PISARENKO | Weightlifting's Most Iconic Athlete

[@barath4545]

Pisarenko is still alive - Get an exclusive interview with him if you can find him! And hurry, he ain't getting younger. Would be so cool to see that!

[@raindoset5408]

Cap

[@thatpickingguy]

@@raindoset5408 Cap what

[@bleb20]

​@@thatpickingguy j

[@bleb20]

J

[@bleb20]

I I

[@LBNMKRS]

Pisarenko smoking a cig and drinking not tea but vodka between lifts is still the most badass moment in weightlifting.

[@55cleon]

INDEED 😂👌🏿!!!

[@gerhardschelbi8742]

Agreed NiggaBro!👏

[@PRAVDORUB_064S]

Это не сигарета, а кусочек сахара. Он пил чай вприкуску, есть такой способ чаепития в России. И не надо тут молоть всякую чушь. Писаренко вел здоровый образ жизни, никаких сигарет, а тем более водки.

[@PinnaclePete]

Dave Rigert smoked up a storm also.

[@charlessavoie2367]

@@PinnaclePete They believed the nicotine enhanced their nervous system to enable them to lift more.

[@BuJammy]

I loved him for his honesty. At the world championships (84?) he was asked about steroids, and essentially said "You can have new world records every 18 months, or you can have no steroids. There is no way we can train like this and not use them". The stuff he said about Alexiev, about the Basque lifters, the fact that he never wanted to by a Weightlifter, but being a bodybuilder was not allowed at that time, all interesting stuff.

[@HannibalBarcaRTW]

what did he say about basque lifters?

[@ghengiskhan9308]

Where can I find this info

[@AndyML3883]

It always makes me laugh how some modern strength athletes say things like "oh steroids only improve you 30% max" 😂 try more like 75% +. Even the old athletes will admit to this, especially if the drugs settled well in the body.

[@thechosenone93]

@@AndyML3883 Don’t worry,if we’re honest with ourselves,it’s just them trying to downplay how much they depend on steroids. This applies to ALL types of athletes as well as fitness models,bodybuilders,etc. They know deep down how dependant they are on steroids.

[@kirihara147]

@@AndyML3883 no offense but you are off your head if you believe it. If you think that steroids will turn my natural 120 snatch into 200+ snatch, you are fuсking nuts. Steroids mostly used to avoid frequent injuries and give you the edge to push your limit.

[@NONO-hz4vo]

When I got started in weightlifting I spent a lot of time reading the material that came out of the USSR from the 60s-90s and was always most impressed with people like Pisarenko. Him, Zakharevich, Vardanyan, Dimas, and of course the pocket Hercules were to me great because they were incredible athletes who were able to move so much weight without weighing a ton. Pisarenko could still do the splits whereas Lasha (who I also think is amazing) probably isn't even close. In almost any sport I think Pisarenko and the others like him would excel, kind of the original spirit of the Olympics. As much as I love seeing Lasha lift I am more impressed with guys like Pisarenko who could lift near as much yet still play a game of football(soccer) afterwards or hit up the slopes in some alpine skiing. One day we may get a genetic freak like Pisarenko who is naturally closer to 140-150kg who sets us new records. Like a Usain Bolt or Giannis Antetokounmpo of their sports.

[@eloiishya]

I hope what you said will come true. It would also be great if teams like Russia and DPRK would were back full-time and on lots of drugs like in old times so we can see big records again.

[@muellernikolai8630]

I would be surprised if Lasha can't hit splits. Also, keep in minds that while today's guys like Lasha are ofc on PEDs, it is nowhere near the amounts that guys like Pisarenko used. Testing has come a long way since 1984. Also, while Lasha is a giant with heart problems, it's not like 124kg is "light" for a man, and I doubt very much that this guy could sustain any form of cardio for more than a few minutes, especially considering the "wetness" of this era's steroids.

[@wyyc]

How would "wet" steroids affect his ability to sustain cardio?

