Kazmaier's best total of 1,100kg places him above the 99th percentile of all 125+kg Raw lifters ever recorded (2,171 entries).
Competition History
11 entries| Details | Date | Meet | Federation | Class | BW | Squat | Bench | Deadlift | Total | DOTS | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983-11-10 | Men's World Powerlifting Championships | IPF | 125+ | 146.5 kg | 385 kg | 227.5 kg | 362.5 kg | 975 kg | 527.7 | 1 | |
| 1983-07-23 | Senior National Championships | USPF | 125+ | 147.9 kg | 412.5 kg | 250 kg | 380 kg | 1042.5 kg | 562.8 | 1 | |
| 1982-02-12 | Hawaii Invitational | USPF | 125+ | 145.5 kg | 412.5 kg | 235 kg | 355 kg | 1002.5 kg | 543.6 | 1 | |
| 1981-02-14 | Texas State Open & Brownwood Invitational | USPF | 125+ | - | - | - | 370 kg | - | - | DQ | |
| 1981-01-31 | West Georgia Open Powerlifting Championships | USPF | 125+ | 147.4 kg | 420 kg | 300 kg | 380 kg | 1100 kg | 594.3 | 1 | |
| 1980-07-12 | Senior Nationals | USPF | 125+ | 147.4 kg | 365 kg | 265 kg | - | - | - | DQ | |
| 1980-04-19 | World Series of Powerlifting | USPF | 125+ | - | 375 kg | 287.5 kg | - | - | - | DQ | |
| 1979-11-02 | Men's World Powerlifting Championships | IPF | 110+ | 143.3 kg | 395 kg | 282.5 kg | 362.5 kg | 1040 kg | 566.2 | 1 | |
| 1979-08-18 | Senior Nationals | USPF | 125+ | - | 380 kg | 280 kg | - | - | - | DQ | |
| 1979-04-05 | Hawaii International Powerlifting Championships | USPF | 125+ | 139.7 kg | 385 kg | 267.5 kg | 377.5 kg | 1030 kg | 564.8 | 2 | |
| 1978-08-26 | Senior Nationals | AAU | 125 | 125 kg | 355 kg | 242.5 kg | 365 kg | 962.5 kg | 545.5 | 1 |
Strength Fingerprint
How Bill Kazmaier's lifts compare with every competition lifter in the same equipment class
Lift Balance
Share of the total from each lift, against the average male raw lifter
population average
Deadlift-lags profile
Deadlift makes up 34.5% of Bill Kazmaier's total; the average male raw lifter's deadlift contributes 41.2%.
Career Stage
all Raw lifters
This cohort typically peaks at 21. At 30, Bill Kazmaier competed 9 years past the statistical peak, among the 56% of lifters still competing at 30.
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About Bill Kazmaier
Bill Kazmaier is a United States competitive powerlifter who has competed in 11 sanctioned meets since 1978. Bill Kazmaier has competed under IPF, USPF, AAU federations.
Career best competition total: 1100.0 kg with a DOTS score of 594.31. Individual lift PRs: 420.0 kg squat, 300.0 kg bench press, 380.0 kg deadlift.
This profile is built from verified competition data sourced from OpenPowerlifting. All results shown are from sanctioned competition performances, not self-reported numbers.