The Most Underrated Strongman Ever, Don Reinhoudt?

Was Don Reinhoudt Histories most criminally underrated Strongman?
#strongman #strong #worldsstrongestman
I focus on strength athletes from various fields including: Strongman, Powerlifting and Bodybuilding, comparing performances from different eras, disciplines and organizations.
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[@doublem1975x]

He’s still alive at nearly 80 which is incredible for someone who spent most of their life at an extremely high bodyweight and on gear.

[@daveconleyportfolio5192]

Except he didn't spend most of his life on steroids, since his career was quite short.

[@elguapodelmonte215]

He would go into the training session and say, "I'm feeling so strong, I could lift a horse", and then after the training session, he would say, "I'm feeling so hungry, I could eat a horse" I am a casual observer of the strength and strongman competitions, Don is incredibly decorated, not underrated.

[@nicowins]

Not anymore😢

[@c4662]

R.I.P

[@FatheredPuma81]

Well that aged poorly.

[@ghill628]

Don Reinhoudt passed away today, July 3rd, 2023. No superlative is big enough to encompass just what a great athlete he was. But more than that, he was a great person. I'll miss you Donnie!

[@StrengthUniverse]

RIP Don

[@sebastianboredal7486]

RIP! He definitely earned his place in the history of exceptional strength athletes.

[@Grendelbc]

My son and I met big Don at York Barbell quite a few years ago. Met Kaz and Vince Anello that day as well. All were friendly and seemed to enjoy talking to all the fans.

[@SonicSorcerer654]

Don's a great guy I'm from Brocton, New York too. He's a local legend and has done a lot for youth in our area

[@coreyrowe2052]

Truly one of the strongest men in history! Great tribute!!💪💪💪

[@dannywallace4905]

Don was 1 of the best ever. Damn right he was

[@juansantiago2710]

I mean if he held world records for 40 years in any condition...then yes he belongs to be mentioned with the greats

[@PinnaclePete]

Don Reinhoudt along with Larry Pacifico were my first two PL heroes when I started powerlifting. 😊 He was a balanced powerlifter, excelling in all 3 lifts and certainly in my mind was the strongest man in the world at the time (sorry Vasily). I thought it was pretty clear that Don was the strongest man at the 1978 WSM event. The only reason Bruce won was because he was more athletic than Don, but he wasn't stronger.

[@davidward5225]

A true legend

[@adamkane7513]

I remember *DR* from watching WSM as a young boy. I'm surprised his name doesn't come up more often but he wasn't much of a "character" to the TV masses.

[@CaptainCowboy476]

I agree

[@daytonasayswhat9333]

Everybody on the inter-webs always thinks everything is “underrated.”

[@Oldtimenattylife]

Good stuff

[@StrengthUniverse]

Appreciate it mate

[@purebloodheretic4682]

8:55 what Plates are those? they seem to interlock? maybe some can read what the name says?🤨

[@BrainDamageComedy]

👍👍

[@Abelberry]

Hi 'Strength Universe', have you ever been asked to rate/compare, the feats of Vasily Alekseyev?

[@StrengthUniverse]

I haven't....Until now

[@jonathanzoellick8602]

Why are they using Sultan Rahkmanovs likeness for the Olympic weightlifting pics, he was a super heavy weight lifter from the late 70's and early 80's for the Soviet Union.

[@jonathanzoellick8602]

I saw Paul Anderson when I was about 11 yrs old, and that inspired me to become an Olympic weight lifter later in my middle teens, I wish I could have seen Don Reinhaught, sorry if I missed spelled his tho.

[@jonathanzoellick8602]

Thanks guys 😊

[@smarterworkout]

I'm interested in the (supposed) natty Mike O' Hearn.

[@youreshouldoflearntgrammer8277]

Can you say 'Absolute Unit'? 😂

[@vili8893]

Ron Jeremy was so strong😂

[@joeperry2065]

U talk about being the undisputed world's strongest man. Dude had the world record for bench, squat and deadlift. . Crazy that he had all 3 records at the same time.