[@muellernikolai8630]

@@wyyc tough doing cardio when you got a shitload of water retention going on. Try running a dbol or high dose test cycle or something like that and go for a run, you'll understand

[@worldview730]

Don't forget to credit man's little helpers (Steroids)

[@vladimirepifanov6927]

In some interview he was telling that his potential was 300 in c&j and he had that as an ultimate goal. Amazing athlete

[@vladimirepifanov6927]

Curious, would we see Lasha hit 300 c&j if doping testing is cancelled at all?

[@HIMCULES]

That is probably more than just talk, he most probably did test the waters, with that kind of weight. After all, Pisarenko trained together with Zakharevitch, and the latter had done a 300kg jerk from rack.

[@HIMCULES]

​@@vladimirepifanov6927 The snatch seems to be Lasha's specialty. The jerk appears to be his "weakest". PEDs are powerful, but seeing the ease with which Pisarenko lifted 265kg, I think he would be the one to lift the 300kg.

[@miesvaillanykyisyytta3252]

@@HIMCULES Yeah maybe. The last kilos are the slowest to come and there is an enormous difference between the world record and 300kg still.

[@TomLaios]

The Man. To old dudes like me, I started lifting at the height of Pisarenko's fame, 1983, he was simply the best.

[@worldview730]

Via steroids

[@TomLaios]

@@worldview730 Nooooooooo! Really? You mean he wasn't natty? Everyone was on steroids in the 80s and he was still head and shoulders above everyone else.

[@worldview730]

Still he admitted it's a cheat game, because weight lifters couldn't accend those heights without that boost @@TomLaios

[@TomLaios]

@@worldview730 what is your point? Everyone was on steroids, it was no secret.His mum knew, my mum knew,, his tobacconist knew.I hate how people think that saying he was on steroids should in any way diminish his accomplishments. If you think the top lifters today aren't on PEDs, you are very naive.

[@worldview730]

The point is sports enhancement drugs are illegal & a cheat in any sport esp. the Olympics (remember Ben Johnson from Canada? His medal was taken away) It's not public knowledge that makes it right. @@TomLaios

[@atsekjoker]

have you ever seen Pisarenko and Don Fry in the same room? Me neither

[@DredFulProductions]

The moustache, the squat in boxers, the singlet with the nips out. Weightlifting had some style back then.

[@audriulis]

The best and most honest weighlifter ever

[@OLV_Music]

Sad that after all the time, effort and life into being *the* top sportsman, he only stood a small chance to represent his country (then USSR) at the Olympics, which is obviously quite a big deal compared to the many world championships he won - even more sad when he himself realised that at the end by saying it wasn’t worth it, that must have been hard for him to admit.

[@mrpowerlifter1413]

True, I' ve admired him because he always wants to win the competition, even if he failed previous attempt , all or nothing.

[@markchurch7999]

Pisarenko is my all time favorite weightlifter

[@memo12295]

Bruh ain’t no way he was 22 during these clips. Dude looks like he came straight out of a gears of war game and has 20 years of combat experience

[@Pixel_Code]

You're right about the "gear" part

[@narcissus79]

Looked like Mike Hagar from Final Fight, or a Ukrainian Don Frye

[@666BIGBLOCK]

Always thought he looked like a big Burt Reynolds’s the actor.

[@retardno002]

In Soviet Russia, combat experiences you.

[@Wyndamn]

​@@retardno002😂😂😂

[@rpack9815]

Hard to wrap my mind around a 260 jerk double , 270 clean & jerk , 280 clean @ 123. To be a fly on the wall for that training cycle….

[@worldview730]

Take a steroid pill & rethink it

[@bacon66277]

not that simple or easy@@worldview730

[@agustinrodriguez6321]

@@worldview730as if its that easy😂

[@valkarcy]

​@worldview730 what magical pill does that?

[@HIMCULES]

Karelin had Pisarenko's poster on his wall.

[@lepepus]

If Freddie Mercury was on gear...

[@landerhendrickx3522]

😂

[@SLAYER-nm5zw]

Bruh 😅

[@alanaliyev456GT]

His twin but Anatoly is straight like his barbell ....... i want to break free...

[@unclefreedom213]

well this wins

[@alanaliyev456GT]

Freddie was a Giant of Music... the Goat in voice.....ANATOLY was GIANT IN SPORT

[@goranACD]

This is hands down the best weightlifting video I ever saw in my life.

