Who is Russel Orhii? Complete Profile — Career, Stats, Age, and More

Russel Orhii has been impressing the powerlifting community for nearly a decade, with countless record-breaking lifts and prestige titles at the highest level. So, in this article, we have covered multiple aspects of Russel’s life and career, with the main goal of providing an insight into the background of the 2x IPF World Champion.

Russel Orhii Statistics

Related: Russel Orhii Lands 342.5-kg (755-lb) Raw Squat Two-Rep PR in Prep for IPF Comeback

Russel Orhii’s Early Life

Russel Orhii was born in Houston, Texas, and was always an extremely active person. He first started doing exercises at the young age of seven years old, as he would do pushups while watching Dragon Ball Z. However, his actual love for sports began a few years later, when he started training for American Football. Moreover, because of that, Russel also began weight training at the age of 14-years-old.

Russel Orhii played in the position of running back at George Ranch High School, and his ambitions carried over to college as well. Once he enrolled in college, Russel managed to get into the American Football spring team. He was also in the process of getting on the fall roster, but at that point, he decided that American Football was no longer the best choice for him.

Russel Orhii realized that he was doing football for everyone else and not really for his own satisfaction. His love for football did exist, but he did not enjoy playing it; instead, he liked watching it. Once he dropped out of football, Russel Orhii realized that his true passion was lifting weights.

“For the longest time, I attached football to my name. I always thought that football was the only way that people would pay attention to me and have me in their thoughts.”

Russel Orhii’s football career helped him build a good base for lifting weights, but his experience was mostly in regard to performance-based training. Due to this, Russel could not dedicate himself to just the three core lifts of powerlifting. Instead, his goal was to build an amazing physique while also lifting heavy weights. So, Russel made an easy decision to become a PowerBuilder (Powerlifting + Bodybuilding).

Although he is mostly known for powerlifting, Russel Orhii also participated in one bodybuilding competition. It took place at the 2016 NPC Lee Labrada Classic, but Russel was far from satisfied with his performance. Although he looked incredible, Russel admitted that he did not have the right approach, which is why he did not come as conditioned as possible.

Related: Powerlifter Russel Orhii Lands a HUGE 356-kg (785-lb) Raw Squat PR In Training

Powerlifting Career

The Beginnings

Russel Orhii was introduced to powerlifting by a friend who recognized his potential. So, having realized that he could once again let his competitive spirit roam free, Russel gladly tried it out. His first sanctioned appearance came at the 2015 USAPL Raw Collegiate Cup, and it is safe to say that he was very inexperienced. In fact, during that time, Russel did not even use the lifting belt, knee sleeves, or wrist wraps.

Despite not knowing the proper powerlifting technique at the time, Russel Orhii still managed to win the 83-kilogram weight class of his debut competition. To do so, Russel squatted 245-kg (540.1-lb), benched 165-kg (363.8-lb) and deadlifted 275-kg (606.3-lb), which were mind-blowing numbers for a first appearance.

Related: Powerlifter Russel Orhii Smokes 365-kg (805-lb) Raw Deadlift PR In Training

Encountering Setbacks

Following his debut, Russel Orhii became unstoppable. He won another nine competitions in a row during a span of just three years. Those included the Regional and Texas championships. However, the biggest win that Russel claimed until that point came at the 2017 USAPL Raw National Championships. Thus, he was officially the National champion at the age of just 22-years-old.

With that win, Russel Orhii secured himself a spot at the 2018 IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships, which is the pinnacle of drug-tested powerlifting. Being his first International competition, Russel did not account for certain factors. So, he ended up suffering his first career loss, placing second behind Brett Gibbs. While many would be satisfied with a silver medal, Russel was not.

“I understood that Brett was stronger than me… He had the greatest meet that an 83KG athlete had up to that point… I sat on the platform thinking, I need to go back home and train harder; I need to get more on point with my nutrition and understand that what I’m doing inside of the gym isn’t enough,” said Orhii.

Becoming ‘The King of the 83s’

Russel Orhii realized that the feeling of losing a competition was awful, which is why he used it to fuel his future workouts. So, he decided not to let something like that happen again.

Just a year later, Russel Orhii came back to the 2019 IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships and brought a significantly better shape. He once again faced off against Brett Gibbs, but this time the outcome was different. Russel put up an 833-kilogram (1,836.5-pound) Total, which marked a new IPF World Record and thus secured him the gold medal. Moreover, he also set a Squat World Record.