[@StrengthUniverse]

And Total.....all 4 records

[@bsoj1977]

Sad to hear he has passed away😟 Really strong athlete! And I was surprised how easy all powerlifting lifts seemed to be. Looks like he could have done much more. And it take a lot of guts squatting 400+kg with no spotters....😯

[@abhinavkumar547]

I didn't expect to see Don's video today. Great video mate. I appreciate your hard work. Before watching this video i think I should say these things. The fact that young people know so little about Don is such a shame. Easily one of the strongest human being in the history of strength sports since the invention of barbells is., for past 200 years. He set those powerlifting world records working as a full time high demanding accountant job. His raw total with wraps world record stood till 38 years and total without wraps world record stood till 41 years. The 4 time in a row ipf superheavyweight world pl champion and the only superheavyweight Powerlifter till today who held all the 4 world records in the 4 categories of pl ie., Squat, Bench, Deadlift and total in the ipf. Bench press was just ipf world record as Jim Williams pressed heavier weights before him. He retired from the sport of pl at the age of just 31 years remaining undefeated and unchallenged. He would have lifted more that's for sure as plers usually reach their peak between 30-35 but he was already at the absolute pinnacle of the sport so there was no need for him to continue competing in pl. I really wish kaz should have born earlier and should have competed at the same time when Don was competing in powerlifting. It would have pushed Don to even greater limits as imo Kaz would have been the only powerlifter at that time who would have challenged him in pl. He retired , shed the weights upto 125 lbs and went from 365 to 240 lbs , then competed in pl at the 275 lbs weight class, set the world records in that weight class too and ended up competing in strongman nearly winning 1978 wsm before eventually winning the 1979 competition. Just think about what he could have done in today's era with all the advancements in training, diet knowledge, peds, recovery, better gears in raw pl etc. The fact that the word underrated has been used for strength legends like Reinhoudt hurts me a lot.

[@StrengthUniverse]

It's criminal that Don isn't often remembered. I believe if they didn't have some of the sillier events in WSM back in the day he may well been a 2 or 3 times WSM

[@coreyrowe2052]

I could not agree with this more!!! It's sad that the world is forgetting a true legend!!

[@daveconleyportfolio5192]

Ignorance and underrated are two different things. Older people are fully aware of Reinhoudt. So are younger lifters willing to educate themselves, by reading books like "Inside Powerlifting" by Terry Todd. Reinhoudt is one of the featured lifters in that great book.

[@Nirsterkur]

Yes, I agree that he is one of the 3 if not THE most underrated strongman ever. To this day, only him and Kaz have managed to hold the ATWR in PL and winning the WSM. Also the longevity of his 2391 just proves how Incredible he was! Great video buddy!

[@StrengthUniverse]

Cheers Buddy.

[@Nirsterkur]

Also his remarkable distinction of holding all 4 (S, B, D and Total WRs) all at the same time by same man will not happen ever again.

[@captainbiceps-cr4ks]

I lifted 150 kg for biceps can you!?

[@StrengthUniverse]

Thanks for watching. If you enjoyed the video please support my channel by hitting Like, Share and Subscribe. Thank you 👍

[@Nirsterkur]

My favourite Strength Journalism/ Documentary Channel in Entire KZbin. 100k subs: let's go Strength Universe! You can! 💪🏻

[@StrengthUniverse]

@@Nirsterkur Thanks my friend.

[@stolimonoli5730]

Don used to come to my elementary school and put nails in boards with his bare hands and other strength feats.

[@glbwoodsbum2567]

Mine too!!!

[@ohareair552]

It’s ridiculous that the squat world record was 412.5kg in 2014, the same guy who broke it managed 490kg 5 years later, now now there are other lifters going for that record

[@thatguyfrommars3732]

Officially, anyway. In 1965 Paul Anderson squatted 422 kg on at least two occasions - in Dallas, Texas and Silver Springs, Maryland. He never used knee wraps, but there's also a picture of him squatting 900 lbs/408 kg without even a belt. As far as I'm aware, no one else has ever done that even today. The closest I can think of is Mart Seim squatting 400kg/881 lbs without a belt but with knee sleeves.

[@Kado1609]

@@thatguyfrommars3732 wtf dude! 🤣🤣🤣thats just insane...