[@maksyms.]

In one interview, Pisarenko said his weak points were his legs, which eventually made him quit his career. He got an injury to the hit joints a little bit late when he lifted in snatch 210 and in clean and jerk 270 in a training. Before a competition, he had the flu but decided to participate in it. It was, I guess, in 1987 when he came back to sports after being banned for 2 years. He wanted to prove that he was the best and, not being fully recovered from disease, decided to lift big weights. He was disappointed that the Soviet authorities didn't support him, and they showed by his example that the USSR was against anabolic steroids. But Pisarenko said it was the Soviet system: doctors and trainers who made Soviet athletes use them. And the Canadian customs detected not only Pisarenko and Kurlovish with cases filled with drugs for sale, who were Ukrainian and Belarusian, but also Aleksandr Gunyashev, who was Russian and not banned by the Soviet regime. Pisarenko said that his strongest point was his back; he didn't know his limits in the exercises for his back and tried to change the technique just to use it to the maximum on his strongest side. Forgot to mention that in that interview, Anatoliy said he was a guy who showed his best results not in the trainings but in the competitions, and that's why he thought that 500 kg in both movements were real and achievable for him. When he retired, he was about 28 years old, which is a baby age for a heavyweight lifter, and he still thinks that he didn't show his full potential.

[@bobibest89]

Probably the best documentary about weightlifting I have ever seen.

[@emilgilels]

Beautifully made video, Seb. Keep up the outstanding work!

[@WeightliftingHouse]

PISARENKO SQUAT POSTER IS NOW SOLD OUT

[@vp6087]

Stop saying kIEv while it's kYIv 😑

[@artkazyak3242]

He was a badass lifter i think the best ever at 270lbs clean and jerk over 580lbs in the early 1980s amazing and just missed 616lbs unreal hats off to him

[@worldview730]

Say hello to my little friend (Steroid)

[@artkazyak3242]

@@worldview730 He was one of the best ever at his bodyweight in the early 1980s he waxes the superheavyweights in todays world they are all on the nectar Pisarenko is number one period still to this day

[@Lotus1001]

@@artkazyak3242 Totally agree. The strength to weight ratio is just insane from Pisarenko.

[@artkazyak3242]

yes sir these gents who think the big men of today compare to Pisarenko are full of shit his lifts speak for themselves he was amazing@@Lotus1001

[@robbennett3704]

Thanks for compiling this! Growing up a fan of bodybuilding who loved strength rebates sports more as I got older (until degenerative disc disease caught up with me), Pisarenko had always fascinated me. I had heard whispers of much of what was covered in your video previously, but you summarized and organized it nicely. Well done, mate!

[@maksyms.]

Good review. You just said a story that Pisarenko told some Ukrainian journalist in 2010. It was true that Alekseev in a pushy manner told Pisarenko how to train, even though Pisarenko was a world champion in that time. Pisarenko said he tried a couple of times that old school training but understood that it wasn't fit for him. Alekseev weighted 170 and Anatoliy 120.

[@TonyMontana-os7kg]

Anatoliy told that he had warned Alexeev and promised to answer physically .and VA never pushed him rudely anymore.

[@xmoogoox]

Very well done. Thank you for putting this together.

[@tatache5971]

This guy was the absolute beast. I would have liked to see him now, and not it the 80s!

[@hobowithashotgun48]

No wonder Don Frye is such a badass, his dad is incredible!

[@salguodrolyat2594]

Dad? Don Frye=Anatoliy Pisarenko

[@GiorgiSaakadze-1]

​@@salguodrolyat2594 He was singing too, in the band Queen, best song we are the champions, didn't you know?

[@salguodrolyat2594]

@@GiorgiSaakadze-1 🤔😯😁

[@easygamingwwiigamingchanne729]

Pisarenko is from Kyiv, Ukraine. He has his own tea brand. At one point controlled about 10% of tea market in Ukraine.

[@mrketo7077]

I finished same high school # 139 as Anatoliy Pisarenko in Kiev 🇨🇦🇺🇦just 10 years later

[@shahirullahiyoy6253]

​@@mrketo7077 any news about him now??

