Evan Pittman – World’s Most Prolific Powerlifting Record-Breaker

What does it take for an individual to set a world record in any sport? Training, focus, tenacity, and dedication? A supportive team?

Now multiply that times one hundred.

That is exactly what high school student Evan Pittman set out to do in late 2014 – to break 100 world powerlifting records. But what was unusual about Evan is his age; while several competitive masters powerlifters had broken more than 100 world records over decades of powerlifting competition, Evan wanted to become the only powerlifter in history to set 100 world records while still in high school.

Two years after setting his sights on the 100 world record goal, Evan achieved it in grand style — setting 11 WNPF world records at the 2016 WNPF World Powerlifting Championships in New Jersey, and winning both the 17-19 teen age group and the men’s open raw category, as well as three individual deadlift categories.  Six months later, as a high school senior, he became the only competitive powerlifter in history to break national and world records in nine different weight classes (77 lbs., 88 lbs., 97 lbs., 105 lbs., 114 lbs., 123 lbs., 132 lbs., 148 lbs., and 165 lbs.), breaking five Elite Powerlifting Federation national records at the 2017 EPF nationals in Rhode Island, and later setting Amateur Athletic Union world records at the 2017 AAU Junior Olympic Games in Detroit.

Evan began doing the power lifts – the squat, bench press and deadlift – to become stronger and more explosive for taekwondo competition at age 10. Weighing just 75 lbs., he set an AAU national and world bench press record in his very first competition, the 2009 Junior Olympic Games in Des Moines, Iowa.

At age 13, Evan changed his sports focus from competitive taekwondo to springboard diving, but he continued his speed and strength training, and continued to break records in nearly every powerlifting competition he entered.

Over the years, Evan has competed without special equipment (known as raw competition), but he has also entered in divisions that allow equipment like squat suits, deadlift suits and bench shirts, to set more records. Several times he has entered multiple raw and equipped divisions in a single meet, while lifting without equipment.

To date, Evan has set 111 world records in nine weight classes in eight years of competitive powerlifting, and he is the only powerlifter to break national records in nine different weight classes.  Some of his youth records have been broken by other lifters, but many still stand. He no longer tracks state or national records set in competition.

Evan has also set more than two dozen world and national records in the AAU strongman-style competition known as Feats of Strength and in All-Sports Combine competition.

Evan is a full-time student studying business at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.  He was recruited as a Division I Ivy League springboard diver in 2017, but left diving after the Brown Men’s Swimming and Diving team was suspended in 2018.

Evan’s World Powerlifting Records

 

