After unloading the plates, Li Wei racked the barbell on the power rack and began to test his lower body strength.
Eight red 25-kilogram steel plates, followed by some smaller fractional plates.
He started his squat at 250 kilograms.
This was the kind of weight that would clear out any commercial gym, but here in the basement, the only witness was the whirring washing machine.
Li Wei wore no protective gear—no belt, no knee sleeves.
With a level 1.7 physique, the strength and resilience of his joints meant he no longer needed such external aids.
He ducked under the bar, his trapezius muscles locking onto the barbell's rough knurling.
He shot right up.
270, 280, 290... He kept adding weight until it surpassed 315 kilograms. Only when the barbell itself began to visibly bend did Li Wei finally set his new record.
A 250-kilogram bench press and a 315-kilogram squat.
