Max Shethar is no typical 20-year-old. Whereas many young people his age might focus on fitting general exercise into their otherwise packed schedules, the powerlifter spends much of his time training and refining his strength craft. That commitment is starting to pay off more and more.
On Oct. 23, 2022, Shethar (+140KG) shared a video of himself capturing a 342.3-kilogram (755-pound) raw back squat during the 2022 USA Powerlifting (USAPL) All-Valley Raw Championships. The contest took place in Bozeman, MT, on Oct. 22, 2022. According to Open Powerlifting, Shethar’s top squat is a new competition personal record (PR). The athlete wore a lifting belt, knee sleeves, and wrist wraps to help with the accomplishment.
[Related: 11 Loaded Carry Variations Worth Trying]
In addition to a new competition PR squat, a couple of other Instagram posts detailed that Shethar logged a 210-kilogram (463-pound) raw bench press PR. It wasn’t a PR try, but Shethar also made an unsuccessful attempt at deadlifting 355.1 kilograms (783 pounds) but could not lock out the rep. He would have to settle for a final pull of 330 kilograms (727.5 pounds). The athlete wore just wrist wraps for his bench press and just a lifting belt while deadlifting.
Here’s a complete overview of Shethar’s performance at the 2022 USAPL All-Valley Raw Championships:
Max Shethar (+140KG) | 2022 USAPL All-Valley Raw Championships Top Stats
- Squat — 342.5 kilograms (755 pounds) | All-Time Raw Competition PR
- Bench Press — 210 kilograms (463 pounds) | All-Time Raw Competition PR
- Deadlift — 330 kilograms (727.5 pounds)
- Total — 882.5 kilograms (1,945.6 pounds)
[Related: Forced Reps — What They Are and How to Use Them]
This isn’t the first instance Shethar has shined on a sanctioned lifting platform this year.
In mid-June 2022, during a first-place performance at the 2022 United States Powerlifting Association (USPA) Drug Tested Matt Hurley Memorial Meet, the powerlifter broke two Juniors 18-19 World Records in the +140-kilogram division. The record marks were a 365-kilogram (804.7-pound) deadlift and a 907.2-kilogram (2,000-pound) total.
It was much of the same excellence for Shethar, sans any new records, during a first-place result at the 2022 USAPL Big Iron Classic State Championships. To this stage, since March 2017, he has never lost a powerlifting competition.
Here’s a rundown of some of the official results from Shethar’s career to date:
Max Shethar | Career Results*
- 2017 USA Powerlifting (USAPL) Washington State Championships (93KG) — First place | Teen 1 division
- 2018 USAPL Washington State Championships (125KG) — First place | Teen 1 division
- 2018 USAPL Raw Nationals (125KG)— First place | Teen 2 division
- 2019 USPA Drug Tested Washington State Open (+140KG) — First place | Juniors 16-17 division
- 2021 USPA Ragnarok Invite II (140KG) — First place | Open/Juniors 18-19 division
- 2022 USAPL Big Iron Classic State Championships (140KG) — First place | Open/Teen 3 division
- 2022 USPA Drug Tested Matt Hurley Memorial Meet (+140KG) — First place | Open/Juniors 18-19 division
(*Note: At the time of this writing, the full results for the 2022 USAPL All-Valley Raw Championships contest have not been published, making it unclear precisely where Shethar finished.)
[Related: How to Do the Weighted Pull-Up — Benefits, Variations, and More]
After scoring his new PRs, Shethar might already have his next ambition in place. After joining the 800-plus-pound deadlift club in the summer of 2022, the athlete could be on a rapid path to an 800-plus-pound squat in the coming months. Whenever he does compete next; it’s apparent that Shethar may put on a show either way.
Featured image: @the_one_rep_max on Instagram.