John Terragni did more than win a small age-group field at the 2026 IPF World Masters Equipped Powerlifting Championships. The Danish lifter totaled 515 kilograms in the men’s Masters 4, 74 kg division, set a world record, and finished as the highest-ranked Masters 4 man by IPF points.
The total came from a 190 kg squat, 127.5 kg bench press, and 197.5 kg deadlift. At a measured body weight of 72.70 kg, the 79-year-old’s performance was a precise combination of strength, attempt selection, and successful execution.
In this article
A 515 kg total in the Masters 4 record book
The IPF final sheet lists Terragni, born in 1947, as the winner of the Masters 4, 74 kg equipped class. His 515 kg total is marked as a world record dated October 22, 2026, and the same document ranks him first among all Masters 4 men by IPF GL points.
The result is about 1,135 pounds across three judged lifts, not 1,135 pounds on a single bar. Keeping that distinction clear makes the achievement more understandable and protects the story from the inflated wording that often follows strength clips online.
Terragni’s record total combined 190 kg in the squat, 127.5 kg in the bench press, and 197.5 kg in the deadlift.
How the meet unfolded, lift by lift
Terragni opened the squat at 182.5 kg, made 190 kg, and did not add a successful third squat. He then completed all three bench attempts at 120, 125, and 127.5 kg before moving to the deadlift.
His deadlift sequence was 180, 192.5, and 197.5 kg, with every attempt successful. Eight made lifts across the day provided the total, and the final deadlift added five kilograms to the record number he had secured after his second attempt.
Why passing an attempt can be a strong decision
Terragni explained in his own post that he could afford to pass on his last squat because no challenger threatened his position in the class. Saving that effort for the deadlift gave him a better chance to improve the total record, which he did on the final pull.
A passed attempt can look cautious when a viewer sees only one lift, but a powerlifting total rewards the best successful squat, bench press, and deadlift together. Meet strategy is therefore about allocating limited energy across the whole day, not collecting the most dramatic possible moment in each event.
The numbers in context
This is the article’s original calculation: Terragni’s 515 kg total was about 7.08 times his official body weight. His 197.5 kg deadlift was roughly 2.72 times body weight, while his 190 kg squat was about 2.61 times body weight.
Ratios cannot erase differences in age, equipment, rules, or lifting style, but they help explain why his IPF GL score led the Masters 4 group even though another lifter in a heavier class posted a larger absolute total. The coefficient is designed to compare performances across body sizes, while the division still decides the record category.
The final record came from discipline across eight successful attempts, not from chasing every available kilogram at the first opportunity.
What the equipped label changes
Equipped competition permits supportive lifting gear under federation rules, including suits, shirts, and wraps. The gear changes how force is managed and typically allows larger loads than raw lifting, so an equipped record should stay labeled as equipped whenever it is compared or reported.
Our breakdown of an equipped IPF deadlift record explains the category in more detail. The gear adds technical demands of its own, and a lift still has to meet depth, command, and control standards before it counts.
What Masters 4 means
Masters 4 is the IPF category for lifters aged 70 and older. It provides a competitive home for older athletes, but it does not turn their results into a universal prescription for people of the same age.
Terragni is a trained international competitor, and his result should be read as an exceptional performance within that setting. For another view of how Masters results are verified and compared, see our report on Dale McLaren’s Masters total.
The practical lesson is to protect the total
Terragni’s day offers a useful decision rule for any goal built from several parts: know which effort advances the result and which effort only adds fatigue. Passing on a marginal squat left room for three successful deadlifts and the record total.
That does not mean everyone should copy his attempt jumps. It means a plan should account for the whole session, recovery between efforts, and the cost of a failed attempt, especially when training later in life or returning after time away.
For a broader active-aging example outside competition, Liam Neeson’s approach to walking and strength at 74 shows how the same long-view principle can apply without a platform or record chase.
References
- International Powerlifting Federation. 2026 IPF World Masters Equipped Powerlifting Championships, Men’s Final Results.
- International Powerlifting Federation. World Masters Classic and Equipped Powerlifting Championships 2026 results hub.
This article is for general educational purposes and is not a substitute for individualized coaching or medical advice.
