The powerlifting world notices when the athlete with the second-heaviest raw squat ever performed in competition attempts a nearly 1,000-pound double. On July 22, 2024, reigning four-time International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) World Classic Champion superheavyweight Jesus Olivares, who holds the IPF raw squat world record of 478 kilograms, did just that.

Olivares posted a video on his Instagram page in which he attempted a 981-pound raw squat double. His first rep was clean, but his second ground to a halt, ultimately leading to Olivares dumping the weight.

First squat fail in 3.5 years.

Check out the massive lift in the video below where Olivares nearly encountered disaster on the second rep:

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Olivares wrote about his bailed attempt in the post’s caption, mentioning that he didn’t have “access to the level of spotters” needed when lifting the weights he trains with. Olivares’ spotter was his little brother, Carlos.

It’s a risk I have to take every time I get under the bar.

In the comments was a suggestion from the 2023 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champion Mitchell Hooper, who wrote, “Go without a spotter altogether if it’s not going to help to have them there. Have your bail-out plan and eliminate the extra piece. With one spotter and that load, it’s probably just a formality, no matter how capable they might be.”

Despite the risk of dumping 981 pounds to the floor, Olivares stood his ground, noting that, in his view, it was among the “necessary risks” to reach the level he aspired to.

I don’t need the masses to understand me.

While his second squat attempt failed and the dangers of bailed weight that heavy were apparent, Olivares did not seem fazed or of the mind that he needed to change his set or safety measures. He preempted commenters likely to urge him to train at a gym with a monolift rather than a basic squat rack for such heavy loads. Olivares said he would not go “to an untested gym to use a monolift,” though many in the comments were confused about what he meant by “untested.”

Olivares did not specify the target for the “level he aspires to.” As a multiple-time world champion who holds the all-time raw world record total of 1,152.5 kilograms — a whopping 25 kilograms more than Dan Bell’s second-highest total of 1,125.5 kilograms — it seems only Olivares truly knows the bounds of strength he aims to eclipse.

Featured image: @mega.gojira on Instagram

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