The amazing Lamar Gant

BrianD3

The thread on how strong can you get and talking about freaks made me think of powerlifter Lamar Gant. Interesting article on him here
http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1122739/6/index.htm

Over 5x BW deadlift @ around 130 pounds, 12x BW total :eek: Article mentions deadlift training sessions consisting of 25 sets of 5 with up to 585 pounds :eek:

Lamar Gant

dave80

BrianD3 wrote: »

The thread on how strong can you get and talking about freaks made me think of powerlifter Lamar Gant. Interesting article on him here
http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1122739/6/index.htm

Over 5x BW deadlift @ around 130 pounds, 12x BW total :eek: Article mentions deadlift training sessions consisting of 25 sets of 5 with up to 585 pounds :eek:

Lamar Gant

he only had to pull to his knees

racso1975

seriously though look at the length of his arms compared to the rest of his body!!!!:eek:

BrianD3

The long arm effect is at least partly due to his spinal scoliosis which got worse (or better depending on your POV) when deadlifting. Hence the title of the article I posted - "he bends but he doesn't break" :eek:

He also held world records in the bench press. I think he held deadlift and bench records at the same time

kevpants

That's amazing he really had genetic advantages and defects that fell on the positive side of the scale as far as powerlifting goes.

...a progressive bending and settling of the spine could easily be seen, with the 425 pounds producing a curvature of more than 90 degrees. How much farther his spine bends when lifting a world-record weight can't be pinpointed because he strains too much with effort for a readable X ray to be taken. Still, it would be reasonable to conclude that the curvature would be more than 100 degrees.

Holy...

Wish I had a degenerative spinal disease.

Pen1987

^^jesus I think its the sentence after that one that is more shocking...

it would be reasonable to conclude that the curvature would be more than 100 degrees. Indeed, as observers can attest, as the weight gets heavier, Gant gets shorter. As his spine flexes to the left under the compressive force of a heavy weight, his collarbones drop to within a few inches of the top of his lifting belt. It's as if his chest disappears.

MagicMarker

BrianD3 wrote: »

The thread on how strong can you get and talking about freaks made me think of powerlifter Lamar Gant. Interesting article on him here
http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1122739/6/index.htm

Over 5x BW deadlift @ around 130 pounds, 12x BW total :eek: Article mentions deadlift training sessions consisting of 25 sets of 5 with up to 585 pounds :eek:

Lamar Gant

Why is his arse at the front?

Malteaser!

As somebody who suffers from scoliosis, the picture and quotes above are freaking me out... :eek:

I'd never heard any of what's been mentioned in this thread before!

brianthebard

I was just talking to my chiropractor about this guy! How much of a curve does your spine have Malt? Sure it might be an advantage for some max deads!

Hanley

Pretty sure he still hold's the IPF deadlfit record too...

The amazing thing is that he has all 4 WR's at one stage. Which is really unheard of. You normally pull big or deadlift big, but never both!!

Malteaser!

brianthebard wrote: »

I was just talking to my chiropractor about this guy! How much of a curve does your spine have Malt? Sure it might be an advantage for some max deads!

Tbh I can't remember, I was about 12 when I had my last x-rays. I refused the surgery at the time so now that I know I have it and there's feck all that can be done I haven't had to go back for more.

rubadub

Could have been a boxer with that reach!, it looks fake they are so long.

Hanley

When it comes to discussing powerlifting and freaks, Lamar Gant is the freakest of them all in my opinion. He may not have been the biggest guy ever, but when it comes to people being perfect built for the sport, I don't think anyone else has ever been as perfect as him. The only person I can think of is Ed Coan, and he's the best lifter ever.

Hanley

Bumpity bump for people who've never heard of the guy.

Was googling him to show someone a pic of him and it brought me back to this thread. Lulz!!

ray jay

barf


good bump though