[@pablorubin9638]

La mayoría de levantadores usa vendas o vendajes en sus rodillas el único que levantaba sentadilla sin vendas era paul Anderson una puta bestia y sin cinturón en varias ocasiones

[@greigite5191]

and now jesus got 470kg yesterday in a full meet!

[@ralphkramden1741]

Paul Anderson: natural All modern lifters : steroid junkies

[@veesingh7082]

Note he squatted without knee sleeves unlike those who beat his squat record

[@importantstuff1130]

Wonder how this guy would have done with modern day sleeves and gear, probably able to hang with the best.

[@thatguyfrommars3732]

He's a solid contender for being the strongest man ever.

[@Kultz]

Rest in peace, legend.

[@Mazzter88]

He truly gets no respect-he set records that stood for 30+ years-also a very classy guy

[@emp100k]

Don was not only a champion strongman and one of the greats powerlifters ever but his long standing record total of 1042.5 (without knee wraps) still has him ranked 4th all time in the IPF behind only Jesus, Ray and Jezza. His best wrapped total (1085 kg) has him ranked 18th all time, amongst all federations. He set these marks 4-5 decades before anyone ranked above him on this list.

[@Serafos]

Nice video. This guy was an absolute beast. Definitely a very underrated strongman.

[@StrengthUniverse]

Couldn't agree more!

[@shepchester3567]

I vaguely knew about Don via WSM, but had no idea he was such a successful powerlifter/strongman! definitely up there with the best.

[@iivaridark6850]

That guy in white suit performing olympic lifts was Sultan Rahmanov...

[@matizaph]

For his time he was phenomenal. He out performed both Jon Cole and John Kuc who were the top dogs in powerlifting. Only Big Jim Williams surpassed him in upper body strength at that time. Big Chuck Ahrens as far as upper body strength ranked in between Williams and Reinhoudt all though like Paul Anderson were off the grid so to speak with unofficial strength lifts. Anderson performed partial bench presses with over 700lbs and Williams did over 700lbs in a full bench press unofficially. Big Don IMO definitely ranked high up on the list in the world's strongest man for his era. Honorable mentions include other powerhouses like Big Pat Casey and Jean Louis Auger.

[@Flexible_photon]

its funny how the sur name "big" is used so often in strength sports, kind of loses its meaning when everyone is big

[@bradreid6057]

I saw Don lift several times. I think the thing I recall most about him was he carried his body weight very well, sort of like a big farm boy might, one with a hufe frame to carry that bulk. And his 3 lift distribution ratios were very even. That is, he was great at all 3 lifts, just slightly better at deadlifting and squatting than he was at bench pressing. In contrast, John Kuc had a huge deadlift and Big Jim Williams had a huge bench press. How would I rank him? It's hard to compare lifters from different eras especially in powerlifting where gear has changed. Anyway, he'd certainly be in the top 3 given any adjustment for the half century of time that has passed by with so many other lifters. Heck, maybe top 3 without any era adjustments.

[@MarkHanson-du3qs]

Don is a really humble man and no doubt the strongest man of the 1970's

[@darbyparke9105]

All of his attempts looked like 2nd attempts not true maxes either

[@goodactionshit520]

His bench looked so effortless he could've gone a few kg higher!

[@StrengthUniverse]

I agree, Don thought he could of got between 620lbs and 640lbs

[@goodactionshit520]

Even though the bench at 2:45 is a slightly lesser weight the level of control and especially that pause with 255kg!

[@PinnaclePete]

I thought the same thing! Both his bench and his squat looked relatively easy, definitely not a max effort! His back is so straight and steady throughout his squat only because his lower back was so strong. And that strong lower back got him the world record in the deadlift.

[@goodactionshit520]

@@PinnaclePete yeah no doubt especially with his upright control on squat, I've personally seen that once even a insane squatter starts to actually max max out they start to tip forward bad, in all his lifts he had room to expand no doubt

[@purebloodheretic4682]

He made it look easy!! I'm sure he could have gone 10-20kg more! 👍

[@guanjun1178]

I've always had a soft spot for this legendary strength athlete.

[@1gymbo1]

When I was younger, in the early 90's, I was fortunate enough to hear many firsthand stories of Don and see a lot of everyday photos of Don from one of his good friends. He used to spot Don (or did his best) during his training. He joked that it's hard spotting someone that is much stronger than you.