[@lukemander]

Never clicked into the store as quick when I saw that poster 😍

[@theicemanhaslanded]

I’ve been waiting for this one Seb! It’s been pretty hard to find good information about this legend

[@klara51975]

Thank you very much for this document! Probably you find my comments several times in the timeline, but I do have to say that I again and again find your video inspirational and good to see many many times.... Thank you for all your push for weightlifting!!!!

[@robertuittenbogaard8161]

He reminds me of an incredibly strong and jacked Freddie Mercury at 11:10. Great video, Seb. Thank you.

[@mattlenton2012]

That....was an excellent video....absolutely amazing!!!

[@iliakoriavov3026]

This video is so epic. Goosebumps man

[@thomasurech]

Pretty sure his moustache alone could lift more than me!

[@garyfriedland8646]

I saw him break a world snatch record in the old Playboy casino in Atlantic City. His physique was extremely impressive. This was in 1981. \

[@АндрейКазаков-ь5о]

Какая фигура. Какие раньше красивые были у них костюмы. Красота гигантского тела

[@thatisamazing912]

You stop that right now!!!!!!

[@venom286__worldoftanks3]

Cleaning and pressing 585 I think is more impressive to me than the benchpress,squat or deadlift world records .

[@Bismarck.1871]

By far!!!

[@alfredmorganroth9349]

He also cleaned 267.5,missed the jerk, that same day he made the 265.

[@scottessery100]

Would love to know his cycle

[@houdini8084]

@@scottessery100 his cycle would do u no good u need his genetics.

[@TheBilaras97]

@@scottessery100 more dbol pills that you can count every day,thats about it.

[@toximan2008]

@@scottessery100 300 dbol tabs a day, cigarettes, tea

[@johnbraadland9556]

I did not think i would watch this entire video, but it ended up being really fascinating and i sat through the whole thing.

[@MarkHanson-du3qs]

greatest jerker of all time and its not even close.

[@tomasojonky]

Fantastic, thanks. Pisarenko is the GOAT, period. With all the crap tossed at him over the years, I'm surprised he didn't defect.

[@brucetungsten5714]

Very interesting - I knew the photography from forums but wasn't aware of the background story. Thx!

[@rageintruths]

**Pisarenko cleaned 280 kilos in training, did not stand up on purpose, knowing if he could clean it in training, he should be able to jerk it in competition. He aim was always 500 kilo total. Source: kzbin.info/www/bejne/q6imeoGIpbqiba8

[@HIMCULES]

What is he saying about 420kg? Is that the weight in the picture?

[@rageintruths]

@@HIMCULES He said his pull was stronger than his legs. He could pull 420 kg for reps if he wanted to. It came easily.

[@HIMCULES]

@@rageintruths Do you mean like a deadlift? Awesome. Any other significant numbers?

[@rageintruths]

@@HIMCULES yes deadlift. He said 420kilos for reps. I’d have to watch it again. Don’t remember.

[@beepboop8228]

Dudes in the 70s looked 46 at 22.

[@codyjames4444]

Literally

[@StoicToBe]

I found your video beautifully, adequately and knowledgeably done. Spott on, man...

[@notsupremepatti272]

Love the video seb. Could you possibly do a video on Lu Yong? Of all the Chinese gold medalists almost nobody talks about him or his story.

[@narcissus79]

Sa sa sa! Youuuuuu! I used to love watching him lift.

[@addisonurbalejo]

Adding "Hell March" from C&C Red Alert was a nice subtle touch there.

[@wizzelhoart]

dude this was well made. You took time to repeat weights in pounds and kilos and made the timeline easy to understand. I always wondered who that guy was.

[@LagOknenonok]

Red alert music blasting in the back while Pisarenko steps up to lift.. awesome :D

[@kevinmajoros6547]

Great mini doc. That Red Alert track was gold.

[@OlaviKiljo]

A true legend and best ever.

[@docrw]

Your best video so far!!! Thank you

[@lepepus]

Amazing story! Thank you for sharing it!

[@keldsports8337]

Tremendous video, I always like to hear about the old timers, never miss a chance to do so

[@rageintruths]

Red Alert - Death march in the background bumpin.

[@straycatsam7963]

Thank you for this incredible video!