DateMeetLocationAgeWt. ClassLift(s)Total (lbs.)
1July 2009AAU JO GamesDes Moines1077 lb.Raw single-lift bench 10-1161.73
2Nov 2009AAU WorldsMyrtle Beach1177 lb.Equipped Squat 10-11126.76
3Nov 2009AAU WorldsMyrtle Beach1177 lb.Raw single-lift bench 10-1168.34
4Nov 2009AAU WorldsMyrtle Beach1177 lb.Equipped bench 10-1168.34
5Nov 2009AAU WorldsMyrtle Beach1177 lb.Raw deadlift 10-11194
6Nov 2009AAU WorldsMyrtle Beach1177 lb.Raw single-lift deadlift 10-11194
7Nov 2009AAU WorldsMyrtle Beach1177 lb.Equipped deadlift 10-11194
8Nov 2009AAU WorldsMyrtle Beach1177 lb.Equipped single-lift deadlift 10-11194
9Nov 2009AAU WorldsMyrtle Beach1177 lb.Raw 3-lift total 10-11389.11
10Nov 2009AAU WorldsMyrtle Beach1177 lb.Equipped 3-lift total 10-11389.11
11July 2010 AAU JO GamesHampton Roads1188 lb.Raw squat 10-11156.53
12July 2010 AAU JO GamesHampton Roads1188 lb.Equipped squat 10-11156.53
13July 2010 AAU JO GamesHampton Roads1188 lb.Equipped bench 10-1171.65
14July 2010 AAU JO GamesHampton Roads1188 lb.Raw deadlift 10-11225.97
15July 2010 AAU JO GamesHampton Roads1188 lb.Raw single-lift deadlift 10-11225.97
16July 2010 AAU JO GamesHampton Roads1188 lb.Equipped deadlift 10-11225.97
17July 2010 AAU JO GamesHampton Roads1188 lb.Equipped single-lift deadlift 10-11225.97
18July 2010 AAU JO GamesHampton Roads1188 lb.Raw 3-lift total 10-11454.15
19July 2010 AAU JO GamesHampton Roads1188 lb.Equipped 3-lift total 10-11454.15
20July 2011 AAU JO GamesNew Orleans1297 lb.Equipped squat 12-13187.39
21July 2011 AAU JO GamesNew Orleans1297 lb.Raw single-lift bench 12-1393.7
22July 2011 AAU JO GamesNew Orleans1297 lb.Equipped single-lift bench 12-1393.7
23July 2011 AAU JO GamesNew Orleans1297 lb.Equipped bench 12-1393.7
24July 2011 AAU JO GamesNew Orleans1297 lb.Raw single-lift deadlift 12-13236.99
25July 2011 AAU JO GamesNew Orleans1297 lb.Equipped single-lift deadlift 12-13236.99
26July 2011 AAU JO GamesNew Orleans1297 lb.Raw deadlift 12-13236.99
27July 2011 AAU JO GamesNew Orleans1297 lb.Equipped deadlift 12-13236.99
28July 2011 AAU JO GamesNew Orleans1297 lb.Equipped total 12-13518.08
29Nov 2011AAU WorldsOrlando13105 lb.Equipped deadlift 12-13242.51
30Nov 2011AAU WorldsOrlandoOpen105 lb.Raw squat192.9
31Nov 2011AAU WorldsOrlandoOpen105 lb.Equipped squat192.9
32Nov 2011AAU WorldsOrlandoOpen105 lb.Raw bench101.41
33Nov 2011AAU WorldsOrlandoOpen105 lb.Equipped bench101.41
34Nov 2011AAU WorldsOrlandoOpen105 lb.Raw deadlift242.51
35Nov 2011AAU WorldsOrlandoOpen105 lb.Equipped deadlift242.51
36Nov 2011AAU WorldsOrlandoOpen105 lb.Raw total534.62
37Nov 2011AAU WorldsOrlandoOpen105 lb.Equipped total534.62
38June 2012100% Raw American ChallengeNorth Carolina13114Raw squat 12-13220.4
39July 2012AAU JO GamesHouston13114Raw squat 12-13231.48
40July 2012AAU JO GamesHouston13114Raw deadlift 12-13294.31
41July 2012AAU JO GamesHouston13114Single-lift raw deadlift 12-13294.31
42July 2012AAU JO GamesHouston13114Single-lift equipped deadlift 12-13294.31
43July 2012AAU JO GamesHouston13114Raw total 12-13647.05
44Jan 2013 AAU WorldsRichmond14123Single-lift raw deadlift 14-15330.69
45Jan 2013 AAU WorldsRichmond14123Single-lift equipped deadlift 14-15330.69
46June 2013100% Raw American ChallengeOmaha14132Single-lift raw deadlift 14-15365
47July 2013AAU JO GamesDetroit14132Raw squat 14-15281.09
48July 2013AAU JO GamesDetroit14132Single-lift equipped deadlift 14-15341.71
49July 2013AAU JO GamesDetroit14132Raw total 14-15777.12
50Nov 2013AAU WorldsLas Vegas15132Raw squat 14-15299.83
51Nov 2013AAU WorldsLas Vegas15132Raw deadlift 14-15370.37
52Nov 2013AAU WorldsLas Vegas15132Single-lift raw deadlift 14-15370.37
53Nov 2013AAU WorldsLas Vegas15132Single-lift equipped deadlift 14-15370.37
54Nov 2013AAU WorldsLas Vegas15132Raw total 14-15835.54
