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John LaFlamme has been powerlifting in some competitive capacity for much of his adult life. Even with an absence between his youth in the late 1970s and his 60s in the early 2010s — according to Open Powerlifting — the 71-year-old athlete seemingly builds more strength and muscle by the day. His recent leg strength demonstration is an excellent example of his progress.
On July 20, 2022, LaFlamme (83KG) shared footage on his Instagram page wherein he completed a raw 193.7-kilogram (427-pound) back squat during a training session. It is a new personal record (PR) for LaFlamme. The figure is also 1.54 pounds more than his own International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) World Record in the Masters 4 (age 70+) division. The 83-kilogram athlete achieved that 193-kilogram (425.5-pound) record squat at the 2021 IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships.
LaFlamme wore just a lifting belt and knee sleeves to score his new PR. Check it out below:
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It’s not often a powerlifter breaks records across two divisions with one training feat, but that’s precisely what the LaFlamme accomplished. His new top squat PR unofficially exceeds the world records in two IPF Masters 4 weight class categories.
In addition to the 83-kilogram division, LaFlamme’s 193.7-kilogram (427-pound) squat is 2.6 pounds more 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 pounds) at 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 during 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 same competitions. After several promising podium results in the IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships (2017-2019), LaFlamme finally broke through with a win in the Masters 4 83-kilogram division during the 2021 edition — arguably the top result of his career.
Here are LaFlamme’s raw all-time competition bests:
John LaFlamme | All-time Raw Competition Bests
- *Squat — 210 kilograms (462.9 pounds)
- Bench Press — 112.5 kilograms (248 pounds)
- Deadlift — 245 kilograms (540.1 pounds)
- Total — 557.5 kilograms (1,229 pounds)
*Note: LaFlamme’s 210-kilogram (462.9) raw squat is from the 2018 USA Powerlifting Virginia State Championships. However, that number came as a 90-kilogram competitor and wouldn’t count as a World Record anyway because it didn’t occur in an international contest.
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What’s Next
With his current pace, LaFlamme could soon garner a noteworthy milestone. Should he add 6.3 kilograms (13.9 pounds) to his squat, LaFlamme would become the first IPF Masters 4 powerlifter to squat at least 200 kilograms (440.9 pounds). At the time of this writing, the 71-year-old athlete hasn’t revealed when his next sanctioned contest will be.
Featured image: @johnlaflamme83kg