Kiera Aston is a rare breed of a strength sports athlete. The fitness extraordinaire is simultaneously a competitive powerlifter and an International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) Pro League bodybuilder. Aston’s latest training accomplishment exemplifies precisely what the versatile competitor brings to the table.
On September 11, 2022, Aston shared an Instagram post where she completed a raw deadlift of 275 kilograms (606.3 pounds). The pull is a new personal record (PR) for the athlete who wore a lifting belt and lifting straps to help lock out the successful rep. In addition, per the caption of Aston’s post, it is 3.57 times her body weight of 77 kilograms (169.7 pounds) at the time of the lift.
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Aston’s deadlift achievement appears to have come after a time when she felt she had to take a step back and recalibrate. After a recent hand injury (date undisclosed), Aston learned she needed surgery that would put a wrench in any potential upcoming competitive plans amid recovery.
She channeled this bit of adversity and turned it into a milestone.
“So apparently, this is what happens when you take a step back and do what you enjoy,” Aston wrote in the caption of her post. “I’ve had zero pressure to exceed in anything since finding out I needed hand surgery. But I don’t do this sport because I have to; I do it because I love it. I haven’t had much structure going into sessions. I just knew I wanted to deadlift, grow my lower body, and get fitter by incorporating some CrossFit sessions. So that’s exactly what I’ve been doing.”
Aston’s new long-term goal is eventually attaining a deadlift of at least 300 kilograms (661.4 pounds) with a body weight of 74.8 kilograms (165 pounds). The mark would also be four times Aston’s body weight. According to Open Powerlifting, no women’s powerlifter has ever deadlifted that much weight in the Raw or Raw With Wraps category. The competitor seems to be well aware of what her potential achievement would mean.
” … The biggest pull in female powerlifting history has my name on it,” Aston wrote. “It’s not ‘if’ … it’s when!”
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To date, Aston has competed in just one sanctioned powerlifting meet — the 2019 Global Powerlifting Committee (GPC) Great Britain Bristol Qualifier, where she came in first place. Meanwhile, per NPC News Online, Aston has one bodybuilding result to her name. It came in the form of an 11th-place result in the Figure division at the 2020 Romania Muscle Fest Pro.
Here’s an overview of the athlete’s top stats at her sole powerlifting contest:
Kiera Aston (76KG) | 2019 GPC Great Britain Bristol Qualifier Top Stats
- Squat (Wraps) — 225 kilograms (496 pounds)
- Bench Press (Raw) — 117.5 kilograms (259 pounds)
- Deadlift (Raw) — 210 kilograms (462.9 pounds)
- Total (Raw W/Wraps) — 552.5 kilograms (1,218 pounds)
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While she isn’t formally competing, Aston has set her sights on a lofty deadlift achievement. At the high level the athlete seems to train, it might only be a matter of time before she makes history.
Featured image: @kierajaston_fitness on Instagram