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Pat Robertson Can Leg Press 2000 Pounds
Status: Must be False (by reason of being physically impossible)
image Pat Robertson claims to be able to leg press 2000 pounds. If this is true, it would be a world record. Even more improbably, his trainer claims to be able to leg press 2700 pounds.

I don't know when Robertson first posted this bizarre claim on his Christian Broadcasting Network website (it's included in a sales pitch for his "age-defying protein shake"), but it came to the attention of the blogosphere on May 22 when Clay Travis wrote about it on CBS Sportsline. Putting Robertson's claim in context, Travis noted that the leg press record is held by Dan Kendra of Florida State University who pressed 1,335 pounds, causing the capillaries in his eyes to burst. Robertson, who's 76 years old, has apparently managed to beat Kendra's record by 665 pounds (without doing any damage to his eyes).

Robertson has posted a video of himself leg pressing 1000 pounds, which seems pretty remarkable (kind of unbelievable, actually), but we have to take his word for it (and the word of his trainer) that he lifted the 2000 pounds. Here's the description of how it supposedly happened:

Pat Robertson worked out at the gym on an incline leg press machine with weights up to 570 pounds. Working with his physician, who was an amazing strength trainer, he worked up to 800 pounds, then 1,000 pounds. Then one day he was able to leg press 1,500 pounds one time. Then over the succeeding months, he trained with multiple reps of 1,200 pounds, 1,300 pounds, and 1,400 pounds. One Saturday morning, his physician said, “I’ll get you bragging rights. Let’s go to 2,000 pounds.” Then he worked up multiple reps of 1,400 pounds, 1,500 pounds, 1,600 pounds, 1,700, pounds, 1,800 pounds and 1,900 pounds. When 2,000 pounds was put on the machine two men got on either side and helped push the load up, and then let it down on Mr. Robertson, who pushed it up one rep and let it go back down again.

I'm simply not willing to believe that a man his age set a leg press world record. In fact, I find it hard to believe that he even lifted 1000 pounds (he's either lifting magic weights, or using a lifewave patch). As Big Gary wrote to me in an email, if this isn't a hoax, I'll drink his age-defying protein shake.
Categories: Sports
Posted by Alex on Sat May 27, 2006
Comments (38)
More from the Hoax Museum Archives:
I suppose for a man his age 1000 isnt believable, but myself i dont see it as that impressive of a number considering ive been able to press that much for years without any formal training. I could probably do more but machines are not customarily built to allow more weight.
Posted by tim  on  Sat May 27, 2006  at  10:33 PM
People who consider themselves men of God who do not even know the sinfulness of lying... unbelieveable.

Plus his name is an anagram of "Abort Ton Reps", which should end the matter there.
Posted by eriC draveS  on  Sun May 28, 2006  at  12:24 AM
Putting aside the unbelievability of the claim that a 76-year-old man broke the World's Record for leg lifts, there is also the question of why a Christian, presumably looking forward to meeting Jesus in the Afterlife, would market and use an "age-defying protein shake."
Posted by Cranky Media Guy  on  Sun May 28, 2006  at  02:01 AM
Checked out those nifty Life Wave patches. Just under $90 a month, a small investment if you're really gonna try to beat Robertsons record... :lol:
Posted by Christopher in Joplin, Missouri  on  Sun May 28, 2006  at  07:11 AM
Hmm. . .I'm not really sure how the typical leg-press machine is made, but if you made one with the right pulleys and counterweights and whatnot, then there's not really a limit to how much you could lift.
Posted by Accipiter  on  Sun May 28, 2006  at  09:04 AM
"Give me a place to stand and I could move the world", right Accipiter?
Posted by Owen  on  Sun May 28, 2006  at  11:43 AM
"Plus his name is an anagram of "Abort Ton Reps", which should end the matter there."

That's brilliant! 😛
Posted by Big Gary, bench-pressing a pencil  on  Sun May 28, 2006  at  01:18 PM
to me this screams HOAX! 😊
Posted by isaiah  on  Sun May 28, 2006  at  05:27 PM
hey, anything's possible with God.
Posted by Alex (not THE Alex)  on  Sun May 28, 2006  at  09:21 PM
I watched the video, and first of all, Pat Robertson is not doing one single leg press properly.

He is barely pushing up on the weight and he is locking his knees. He is not even letting the weight descending lower than the clamps. That's utterly lame, anybody could do that.

Plus he is pushing on his knees with his hands the whole time, normaly his hands should grasp the side handles or the seat while doing the exercise.

For performing leg press the proper way he should have bent his knees to lower the weight downward towards his body and then pushing it back up.

