Yang Sen’s Secret:

Despite the disappointments he met with in international competitions starting in 2019, Hsu Siao-li, herself a powerlifter, felt that Yang was better than he showed.

Recognizing talent

“It was just intuition!” Hsu, who has been involved in powerlifting since middle school, adds: “Because I also worked my way up from the bottom, I learned how to accurately judge competitors.” Previously living in Japan, Hsu returned to Taiwan for her daughter’s education, and she and Yang both were weight training coaches in a gym.

Hsu Siao-li says analytically: “I discovered that Yang Sen’s technique was not up to scratch and that his movements were not suited to his body type.” At that time Yang could already squat 415 kg.

Yang hired Hsu as his coach in 2020. “I changed my technique entirely and started again from zero.” He admits that he had previously relied almost exclusively on brute force.

He was not nostalgic about his previous achievements, and decided to start all over again from the basics and humbly rebuild his “structural strength.” Taking the squat, for example, he currently uses better technique in his movements to lift the barbell, magnifying his strength.

Yang Sen set a new world record in the squat by lifting 453 kg at the 2024 IPF World Open Equipped Powerlifting Championships. (courtesy of Yang Sen)

Yang Sen won gold at the 2025 World Games and broke his own world record in the squat. (courtesy of Yang Sen)

Transcending weight

The squat requires tremendous strength in the quadriceps muscles of the thighs. Yang, whose nickname is “the man with the thighs of his ancestral spirits,” not only was born with good genes, he also refocused his training on smoothing and stabilizing his technique. By optimizing the little things, he produced motions more in keeping with his body type.

Hsu Siao-li explains that when such an enormous weight is being carried on the body, if even one “point of application of force” is not in the “line of force,” resistance will fall by five to 10 kg and the lifter may lose their balance and be more susceptible to injury. Competitors must understand that the goal is to figure out how best to exert force with their muscles, and not just crudely and abruptly lift the weights.

It is noteworthy that Yang’s retraining was a largely individual effort. Hsu Siao-li says that she sometimes felt sad watching him train all alone, typifying the saying that true heroes are always lonely.

Yang Sen, who is currently the world record holder in the 120 kg weight class squat, says he wants to continue competing. He has held aloft for all to see not only 450 kg of weight, but also his self-discipline, patience, and passion for powerlifting. 

Hsu Siao-li, who mainly competed in the women’s 72 kg weight class, is a seasoned veteran in the powerlifting community.