On Oct. 1, 2022, during the 2022 America’s Strongest Man (ASM) U105KG, strongman Nicolas Cambi set a Max Heavy Dumbbell World Record of 129.5 kilograms (285 pounds). Cambi’s record was part of an overall first-place performance for the athlete. It is the consecutive year he has won the contest. Cambi wore a lifting belt, knee sleeves, and an arm sleeve around his right pressing arm during the milestone.
According to Strongman Corporation, Cambi’s Heavy Dumbbell World Record surpasses the previous top figure by 75 pounds. Cole Booth held the past mark of 95.3 kilograms (210 pounds) at the 2018 TX Record Breakers.
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To get in an ample position for his heavy dumbbell lift, Cambi performed what’s known as a belt clean, briefly resting the dumbbell on his lifting belt before driving it into overhead pressing position. The lifting technique appeared to allow him to generate more leg drive on the final press because it split the press into two segments. After finishing at lockout, Cambi would then hold his dumbbell overhead just long enough while waiting for the official green light — a down signal from the official.
Cambi’s unorthodox but legal strategy of cleaning the dumbbell from his belt drew the attention of fellow strongman Pa O’Dwyer. In the comments of the post of Cambi’s record lift, the Irish athlete asks Cambi to clarify that he did indeed perform a clean of his dumbbell from his belt. After receiving further confirmation from Cambi, O’Dwyer made a joking reference to The Dark Knight, writing, “Some people just want to watch the world burn, Master Wayne.”
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Cambi’s second straight victory at the ASM U105 continues a successful start to his approximate six-year career. According to Strongman Archives, it’s the fourth victory of his career. To date, Cambi has only failed to make the podium on one occasion. In addition to this Heavy Dumbbell World Record, the athlete also possesses the Block Press (141.5 kilograms/311.9 pounds) and Log Lift (187 kilograms/412.3 pounds) U105KG World Record figures. He achieved both at the 2021 Clash at the Corral (CatC) contest.
Here’s an overview of notable results since Cambi began competing in strongman in March 2015:
Nicolas Cambi | Notable Strongman Results
- 2015 Arnold Amateur Strongman World Championships U105 — Fourth place
- 2017 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) U105 — Second place
- 2021 Clash on the Coast (CotC) — First place
- 2021 Strongman World Cup (SWC) U105 — Third place
- 2021-2022 ASM U105 — First place
- 2021 WSM U105 — First place
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At the time of this writing, Cambi hasn’t alluded to his next competition. Most of his recent social media posts were from or connected to the 2022 ASM U105 competition. With yet another World Record under his belt, Cambi could elect to bask in his achievement for a little while. That is, until it’s time to break another boundary.
Featured image: @cambidude on Instagram