Watch this video of Ronnie Coleman 2300 lb leg press, now that's impressing!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSNvEpH2L1o&search=Ronnie+Coleman
Posted by omgwtflol  on  Mon May 29, 2006  at  02:42 AM
The idea of the shakes would be to improve quality of life for old pepole until they die, not to run away from going to heaven. Robertson has been on the downward mental spiral for long time though, I think he really does need to get screened for dementia and Alzheimer's and maybe he should get screened for dementia and Alzheimer's as well.
Posted by Lonewatchman  on  Mon May 29, 2006  at  05:01 AM
He's probably staying alive to see if his "storm will strike in 2006" prophecy comes true.

...And after all, someone needs to preach to the ...(I was going to say heathens...but they don't really watch him)... old people who believe him?
Posted by Maegan  on  Mon May 29, 2006  at  05:44 AM
I don't know much about those machines but I was wondering... when they put umpteen pounds on one of those leg-press sleds does that mean they are actually exerting that many pounds of force to press it? Do the pulleys and inclines involved have to be figured in or are they already part of the equation?

I don't know if I'm phrasing my question clearly but I was just thinking that we see strongman competitions all the time where big guys pull firetrucks and such horizontally. If you aren't actually lifting a weight straight up then the pounds of force required to move it don't actually equal the weight. Right?
Posted by Blondin  on  Mon May 29, 2006  at  08:44 AM
I wonder about that, too.

If they're pulling a fire truck...it's rolling on wheels, there is no resistence?? Right?
Posted by Maegan  on  Mon May 29, 2006  at  08:45 AM
I, for one, believe he did it. He just did it by leg pressing 100 pounds 20 times.
...He didn't say he meant at once. 😛
Posted by Ozymandias  on  Mon May 29, 2006  at  10:52 AM
There is resistnace, but not so much as you'd think.. it's mostly about overcoming the inertia. You're applying *steady* force, so while it moves slowly at first, it's slowing down a lot less than it's speeding up.

It's like the recent Ion drive that a recent space probe (think it was Hyugens) used. The probe weighs a couple tons, and the drive provides thrust equivalent to a peice of paper resting on your hand. Trick being, it adds up in space, so it was whizzing along pretty fast by the end.
Posted by Robin Bobcat  on  Mon May 29, 2006  at  12:58 PM
I belive it !!

I'm not a professionel body buider, in fact i'm a very average guy(5'-9" / 180lbs), and i can easaly lift about 1000lbs on 1 rep.

And what i know for sure, is that the world strongest man competition use to have a machine that simulated a standing leg press(which is even harder, beacause you had to keep your balance and it was very hard on your back) and all the guys where macking over 3000lbs, the best of theme were macking up to 3800lbs.

So if these guys can make up to 3800lbs on standing leg press, anybody can make 2000lbs on seated incline leg press(probaly with a little training).
Posted by Gaetan Boisvert  on  Mon May 29, 2006  at  01:26 PM
But it IS 2,000 pounds, as long as you count 1,000 pounds for each leg.
Posted by Yaanu  on  Mon May 29, 2006  at  02:55 PM
Hyugens was the probe that landed on Titan as part of the Cassini mission to Saturn. The ion drive was used on Deep Space 1.

I know... picky, picky.
Posted by Blondin  on  Tue May 30, 2006  at  06:58 AM
I've lifted weights for a long time, and frankly, theres a BIG difference, between doing what an old man with dementia considers to be a leg press, and doing a competitions standard form leg press.

For instance, on squat, I do about 250. I was always one of the weaker ones in the gym. But that number represents me sitting down until my legs are parrallel to the ground. If I were to merely lower the weight about 5 inches, I have no doubt that I could squat upwards of 600.

The same applies to the leg press. Only moreso. A competition leg press involves lowering the weight untill your heels almost touch your rear. I don't know how much the rest of the MOH'ers know about weightlifting, but that is infinitely more difficult than lowering it five inches. I have no doubt, that an old man with some training, could leg press that much while only lowering it five inches or less. In fact his personal trainer probably told him not to go any lower, because when doing that kind of lift, more often than not when your 76, the weak link in the chain is not your muscles, it's your knees.

I'm reminded of the fact that every once in a while, a skinny guy, or an old man, or a girl, tells people that "I can benchpress 250!" Usually they aren't actually lying, and honestly believe they can benchpress 250. However, when you go the the gym and they can't do 135, you discover that they can do 250 on the seated chest press machine, on which most actually weight lifters can do all the weights multiple times.