[@mcfarvo]

Don is phenomenal, truly amazing

[@vitoaugello1677]

you can only judge yourself with your peers. Not your future peers. Doing all these incredible lifts basically raw. No supersuits. He was an incredible lifter, low key and very humble. Imagine him squatting today, easily a 1050 or more squat. He beat the Kaz at WSM.. That says it all.

[@robbennett3704]

I kind of wish Don had more incentive after 1979. I think part of the problem is that he wasn't able to stay in the kind of shape that Wilhelm, Kazmaier, or Hedlund maintained when getting big; and, while a healthy Reinhoudt may have given Kaz a run for his money in 1980 given the events and new points system, he showed up looking smoother/pudgier--which is saying something because he looked more solid when he was 20-30 lbs heavier in his powerlifting prime. While I always questioned the depth to which he squatted, he moved the weights with ease, and was a legit 600 lbs bencher and 400 kg deadlifter, and the ease with which he made his 1000 lbs "girl lift" in the 1979 WSMC showed that he was the strongest squatter in WSMC since its inception until ... well, maybe ever? It was remarkable how much weight he lost and had to put back on in a short time in his life to immortalize himself in strength history. I do think Kaz took both powerlifting and WSMC to another level, but without Reinhoudt, Kaz may not be Kaz.

[@atodaso1668]

Nobody ever talks about Doug Hepburn, first guy to bench 500lbs all natty.

[@TobyFromGT]

Underrated for sure but "most underrated" is debatable. Great vid👍💛

[@StrengthUniverse]

Thank you!! 😊

[@kurtbarlow9917]

DOUG HEPBURN .. that man was something else

[@jetmetal4737]

Don was such a well rounded strength athlete. Clearly one of the greatest ever.

[@dereknichols3408]

Don was a beast, Luie Simmons from Westside repeatedly mentioned and used a lot of Don's training ruteines, I admired him the same as Kazmire. Those Ace wraps were noting like the powerlifting knee wraps, when the lifters use the knee wraps, someone has to lift them off the bench to stand up. I know, when I used them, if they were wrapped correctly, they are not pleasent to use and you will see guys wripping them off after the lift.

[@aldenhunter7120]

amazing life !! He was a gentle giant of a man !! One the strongest who ever lived !!

[@aldrogo7510]

He was a specimen and always came across like a real gentleman in interviews. I can only imagine the kind of numbers he could have achieved with modern training, supportive gear, etc.

[@ollienanyes3655]

Yeah, he is one of the great ones..undeniably true

[@OleSevers]

Yes and yes. This dude was insanely strong.

[@robertwallace8193]

DON, YOU WERE MY FRIEND, MY TEACHER AND MOST OF ALL MY INSPIRATION. GOD BLESS YOU AND I KNOW WE WILL SEE EACH OTHER AGAIN IN HEAVEN. REST IN PIECE BIG MAN, ILOVE YOU

[@richwinder9122]

Unfortunately he passed away today. He was a gentle giant. He would make the rounds to our schools and do feats of strength. He was an awesome person and an icon in his small hometown. Don will always be remembered as a strong man and touched many lives.

[@snailsfrogslegs119]

No doubt about it, he was one of the very best.

[@bobstrauss9413]

He was the pride of western New York.

[@localfocalkc]

Everytime I watch these videos I go and pick up heavy things.

[@luigirnotyourbusiness8127]

I wonder if he was natty

[@wolfganghasenmaier8350]

He was the strongest man of his era. Stronger than Kaz. Far humbler. I lift since age 16 since 1978 and informed myself in detail.

[@samarthur1847]

Those who know, know. But time moves on, a very respectful video. Thank you.

[@oldgrizz8720]

I grew up watching Don's career, and agree he is one of the great strength athletes.

[@nicowins]

Rest in Peace

[@iamatlantis1]

The power gut development in that thumbnail... 9.5/10.

[@AmericanBulldogFit]

When WSM was truly the World's Strongest Man. If you aren't World Powerlifting Champion, don't ever call yourself WSM. You're not!

