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Professional powerlifter, Tamara Walcott, made history at the Rogue Record Breakers exhibition on Mar. 6.
Walcott was able to lift an astonishing 641 pounds (291-kilograms) during the competition that took place at the 2022 Arnold Sports Festival (ASF) in Columbus, Ohio. The star beat out her previous record, which was set after performing a powerful 636-pound deadlift at the World Raw Powerlifting Federation in 2021. Previously, Andrea Thompson held the number one spot with a record of 621 pounds.
A remarkable video posted to Rogue Fitnesss’ account shows the 38-year-old St. Croix native prepping up her strength before attempting the tough deadlift. Wearing a sturdy weightlifting belt, and no straps, Walcott grabbed onto the 291-kilogram bar and thrust the large weight up, putting an immense amount of power into the lift from her arms, back, and legs. The 6-time deadlift champion managed to hold the bar up for several seconds right before dropping it to the floor.
Watch the incredible video below.
Walcott has been competing since 2018, according to Bar Bend, but her journey into the dead-lifting world happened unexpectedly. After going through a challenging divorce, the mother of two said she found herself at her lowest, weighing a startling 415 pounds. Walcott struggled to overcome food addiction. On the brink of jeopardizing her health, she turned to deadlifting as a source of therapy and exercise.
“I had lost control of so much, so being in control of weight lifting felt empowering. At the time my goal was to one day deadlift 315 pounds. I had no idea that four years later I would lift more than double that and set a world record,” she told Insider back in December 2021.
“I began going to the gym, bringing my kids with me three to four nights a week,” the champ continued. “Weight lifting was my therapy and helped me battle food addiction. I wanted to make sure my kids were taken care of, and that meant being healthy for them. To be a good mom I had to take care of myself. Knowing that freed me from any mom guilt I might have felt.”
As her deadlifting progress excelled, Walcott documented her journey on social media, sharing her workout routines via her Plus Size Fitness Queen Instagram page. The brawny lifter now has over 66k followers.
“As moms, we’re often told what we can and can’t do. We’re put into boxes or told we have to put our dreams on the back burner. The people who follow me know that’s not true. You can still chase your dreams and find time to do the things you love. You can do and become anything that you set your mind to,” Walcott gushed to the publication.
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