With the title under his belt, Russel Orhii was hopeful of remaining on the throne for years to come. However, he was unable to compete in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. So, all of his plans were shifted to the next year. Regardless, Russel came into the 2021 IPF World Championships even stronger than before, winning the title once again and further improving his existing records, while also setting a new deadlift record.

Watch Russel’s squat and deadlift from the 2021 IPF Worlds here:

Related: Powerlifter Russel Orhii Scores a Huge 337.5-kg (744-lb) Raw Squat Two-Rep PR

The Crossroads

For a long time, Russel Orhii competed in the USAPL, which was an associate federation of the IPF. However, these two federations split in 2021, which meant that the athletes had to choose to compete in just one of them. At the time, Russel believed that competing in the USAPL was the right choice. So, he was unable to compete in the 2022 or 2023 IPF World Championships, meaning he lost his title.

However, after not competing even once throughout the entire 2023 season, Russel Orhii came out with a statement revealing that he is no longer satisfied with the USAPL. Moreover, he announced his comeback to the IPF and hopes of once again becoming the World Champion.

Entire Career Overview

Russel Orhii has taken part in 18 sanctioned powerlifting competitions throughout his entire career. He has also had a near perfect win streak, having only lost once. His success, along with multiple World Records, makes him one of the greatest powerlifters to ever step foot on a platform.

Related: Powerlifter Russel Orhii Sets New Squat, Deadlift, & Total Competition PRs At 2022 USAPL Korea Winter Showdown

Diet

Many powerlifters don’t pay too much attention to their diet, even at the highest level. Despite not caring too much at the start of his career, Russel Orhii is now very meticulous about his diet. So, he is counting his macros and believes that it plays a very big role in his success.

“I feel so strong and powerful when I am hitting my protein goals and eating 200+ grams of protein and 200 grams of carbs.”

Russel Orhii has shared multiple “Full Day of Eating’ videos on YouTube. However, in his most recent one, he shared what his current diet looks like. It does not change much on a daily basis, as he is satisfied with the results and how he is feeling. His goal is to intake at least 200 grams of protein each day, which is aligned with the famous rule of “one gram of protein per one pound of bodyweight”.

Meal One

• Protein Shake (Two Scoops)
• Protein Pancakes cooked in Butter
• Egg whites with two whole eggs
• Korean spicy sauce

Meal Two

• Two servings of salmon
• Kimchi
• Green Onions
• White Rice
• Mixed Vegetables

Meal Three

• Two serving of Steak
• Lobster
• Mixed Vegetables
• Rice
• Salad
• Protein Shake

Related: Powerlifter Russel Orhii Lands a New 320-kg (705.5-lb) Raw Squat Three-Rep PR In Training

Training

When it comes to Russel Orhii’s training program, it is important to note that it is quite specific to him. Most powerlifters are primarily focused on the three core lifts, while Russel also dedicates a lot of his time to bodybuilding-style exercise.

As per his TikTok post, Russel Orhii only rests one day per week. He also performs one of the three powerlifting movements on each day of the week, while the remainder of the training session usually complements the muscle group that was used.

• Monday: Heavy Bench / Push & Pull
• Tuesday: Squat
• Wednesday: Bench (Volume) / Arms
• Thursday: Heavy Deadlift / Back
• Friday: Bench / Shoulders
• Saturday: Squat / Hamstrings
• Sunday: Rest

Related: Russel Orhii Shares His Off-Season Workout, And It Is Harder Than You Think

Russel Orhii’s Current Life

Russel Orhii is living an incredibly active life since he is looking forward to his comeback in the IPF, but he has many obligations outside of the sport as well. Firstly, he regularly posts on social media, both on his personal channels and also on his “The Better Take” podcast.

Apart from that, Russel Orhii has his own clothing brand called “GBT”, which is short for “Get Better Today”. This is his life motto and a phrase which he commonly uses in his videos.

That is not all, as Russel Orhii also has his own gym called “Corrupted Strength”. Speaking of which, he is currently working on relocating the gym from the original building, but has not yet found a new one.

Related: Russel Orhii (82.5KG) Scores American Squat & Total Records At The 2022 USAPL Mega Nationals

Russel Orhii has accomplished a lot of things before even reaching the age of 30-years-old. He always looked up to legends from other sports, which is what helped him build a winning mentality. So, although he is first a powerlifter, Russel is also an incredible entrepreneur, bodybuilder, and entertainer. With all of his qualities, it is clear why he is one of the most beloved figures among the fans.

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