I don't think Mr. Robertson is lying, he's just probably an old man who's not overly familiar with the activity he is participating in.
Posted by rolaid  on  Tue May 30, 2006  at  07:54 AM
Even Chuck Norris bows to the greatness of Pat Robertson.
Posted by booch  on  Tue May 30, 2006  at  11:29 AM
? 2000 pounds isn't a record, many bodybuilders have been doing that kinda weight for reps
Posted by abcdefghijklmnop  on  Tue Sep 26, 2006  at  10:30 PM
um...1,335 is not the world record leg press. if 1200 world record squat the leg press is WAY more. that the dumbest thing i've ever heard. I myself am only 16, 5'7 150 and i can do reps with 720 on the leg press, yet i can only do reps wit 240 on the squat
Posted by mike  on  Sat Mar 31, 2007  at  04:50 PM
you guys have no life
Posted by john  on  Wed May 16, 2007  at  10:00 AM
This feat is not entirely impossible. Though it seems ridiculous, it can be achieved by a human being. Of course, this person would have to train a lot, I would have to say at least 2 hours a day, and 5-6 days a week. He would probably have to keep from getting injured. Not to mention that he would have to get an early start, maybe around age 7. Then of course he has to be a strong physical specimin, you know, good genetics and natural strength and size. The dietary requirements would be, of course, very strict. High protein and high calcium. And he would need a very good, experienced trainer. With all of this being factored in, I think that you can agree that this feet is not entirely impossible. However, a 76-year-old man who nobody's ever heard of cannot do anything of this magnitude.
Posted by Not impossible  on  Tue Aug 28, 2007  at  05:56 PM
IT IS NOT THE WORLD RECORD...GOOD LORD YOU PEOPLE, ITS A COLLEGE RECORD..GEEZ, There is NO world record for a leg press...its not even an olympic movement..there are people who can squat over 1000 lbs which is LEAPS AND BOUNDS HEAVIER than a 2000 pound leg press..machines are easier for these types of things..I can leg press with REPS, what that college record is..gimme a break, you have to understand weights and working out..he ISNT SQUATTING, what he's doing is actually acheivable. there are people who leg press 2000 all the time, it does NOT make him the strongest man, and it IS achievable for an old man.
Ive watched a 59 year old man rep with close to a thousand pounds..so you guys need to chill out, and theres nothing ungoldy about selling a protien shake..get off yer' high horse.
Posted by DAS  on  Thu Nov 08, 2007  at  10:00 PM
it is odd that an 76 year old man did this i need more proff y dosent he post a video of him doing this 2000lbs ....but its not hard to leg press alot of weight i have pressed 1000 and going for 1200 and so on and im only 15 years old
Posted by jacob tallman  on  Wed Dec 26, 2007  at  04:26 PM
"Travis noted that the leg press record is held by Dan Kendra of Florida State University who pressed 1,335 pounds, causing the capillaries in his eyes to burst."

Now THAT is a goofy statement.A leg press is a machine(obviously)and there are many different variations,which make having any kind of record outside of your own gym silly.Ive witnessed two different strongman competitors doing 1000lbs-1200lbs x20 on multiple occasions with FULL range of motion,and no knee wraps on the leg press,as just one part of a full body workout.Im sure that lower repetition leg presses with 1500lbs+ would could be achieved by many on the same leg press.

Mr Robertson's leg press was done with very limited range of motion,and I believe that he used his arms for assistance.I say good for him that he is even working out.I dont see why so many people made a big deal out of it.It isnt like he claimed a massive squat,which is really all most people care about when it comes to record leg movements.
Posted by Aaron  on  Sun Jan 20, 2008  at  02:43 PM
i just want to see what the world record is for leg press im nineteen and can rep about 1800 twice i was wondering what the accual record is
Posted by Michael f  on  Sat Jan 10, 2009  at  08:25 PM
The world Legpress record is 2300 lbs, with a full range of motion, and is held by Pro Bodybuilder Ronnie Coleman. This feat was recorded and is available on youtube. Other people have claimed more, but as Ronnie documented it, his accepted as the record. Robinson does use his hands of assistance when doing the leg press, as can be seen in the picture from the article. Plus, his ROM for the 2000 lb lift was only a few inches. While I think his claim is pretty laughable, the fact that a man his age was able to move it without the bones in his legs turning to dust is impressive, to me. If his trainers claims are legit, he should post a video of him doing it, with proper form, or just shut up and quit trying to sound big and bad. I would be curious about how much Pat is squatting. That's a more difficult exercise to cheat on.
Posted by tremerefury  on  Wed Jun 03, 2009  at  04:17 PM
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