Phoenix powerlifter and IFBB physique pro Suzanne Davis set a world record on Saturday with a 486.5-pound deadlift in the 132-pound division at the Western Warrior Powerlifting Challenge in Glendale, AZ.
The mark, which broke Susan Salazar’s previous mark of 485 pounds, came nearly a year after Davis set the all-time raw deadlifting record at 123 pounds with a lift of 461 pounds. The 45-year-old came up short on her final attempt—500 pounds. ”That’s the next goal,” said her coach, Tim Sparkes, owner of Die Hard Gym and Fitness. Davis finished the event with a three-lift total of 1,062, the second best ever among all women in the U.S.
While also splitting time between powerlifting and training for physique, Davis piled on 10 pounds of muscle, which accounted for the bump in weight class. “It just got too hard for her to cut,” Sparkes said. A reduction in the amount of competitions this year plus an increased emphasis on resistance band deadlifts—one of the key exercise ingredients in Team Die Hard deadlift training in which bands are strapped inside both collars of the barbell to help enhance explosiveness—were also key contributors to Davis’ success on Saturday.
“Between those three changes I’m able to lift heavier and still have time to recover,” Davis, who only began lifting five years ago and was featured in the March/April 2016 M&F Hers.
Next up: Davis is hoping for a chance at the invite-only US Open Invitational powerlifting competition in San Diego on April 16. If that isn’t enough to train for, on June 10 Davis then shoots for her first IFBB physique victory the Omaha Pro.
