73-Year-Old Rudy Kadlub Squats 206 Kilograms in Training for Unofficial Powerlifting World Record

Rudy Kadlub is a man of many. The Septuagenarian is an elite powerlifter, Co-Owner of Kabuki Strength Labs, and apparently eager to set world records.

On May 17, less than two weeks before the 2022 USPA Drug-Tested Nationals, Kadlub posted a video on Instagram wherein he squatted 206 kilograms (454 pounds). The lift is one kilogram more than his International Powerlifting League (IPL) World Record at 100 kilograms. According to Open Powerlifting, five kilograms is more than the all-time heaviest squat at 100 kilograms (a weight class that Kadlub has competed in before).

 

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

A post shared by Rudy Kadlub (@rudykadlub)

In the video, Kadlub wears wrist wraps, knee wraps, and a lifting belt. Despite using a monolift — a machine that allows a lifter to unrack weight without moving back or forth — Kadlub walks the weight out, as he will in competition. Notably, Kadlub says this is the first time he’s lifted with a traditional squat bar since his last competition — the 2021 IPL World Championships, where Kadlub set four world records in November 2021.

"As most of you know, I use the Kabuki Strength Transformer Bar and Duffalo Bar to train year-round outside of a few weeks’ sessions around competition for shoulder preservation," Kadlub wrote in his post. "The transition to squat bar work from my recent Duffalo training was seamless, and I’m ready to hit the straight bar in competition.⁣"

One week before this lift, Kadlub squatted 195 kilograms for a double in training on the Duffalo bar — which is slightly curved to ease shoulder discomfort in the squatting position. Kadlub confirmed to BarBend that his personal goal was to break his own Masters 70-74 raw with wraps world records in the squat, bench press, deadlift, and total for the 100-kilogram category.

 

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

A post shared by Rudy Kadlub (@rudykadlub)

If he does, it would be a repeat performance of what he did at the November meet. Those lifts, which earned him the title of Best Masters Lifter that day, are below.

• Squat — 204.5 kilograms (451 pounds)
• Bench Press — 142.4 kilograms (314 pounds)
• Deadlift — 232.1 kilograms (512 pounds)
• Total — 579.1 kilograms (1,277 pounds) 

Kadlub also told BarBend that he would be flying to Cleveland, OH, after the meet in Atlanta to undergo right shoulder surgery. After he recovers, he will set his sights on his next meet and get back to training as soon as possible.

While he’s proud of his world records and victories in his career, he emphasized that his mission is to inspire more older people to get active and focus on fitness. The 2022 USPA Drug Tested Nationals are in Atlanta, GA, on Monday, May 30, 2022.

Meet Rudy

Kadlub joined BarBend CEO David Tao for an episode of the BarBend Podcast, which was released on Sept. 24, 2021. During the conversation, the two cover Rudy’s athletic background, his intro to competitive powerlifting, Co-founding Kabuki Strength Labs, and more. 

Featured Image: @rudykadlub on Instagram