[@frankmango1888]

RIP

[@arthurblackhistoric]

When I was married and owned my own home, I had a garage gym that had to be seen to be believed! Along the wall above the tilt-a-door I had a ribbon poster that we got laminated to preserve it. Among the greats whose photos were in that poster were Don Reinhoudt squatting with 911 pounds, Paul Anderson pressing 402 pounds. Big Jim Williams bench pressing 627 pounds, Sergio Oliva in the famous double page spread where he did his famous front double biceps pose after pumping his arms incredibly huge on the Nautilus machines, Ricky Wayne curling an Olympic bar in Gold's Gym with veins in his arms like a garden hose, and Paul Anderson squatting the Silver Dollar Squat in Las Vegas. Those were the men I considered the best of the best at the end of the 1970s in both weight lifting and bodybuilding.

[@WardoUSA]

Try to imagine losing 125lbs of body weight. Almost laughable when considering how much muscle he was carrying.

[@rocky6784]

Awesome video I was looking forward for a video about this legend !

[@StrengthUniverse]

Thanks, glad you liked it

[@TVTruther]

WSM was in infancy when Don started and not as popular; you have to remember the tv (abc?) showed the strongman event just once a year, it wasn't like they had all these other strongman contests going on shown weekly or monthly. Not until cable tv with the rise of ESPN and others did Strongman really gain traction and snowball as it has today; by that time Don was a history footnote but was always known to those in PL and SM.

[@MrAustrianoak]

I see that he's doing all these lefts more comfortably than nowadays, so I reckon he could've achieved better numbers if he felt the need to do so. But since he was winning, he didn't.

[@JohnnyWright-ft5zr]

LEGEND in the UK we would talk about this guy all the time

[@josephbloxham3992]

How much pop did those ace bandages give?

[@StrengthUniverse]

It will depend on many factors but in the range of 20 to 40lbs (9 to 18kg)

[@billhackley3540]

very nice video remember his time well, yes he definitely deserves a high spot among the greats

[@randysavage8963]

Awesome video as always

[@StrengthUniverse]

Thanks again Randy

[@ezekielmy545]

Never knew thanks for d info... what a great athlete 👏

[@StrengthUniverse]

No problem 👍

[@brucebanner9911]

That 402 dead was definately not the actual 402

[@lewisruffalo2221]

Far ahead of Bruce Wilhelm, for sure.

[@TruthTellert63]

100 % correct. (Wilhelm had him beat in one way though: he could kiss his own a$$ while simultaneously patting himself on the back with both hands. At this, he had few equals.)

[@richardherron7670]

He made his lifts look easy a true legend

[@johnhorton9637]

It amazes me that a person can move that much weight.

[@williamcorum6867]

that is a strong heckin man. Mr. Strength Universe, Do you think people are stronger today because of the better known ways to develop and gain muscle or do you think its a nutritional and/or potential drug knowledge?

[@StrengthUniverse]

it's due to many reasons.....Strength sports have increased in popularity which brings a bigger pool of genetics; increased knowledge of Training, Diet and recovery. Many athletes are professionals so can put 100% into being the best and finally better knowledge, more choice and probably larger quantities of performance enhancing drugs

[@howardmenkes2926]

One of the good guys. Rest In Peace.

[@DidYaServe]

His upper legs were gargantuan.

[@felipe367]

18 years old and 100kg 😮

[@willytheriot8439]

He is certainly one in a billion

[@citizengain]

What a specimen.

[@daytonasayswhat9333]

How are you calling a 40 year record holder “under rated?”

[@StrengthUniverse]

Explained in the first 30 seconds of the video

[@BoeserWolf1977]

impressive....

[@robertleese5039]

Yes for sure

[@andrew98115wl]

Legend

[@Robin_Is]

Yeah.

[@sym_riot1276]

Rip

[@totalpkg6912]

yes

[@Halbared]

I always wondered about those first two names of the winners of WSM.

[@earlcoles5215]

Can you do a unique strength comparison with Kevin Levrone and Chris Cormier... Chris was strong and this would be a great comparison

[@usmantariq6494]

🐐

[@fredkemp1444]

Great stuff thanks!

[@StrengthUniverse]

My pleasure!

[@brandonmattox4815]

Haloperidol for having been burned