55Jan 2014RPS Florida Record-BreakersFort Lauderdale15148Raw modern squat 14-15305
56Jan 2014RPS Florida Record-BreakersFort Lauderdale15148Raw modern bench 14-15175
57Jan 2014RPS Florida Record-BreakersFort Lauderdale15148Raw modern deadlift 14-15360
58Jan 2014RPS Florida Record-BreakersFort Lauderdale15148Raw modern total 14-15840
59July 2014AAU JO GamesDes Moines15132Raw squat 14-15308.64
60July 2014AAU JO GamesDes Moines15132Single-lift equipped bench 14-15181.88
61July 2014AAU JO GamesDes Moines15132Single-lift raw bench 14-15181.88
62July 2014AAU JO GamesDes Moines15132Raw deadlift 14-15385.8
63July 2014AAU JO GamesDes Moines15132Single-lift raw deadlift 14-15385.8
64July 2014AAU JO GamesDes Moines15132Single-lift equipped deadlift 14-15385.8
65July 2014AAU JO GamesDes Moines15132Raw total 14-15876.33
66Sep 2014 RPS Worlds Newark15132Raw classic squat 14-15310
67Sep 2014 RPS Worlds Newark15132Raw classic deadlift 14-15360
68Sep 2014 RPS Worlds Newark15132Raw classic total 14-15850
69Sep 2014 RPS Worlds Newark15132Raw modern squat 14-15310
70Sep 2014 RPS Worlds Newark15132Raw modern bench 14-15180
71Sep 2014 RPS Worlds Newark15132Raw modern deadlift 14-15360
72Sep 2014 RPS Worlds Newark15132Raw modern total 14-15850
73Sep 2014 RPS Worlds Newark15132Single-ply squat 14-15310
74Sep 2014 RPS Worlds Newark15132Single-ply deadlift 14-15360
75Sep 2014 RPS Worlds Newark15132Multi-ply deadlift 14-15360
76Nov 2014WNPF WorldsAtlanta16148Raw classic squat 13-16315
77Nov 2014WNPF WorldsAtlanta16148Raw classic deadlift 13-16400
78Nov 2014WNPF WorldsAtlanta16148Raw classic total 13-16890
79Nov 2014WNPF WorldsAtlanta16148Raw squat 13-16315
80Nov 2014WNPF WorldsAtlanta16148Raw bench 13-16185
81Nov 2014WNPF WorldsAtlanta16148Raw deadlift 13-16400
82Nov 2014WNPF WorldsAtlanta16148Raw total 13-16890
83Nov 2014WNPF WorldsAtlanta16148Single-lift raw squat 13-16315
84May 2015USPF NationalsLas Vegas16148Raw squat 16-17336.2
85May 2015USPF NationalsLas Vegas16148Raw bench 16-17203.92
86May 2015USPF NationalsLas Vegas16148Raw deadlift 16-17385.8
87May 2015USPF NationalsLas Vegas16148Raw total 16-17925.94
88May 2015USPF NationalsLas Vegas16148Single-lift bench 16-17203.92
89May 2015USPF NationalsLas Vegas16148Single-lift deadlift 16-17385.8
90Aug 2015AAU JO GamesHampton Roads16148Raw squat 16-17363.76
91Aug 2015AAU JO GamesHampton Roads16148Single-lift raw deadlift 16-17443.1
92Aug 2015AAU JO GamesHampton Roads16148Single-lift equipped deadlift 16-17443.1
93Nov 2015WPF WorldsMinneapolis17148Raw Squat 16-17374.8
94Nov 2015WPF WorldsMinneapolis17148Single-lift raw bench 16-17220.5
95Nov 2015WPF WorldsMinneapolis17148Single-lift raw deadlift 16-17451.9
96Nov 2015WPF WorldsMinneapolis17148Raw deadlift 16-17451.9
97Nov 2015WPF WorldsMinneapolis17148Raw Total 16-171047.2
98Nov 2016WNPF WorldsBordentown, NJ18148Raw Squat 17-19395
99Nov 2016WNPF WorldsBordentown, NJ18148Raw Squat Men’s Open395
100Nov 2016WNPF WorldsBordentown, NJ18148Raw Bench 17-19235
101Nov 2016WNPF WorldsBordentown, NJ18148Raw Bench Men’s Open235
102Nov 2016WNPF WorldsBordentown, NJ18148Raw Deadlift 17-19485
103Nov 2016WNPF WorldsBordentown, NJ18148Raw Deadlift Men’s Open485
104Nov 2016WNPF WorldsBordentown, NJ18148Raw Total 17-191115
105Nov 2016WNPF WorldsBordentown, NJ18148Raw Total Men’s Open1115
106Nov 2016WNPF WorldsBordentown, NJ18148Raw Single-Lift Deadlift 17-19485
107Nov 2016WNPF WorldsBordentown, NJ18148Raw Single-Lift Deadlift Men’s Open485
108Nov 2016WNPF WorldsBordentown, NJ18148Equipped Single-Lift Deadlift 17-19485
109Aug 2017AAU JO GamesDetroit, MI18165Equipped Single-Lift Bench Press 18-19248
110Aug 2017AAU JO GamesDetroit, MI18165Raw Single-Lift Deadlift 18-19509.26
111Aug 2017AAU JO GamesDetroit, MI18165Equipped Single-Lift Deadlift 18-19509.26