Ilya Ilyin: A Real Barbell Boss!

You may remember our recent article about certain exercises you could do with your barbell. Ilya Ilyin: A Real Barbell Boss! is definitely for you if you’d like some more inspiration. Read on as we’re going to take a look at why he’s clearly one of the living legends of the iron sport.

Hailing from Kazakhstan, standing at 5 feet 9 inches and owning a well-developed physique, it`s easy to see that Ilya Ilyin is a superbly conditioned athlete. The massive thighs of this two-time Olympic weightlifting gold medallist are evidence that he is an extremely strong lifter!

Lifts such as a 205kg snatch from blocks, 250kg jerk from the rack and a 290kg front squat are some of the Kazakhstani weightlifter`s personal record gym lifts. Performances like this have built essential strength and power for the main two competition lifts; the snatch and the clean and jerk. It`s pretty evident that his early start (he was just 6 years old) in lifting weights has proved a huge advantage!

Winning the 2005 World Weightlifting Championships at the age of 17 was the first major win in his lifting career. His determination and solid commitment to training have earned him two Olympic gold medals (2008 and 2012) and four world championships. His stunning performance in the 2012 Olympics saw him achieve a world record clean and jerk of 233kg and world record total of 418kg in the 94kg class. This phenomenal Olympic clean and jerk record is only 3kg below Andrei Aramnau`s in the 105kg class! Watch how easy he makes the lift appear.

Ilyin has recently shattered another clean and jerk record and lifted 246kg in the 105kg class at the President`s Cup meet in Russia. One record wasn’t enough for him though, he also claimed the total record by achieving a 437kg total which is just sensational! Many weightlifting fans speculate that he will achieve over the coveted 250kg clean and jerk in the upcoming Olympics in Rio. We’re definitely going to be looking out for him!

Powerful, explosive, skilled, motivated and confident are words which nicely describe Ilyin. He has rightfully earned a place amongst modern weightlifting legends such as Pyros Dimas and Hossein Rezazadeh and deserves his status as a national hero in Kazakhstan.

If you’re into weightlifting, observe and learn from Ilyin’s focus, energy, technique, speed, style and sheer class in hoisting and dominating those hefty poundages. Let’s round up by checking out this awesome motivational video of him in training below!

Alan Riseborough

Alan is a strength and physique enthusiast and has 28 years' of training experience behind him. He has competed in powerlifting, arm wrestling, bodybuilding and grip strength competitions. He also includes rigorous bodyweight, sprinting and kettlebell training regularly in his routines. He believes in the transformative power of the squat which is (believe it or not) his favourite exercise!

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