Doug Furnas - Powerlifting Career

Powerlifting Career

Before becoming a lifter, Doug Furnas was a promissing American football player, who had won the High School State and the Junior College National Championships and even made the Denver Broncos training camp. Upon starting powerlifting, Furnas initially campaigned as a 242-pound lifter. At a height of 5'10" he was actually a bit too tall for the weight class. His 242-pound class competitors tended to be in the 5'6" to 5'8" range. International-level powerlifting is a game of leverage and density: there is the often overlooked pounds-of-muscle-per-inches-of-height ratio that explains why there are no 5'10" 175-pound world powerlifting champions. When Furnas allowed his bodyweight to rise to a full 275 pounds (sporting 9% bodyfat) his lifts shocked the world. He became one of the few men to achieve a total of 2400 pounds, in fact he is the third man in history to total 2400 (after Don Reinhoudt and Bill Kazmaier) and the first man ever to total 2400 pounds twice - all achieved at an astonishing 265-275 pound bodyweight. The first time, he totaled 2400 lbs (1088.6 kg) at the inaugural APF World Championships 1986 in Maui, Hawaii, sqatting 986 lbs in an old squat suit, bench pressing 600 lbs in a loose size 60 bench shirt and deadlifting 814 lbs. He achieved his second 2400+ total six months later on June 28, 1987 at the APF National Championships in Bloomington, Minnesota with a total of 2403 lbs (1090 kg) while competing in the 125 kg/275 lb weight class. This time deadlifting 826 lbs for a new personal record. Although he was arguably the most dominant 275 pound lifter in history, he ended his very short but incredible powerlifting career shortly afterwards in favor of professional wrestling. Furnas had set 29 powerlifting world records throughout his career.

Furnas still holds the men's collegiate national records in the squat (400 kg/881.75 lb) and deadlift (347.5 kg/766 lb) in the 110 kg / 242 lb weight class, which he set on March 26, 1983 while attending the University of Tennessee. He also holds the Tennessee state records for the squat (986 lb), deadlift (826 lb), and total (2403 lbs).