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Reza Hassanpour recently hit the heaviest front squat of all time, we think.
Reza is 24, competes in the +110KG category, and if the footage below is accurate, front squatted 320KG.
To be specific: This lift marks the heaviest front squat done by a weightlifter using a competition-appropriate grip. Some powerlifters have achieved heavier with the help of multi-ply knee wraps or a cross-arm grip.
Here’s Jezza Uepa hitting 405KG. And Derek Kendall doing 272KG for a set of 12.
This isn’t the first big front squat we’ve seen from Hassanpour. At 17, he hit 300KG. Most veteran superheavies can’t, or won’t bother, front squatting 300 or more. Even Lasha Talakhadze rarely pushed past the 280 mark.
Reza has a modest IWF resume so far. He’s competed twice internationally—two silver medals in 2020 and 2021 at Asian and World Juniors, respectively. Best Total? 398 (172/226) weighing 144.
One big thing: Reza is on the list for this year’s World Weightlifting Championships. He’s declared a 400KG entry Total.
Reza's Front Squat: In Context
320KG is one extraordinary lift. It further validates Iran as having perhaps the most impressive superheavyweight talent pool in our sport’s history. We’ll chuck Reza’s 320 on the pile of our favorite front squats ever:
300KG based on vibes, according to Artyom Antropov.
280KG for a double by all-timer (and Team Iran legend) Hossein Rezazadeh.
290KG from Ilya Ilyin in his prime.
282KG by Keydomar Vallenilla, perhaps as a reply to…
280KG … Tian Tao when they shared the 96KG category.
The craziest, ever?: It’s not Reza or any of the aforementioned athletes. The most insane front squat of all time might just be Boyanka Kostova’s 200KG. She competed as a 58.