[@FrankMaster73]

Can you make a video on the coaches or scientists like Medvedyev or Prilipen? The story of the Bulgarian system would be awesome too.

[@IgnatiusCheese]

Don Frye of Weightlifting

[@OLV_Music]

Never clicked so fast.

[@Mr.Ciobanu]

same here

[@YAMAZAK1]

incredible to lift so much weighing 123kg. How many kilos is he lifting in that iconic squat photo?

[@Setrany]

I would say 230kg, but honestly, hard to tell. Its balck and white, meaning we can't be sure of the color coding, and back then some people used 50kg plates as well, not just 25kg plates. So. Who knows. A lot, that's for sure

[@johnburns1839]

@@Setrany He certainly didn't struggle to get up with his cleans.

[@JohnProph]

IIRC he wasnt known as a huge squatter. He was known more for having amazing timing to rebound out of the bottom etc

[@gathianigathiani1760]

An excellent video. WH Team, keep going. Keep working. The people appreciate your work. Thank you.

[@masterliu]

Amazing story telling for this piece of incredible history.

[@jonmayhew4468]

Only found your channel a couple of days ago, great content 👌

[@trevorrisley5419]

That thumbnail pic of Pisarenko looks so much like Vytautas Lalas rockin' a sick mustache!

[@Yupppi]

Sad story. People say you can do anything if you will so. It's not true, sometimes there are forces stronger than you that don't want to let you have it. What a shame he never got the medal he damn right earned. And even worse is the soviet union selling him, the guy they didn't give an opportunity to be a hero in the first place, who was their pride anyway. Almost the Batman of weightlifting. But what an inspiring story, the fact that easily the history's best weightlifter was only a weightlifter because bodybuilding was banned. That's wild. Yeah, I think it's time to finally subscribe.

[@BlueTac1992]

16:48 casually smoking a tea and drinking a cigarette 💪😎🚬

[@twin2civicgaraget2cg75]

@11.01 Command and Conquer music... classic!

[@alexkama4834]

I am so proud to wait left with Dissanayaka in one gym when I was a teenager. It was late 80s in the Keith weightlifting gym and this man pooped like a tank. Great lifter of all the time.

[@MrEazyE357]

Were you checking out his poops? Did you ask him if you could. You're a weird one, guy.

[@Epidian]

Why no mention of Taranenko until right a the end?

[@nledaig]

Excellent documentary

[@Eric-jt8yx]

Great video. Thanks 😊

[@troyrichards6752]

David Regart of old Soviet got mt attention, wasn't super heavyweight but dominated the heavyweight division for decades

[@bondslave100]

He is a champion of the world!!!!! My friend!!!! He is a champion ! He is a champion!!!, he is a champion!!! Of the world!!!!!!!!!🎸🎸🎸🎸

[@markodragovic011]

It was SR Slovenia part of SFR Yugoslavia at that time (on the poster)

[@benhogan8394]

Great Video. That guy was a beast

[@summaalchemica364]

Love the use of the red alert theme in this

[@yizhang7027]

Your storytelling skill is so good.

[@vadimdon]

This guy was phenomenal. Body weight to strength ratio was unreal compared to any others. He deserved to be an olympic champion but because of stupid politics he was not given the opportunity. What a shame

[@EchoesofFunpix]

Amazing Physyc! No belly, just a pure Giant

[@bratdfortd]

Wild that him and Naim competed at the same time

[@ConnoisseurOfExistence]

Superb athlete! I'm not sure though if he's greater than Alexeyev. Alexeyev holds the clean and press record to this very day (althought yeah, it was removed from WL). It is unfortunate, that they've had bad relationship.

[@PinnaclePete]

I remember what a sensation he made! But I never knew that much about him. Thanks for the video!

[@chaosdweller]

Never heard of him and I'm a lifter haha wow.

