Watch: Olympian, World Champion Shot Putter Joe Kovacs Squats 870 Pounds

U.S. Olympian and 2019 world champion shot putter Joe Kovacs isn't messing around in his preparation for the Tokyo Olympics.

Lifting at Ohio State University's workout facility in Columbus, Ohio, Kovacs squatted 870 pounds and then did three more reps. That's nine 45-pound plates on each side of the bar, then a 60-pound bar to top it off, four times. He used a Texas sabertooth bench bar to squat, which is thicker and stiff so the weights don’t jiggle and has longer sleeves so he can but more on plates than a standard 45-pound bar.

Five spotters aided Kovacs in the feat while his wife and coach Ashley, who initially posted about the lift three days ago, watched nearby.

Kovacs won the 2019 World Championship in Doha, Qatar with a throw of 75 feet, 2 inches, which was the longest throw in 29 years and matched the fourth-best mark in history. He also earned a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. 

He is currently training in Columbus for the 2021 Games in Tokyo.

It's fair to say the Bethlehem, Penn. native indeed does not skip leg day.