John LaFlamme has been powerlifting in some competitive capability for much of his adult life. Even with an absence between his youth within the late Seventies and his 60s within the early 2010s — in keeping with Open Powerlifting — the 71-year-old athlete seemingly builds more strength and muscle by the day. His recent leg strength demonstration is a superb example of his progress.
On July 20, 2022, LaFlamme (83KG) shared footage on his Instagram page wherein he accomplished a raw 193.7-kilogram (427-pound) back squat during a training session. It’s a recent personal record (PR) for LaFlamme. The figure can also be 1.54 kilos greater than his own International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) World Record within the Masters 4 (age 70+) division. The 83-kilogram athlete achieved that 193-kilogram (425.5-pound) record squat on the 2021 IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships.
LaFlamme wore only a lifting belt and knee sleeves to attain his recent PR. Test it out below:
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It’s hardly a powerlifter breaks records across two divisions with one training feat, but that’s precisely what the LaFlamme completed. His recent top squat PR unofficially exceeds the world records in two IPF Masters 4 weight class categories.
Along with the 83-kilogram division, LaFlamme’s 193.7-kilogram (427-pound) squat is 2.6 kilos greater than Christian Buch’s IPF Masters 4 World Record for the 93-kilogram class. Buch captured his official record squat mark of 192.5 kilograms (424.4 kilos) on the 2019 European Powerlifting Federation (EPF) European Masters Classic Championships.
LaFlamme at a Glance
At age 27, LaFlamme made his competitive powerlifting debut in 1978 in the course of the AAU Maine State Powerlifting Championships. Since then, LaFlamme has participated in 48 sanctioned contests, winning 28 times over multiple divisions, sometimes competing raw and with wraps at the identical competitions. After several promising podium ends in the IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships (2017-2019), LaFlamme finally broke through with a win within the Masters 4 83-kilogram division in the course of the 2021 edition — arguably the highest results of his profession.
Listed below are LaFlamme’s raw all-time competition bests:
John LaFlamme | All-time Raw Competition Bests
- *Squat — 210 kilograms (462.9 kilos)
- Bench Press — 112.5 kilograms (248 kilos)
- Deadlift — 245 kilograms (540.1 kilos)
- Total — 557.5 kilograms (1,229 kilos)
*Note: LaFlamme’s 210-kilogram (462.9) raw squat is from the 2018 USA Powerlifting Virginia State Championships. Nevertheless, that number got here as a 90-kilogram competitor and wouldn’t count as a World Record anyway since it didn’t occur in a global contest.
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What’s Next
Together with his current pace, LaFlamme could soon garner a noteworthy milestone. Should he add 6.3 kilograms (13.9 kilos) to his squat, LaFlamme would change into the primary IPF Masters 4 powerlifter to squat at the least 200 kilograms (440.9 kilos). On the time of this writing, the 71-year-old athlete hasn’t revealed when his next sanctioned contest can be.
Featured image: @johnlaflamme83kg