[@milad-alishan]

UNBELIEVABLE ❤🦾👍🏻

[@vishalraj14dec]

Loved the video … thank you WH

[@waynechisholm8614]

i remember just getting in to weightlifting in 1984 looking forward to seeing pisarenko at the olympics then the russians pulled out shame he wud of been a awsome sight

[@turok2546]

Great work again and I haven’t even started the video

[@Robdutton91]

“Now a strong, light, muscular 22 year old” - couldn’t help but let out a WTF at that point. The man’s 22 going on 45 especially with that stellar moustache. Also Inb4 “steroids age you” yes I am aware

[@YAMAZAK1]

Yeah, 22 years old like a 50's man

[@dj_m19]

honestly it's a bunch of factors (with steroids being the n1) People used to look older. There are recordings of high school students from the 70s and 80s, you can clearly see the majority of them looking far older than their apparent age (teenagers). Pisarenko was also born in the Soviet Union. It was a tough life, in every aspect and meaning of that word. Harsh upbringing ages you as well

[@kturkalo2129]

The fact that a 124 Kg lifter held several world records make my point, which had recently been shut down, that fat lifters are really at a disadvantage. Just look at the Chinese, except for Wen Wen maybe. And everyone else who is not a 'super.' My assumption is that the 'supers' would all lift more if they weighed less. Lifting 50 Kg of belly fat can't be anything than a burden. The muscles are the same, presumably, but are weighed down by extra weight. Who'd a thunk it? The only advantage blubber might have is that they have to carry it around 24 hours a day. Like Medieval knights who wore their heavy armor all the time, just to get used to moving with it on. And in training, they already have to lift maybe 100 extra kilos, even before they touch a bar. But in competition, it's bad.

[@stevejamieson8468]

If Don Frye was trained in Russia

[@HyperTensionJohnny]

Excellent work! I've always wondered about the man behind that photo, as I've seen it so many times over the years.

[@Zhenja88]

You should consider making a video about Ronny Weller too as he has an interesting story as well. His international career stretches over 17 years and he is one of four weightlifters who has competed in five Olympic Games; Imre Földi, Ingo Steinhöfel and Dika Toua being the others. But he is the only one of them who has four medals though: one gold, two silver and one bronze. At the age of 17 he totalled 400kg and his 205kg snatch in the 110kg category at the Junior World Championships in 1989 is the second heaviest snatch ever performed by a junior. Only a kilo behind Saeid Alihosseinis 206kg snatch in the +105kg category in 2008. In 1989 he was in a severe car crash that killed his girlfriend at time. Ronny was in a coma for a week, and many believed his career was over. However, he worked his way back and won the 110kg category at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. Sounds kinda familiar, right? Ronny later moved up in the supers and his battles with top athletes such as: Andrei Chemerkin, Stefan Botev and Hossein Rezazadeh are legendary. His personal records of 210-260-467,5 are among the highest results ever achieved in the sport.

[@non9886]

if i am not mistaken main reason why eastern block boycotted los angeles olympics was the fact that usa and western countries boycotted olympic games in moscow in 1980...

[@user-22sas]

Just found this "liked and new subscriber" can anyone tell me where that Iconic Photo of Pisarenko was taken? Thanks in Advance

[@dwm2133]

it's Ukraine! Strongest people ever!

[@houdini8084]

my favorite weightlifter

[@jonathangaleacoppola2330]

Brillant made documentary. Those where the days

[@ВладимирЩегалев]

Писаренко,Курлович,Дидик-вес122-128кг.Толчок за260кг...Эстетически сложенные атлеты.

[@HIMCULES]

Didik was seriously impressive.

[@toorajmansoori9084]

Thank you

[@Anatoly_Maly]

Богатырь, одним словом 😌💪🏻 Говорит, что ему легко досталось звание чемпиона 🥇, но при этом впахивал как трактор 😁

[@kthirteenwinrar8766]

богатыри это в россии, а он украинец

[@Alex_Candy]

@@kthirteenwinrar8766 Не в, а на рабсее

[@johnmitchell7892]

About freaking time this man got not just respect but actually mentioned for his remarkable lifting !! Everyone nowadays gushes over that current super heavyweight. Nearly 40 years later and we'll over 130 pounds heavier and also nearly 40 years of sophisticated, modern training, nutrition and pharmaceuticals and all that current lifter can muster is 2.5 kilos more than Pisarenko !!!!! Now maybe all these momos that gush with pride over the current champ will look at Pisarenko and say to themselves, "" wow Pisarenko was even better. Much, much better.""