Phil Stringer - five times European Champion

Phil first lifted in 1965, then retired for over 10 years! He set his first World Record less than two years after his come-back!

In the seventies and eighties, he set five World Records in the Squat including the WORLD'S FIRST EVER 4¼ times bodyweight squat, was the first European lifter to bench 2½ times bodyweight (no shirt of course!), and was European Champion five times.

This is a 220kg Squat (56kg Class) at the 1983 YNE Seniors:-

This is the 1981 Europeans, were Phil won at 52kg with 210, 125, 167½ : 502½ - note George Leggett the GB Coach on the right of the shot.

This is probably the 1979 Europeans at Huskvarna, where Phil was 3rd at 56kg with 217½, 120, 180 : 517½.

This is ~215kg at 56kg in 1984 at the YNE Championships at Huddersfield

In collaboration with his coach (and founder of Steelman Powerlifting Club) Barrie Nelson, Phil developed the high arch on the Bench Press now used by many of the top benchers

This is a 135½kg Bench Press for a British 56kg Class record at the 1983 YNE Seniors:-

This photo' is from Iron Man magazine, reporting on his then strange technique! The lift is 127½kg at 52kg bodyweight at the 1982 World Championships in India: Phil was 3rd with 200, 127½, 185: 512½.

He held the British Senior Total Record in the 52kg Class for 25 years, and the Bench Press records in two weight classes from 1978 until the weight classes were abolished at the end on 2010! In July 2011 he benched a shirtless 152½kg for yet another British title and a British Masters III Record:

Other Steelman lifters try to use the same Bench Press style. This photo' is seven-time British Senior Champion Heather Hampson at the 2003 European Championships:-

This one is three-time British Senior Champion Marie Thornton at the 2003 EU Cup:-