Anthony Clark (powerlifter)
Anthony Wayne Clark was an American powerlifter, holder of the world record for the reverse-grip bench press and member of the York Barbell Hall of Fame.
Powerlifting career
By the time Clark was 13, he was lifting cement weights. In 1986, Clark became the first teenager to bench press, and was notable for using a reverse grip on the bar. In 1992, he was the first lifter to bench press using the reverse grip. On September 25, 1993, at the U.S. Powerlifting Federation Northwest Open, Clark broke his own world record with a lift. In May 1993 he had pressed.After his record-breaking lift, Clark often referred to himself as the World's Strongest Man, and toured for a time performing feats of strength. On one occasion he pushed a elephant, in a heavy-duty wheelbarrow, across the floor in a strongman competition in Japan. In addition to that, Clark gave motivational speeches, seminars, and one-on-one counseling to motivate kids and prison inmates to improve their lives. Clark also claimed that he stopped using steroids at the age of 22, stating that all they did was to increase his blood pressure. He called his best friend Big Mike.
At the Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic in 1997, he performed a controversial, reverse-gripped bench press,
which was later turned down. This was more than 2 years before Tim Isaac would break the 800 lb mark at a sanctioned meet.
Personal records
;Powerlifting Competition Records:done in official Powerlifting full meets
- Squat – 499 kg
- Bench press – 365 kg
- Deadlift – 350 kg
- Total – 1179.34 kg equipped