matt minuth

• 3 World Championships in the WPC in his weight class;
• Best Lifter” awards at the WPC World Championships (pound for pound champion);
• Arnold Classic XPC Professional Level Championships in his weight class;
• 3 Arnold Classic XPC Professional Level “Best Lifter” awards (pound for pound champion);
• World Record Holder at the 242 pound weight class for the three lift total

matt’s personal bests for each individual lift in competition are as follows:

• Squat: 1,000 pounds
• Benchpress: 915 pounds
• Deadlift: 765 pounds
• Best Total in Competition : 2,641 pounds (1,000 lbs squat, 910 lbs benchpress, 731 lbs deadlift). –World Record

Photo Credit: Madison Schneider

Matt Minuth was first introduced into the world of competitive powerlifting in 2003 when a strength coach at his university saw him exercising at the university’s recreation center. That strength coach invited him to compete in a benchpress competition that he put on for many of the school’s athletes. Matt won the competition. He then became a member of the American Powerlifting Federation and shortly after won the Illinois State meet. In that same year (2004) Matt won the APF Senior (open class) National Championship for his weight class, and went on to take second in the world at the WPC world championships. In following years Matt went on to win world championships for the benchpress in both the WPC and AWPC as well as being named “Best Lifter” at both the AWPC and WPC World Championships in 2007.
After taking a break from the sport and starting a family, Matt returned to competition in 2013; this time competing in all three lifts (Squat, Benchpress, and Deadlift). In his first year back he took 2nd place at the WPC World Championships. In the spring of 2014, Matt was invited to compete at the Arnold Classic XPC Championships. He took a disappointing second place to a strong rival; Daniel Tinajero. However, at the WPC World Championships that same year, Matt went on to beat Tinajero and won gold, as well as, being named Best Lifter.

In 2015, Matt competed at the Arnold Classic XPC Championships again, but this time as both a lightweight and a heavyweight. On day one as a lightweight, Matt weighed in at 217 lbs, won Best Lifter and posted a personal best 2,550 lbs total that included an 870 lbs benchpress (four times body weight). On day two as a heavyweight, Matt weighed in at 234 lbs and posted another personal record total of 2,585 lbs, but was edged out by rival Brian Carrol for Best Lifter. In 2016, Matt returned to the Arnold to compete against Carrol again as a heavyweight. Matt weighed in at 227 lbs and achieved another personal record total of 2,600 lbs and beat out Carrol for Best Lifter. Matt and Carrol met up again at the 2017 Arnold Classic, but Matt suffered an injury during the squat and “bombed out” of the meet. After taking a year off of competing, Matt returned to the Arnold Classic in 2018 as a 241 lbs heavyweight and achieved a 2,641 lbs total which was composed of a 1,000 lbs squat, a 910 lbs benchpress, and a 731 lbs deadlift. He was named Best Lifter and broke the XPC World Record.

Matt is currently training for the 2018 WPO World Championship where he will be competing against rivals Daniel Tinajero and Brian Carroll amongst many others.