Kyle Kirvay just made ABS history. The newly signed Animal athlete became the first to break 1100kg in San Diego with a massive 1125kg total (2480 lbs). Posted a 631 Wilks score and 290kg bench press, both ABS platform records. Former IFBB Pro turned powerlifting monster.
Five days ago in San Diego, Kyle "Tiger" Kirvay became the first athlete in ABS Powerlifting Series history to break the 1100kg barrier. He walked away with a 1125kg (2480.2 lb) total, the biggest bench on the platform, the highest Wilks score ever recorded in the series, and his first ABS belt.
He's also now officially an Animal. And the powerlifting world should be psyched.
Welcome to the Animal Pak
Animal announced Kyle's addition to the team in July 2025 with a simple but powerful message: "The wait is over. Meet Kyle Kirvay — officially an ANIMAL. He's pure, unfiltered power in motion, and now he's part of the family."
For anyone who's watched Kyle's rise from bodybuilding phenom to powerlifting monster, this partnership makes perfect sense. Animal has been synonymous with strength since 1983, building a legacy around athletes who embody raw power and relentless drive. Kyle fits that mold perfectly: a 29-year-old force of nature who turned his bodybuilding foundation into record-shattering powerlifting performances.
The signing reunites Kyle with Animal's deep powerlifting roots. Legends like Andrey Malanichev (who held multiple all-time world records) competed at the Animal CAGE and represented the brand. Now Kyle stands alongside that legacy, bringing his own brand of calculated aggression and technical precision to the platform.
From IFBB Pro to Powerlifting Phenom
Kyle's athletic journey started in bodybuilding. Born March 17, 1995, he began competing in 2017 and quickly established himself as an elite physique athlete. By 2018, he'd earned IFBB Pro cards in both Heavyweight and Classic Physique divisions at the NPC Universe Championships, a rare double achievement that showcased his ability to build mass while maintaining aesthetic proportions.
But something was calling him beyond the stage. The weight room had always been where Kyle found his flow state, and powerlifting offered a different kind of validation: pure, objective strength measured in pounds moved from point A to point B.
The transition proved prescient. What bodybuilding built, powerlifting unleashed.
The CAGE: A Dream Realized
At the 2025 Arnold Sports Festival, Kyle lived out a goal he'd held for over a decade: lifting in the legendary Animal CAGE. The performance was characteristically dominant: an 800 lb squat for 6 reps, followed by a 500 lb bench press for 6 reps during his "Power Hour" takeover.
But Kyle's Instagram post after the event revealed something deeper than the numbers:
"Ever since I started this weightlifting journey over 10 years ago it was always a dream of mine to lift in the Animal Cage and now that dream is a great memory. I put my heart and soul into my work and the more I get to show that, the happier this guy is."
He continued, reflecting on approaching his 30th birthday: "This month, the 17th, I'll be turning the big 30 and with that in mind I cherish these days so much because I know sometime during this decade that I'll have to hang it up. I just hope that I can leave the legacy I know I can. For now I still have a lot of work to do, a lot of content to make, and a story that needs to continue."
That Cage performance served as both arrival and audition. Within months, Animal made it official.
ABS San Diego: First to Break 1100kg
Kyle's first competition as an official Animal athlete delivered the kind of statement performance that defines careers.
At the ABS Rumble in San Diego, competing in sleeves (no supportive gear beyond knee sleeves), Kyle posted numbers that rewrote the record books:
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- Squat: 425kg (937 lbs) - Going 2-for-2 before a third attempt quad tweak
- Bench Press: 290kg (639.3 lbs) - New ABS platform record
- Deadlift: 410kg (903.9 lbs) - Explosive pull to secure the total
- Total: 1125kg (2480.2 lbs) - First athlete over 1100kg in ABS history
The Wilks score of 631 stands as the highest ever recorded on the ABS platform, quantifying just how much weight Kyle moves relative to his bodyweight.
What makes these numbers more impressive: Kyle accomplished this in under 3.5 hours at a fast-paced, high-energy meet. No marathon warm-up periods. No extended rest between attempts. Just efficient, surgical execution under pressure.
Kyle now holds three ABS platform records: biggest bench, biggest total, and highest Wilks score. The question isn't whether he's dominant... it's whether anyone can stop him from defending his belt in 2026.
The Training Behind the Total
Training footage coming from Kyle's competition prep reveals the work that produces platform dominance.
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Nine weeks out from his world record attempt, Kyle squatted 900 lbs for three reps -- a feat he noted that only two other people had achieved in sleeves. The video shows not just the physical execution but the mental preparation: "Life's hard. What are you going to do? You're going to be sorry for yourself? You're going to get down on yourself? Or are you going to turn that negativity and transfer that energy into something positive?"
A week and a half before competition, he hit a 633 lb bench press PR during max fatigue, demonstrating the kind of peak-week strength that separates good lifters from great ones. His approach to these sessions shows methodical intensity: treating every warm-up rep with competition-level focus, using equipment strategically to maximize efficiency, and entering what he calls "that place" -- a mental state of controlled aggression that unleashes maximal output.
Kyle's philosophy centers on consistency and intention: "How you do one thing is how you do all things. You come in here and you half-ass, you're going to half-ass everything. You come in here and you show out, you be true to yourself, you work hard, that'll carry over to everything you do in life."
The Animal Arsenal
Kyle's supplement stack reflects both performance optimization and practical application:
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- Animal Pak - The foundation multivitamin/multimineral complex he takes with his pre-training meal, providing comprehensive micronutrient coverage for the demands of elite strength training.
- Animal Omega - Essential fatty acids for joint health, inflammation management, and cellular function, critical when moving near-1000 lb loads multiple times per week.
- Animal Isolate Loaded Whey Protein - Kyle uses 70 grams total in his pre-training meal (mixing Brownie Batter and Cold Brew Latte flavors), then switches to Clear Whey Isolate post-training for rapid absorption. His pre-training approach emphasizes sustained protein release; post-training focuses on immediate delivery.
- Animal Creatine Chews - Kyle doses higher than standard recommendations, taking 10-15g pre-training and another 5-10g post-training (in chew form) based on his bodyweight and training intensity. "A lot of benefits to upping your creatine," he notes in training footage.
Beyond the core four, Kyle incorporates Animal Primal pre-workout (emphasizing the citrulline for blood flow and nootropics for focus) and Animal Pump non-stim (particularly for bench sessions where he wants maximum muscle pump without additional caffeine). Animal Juiced Aminos provide intra-workout BCAAs to minimize muscle breakdown during extended training sessions.
The approach isn't random supplementation, it's systematic support for the kind of training volume and intensity required to break records.
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What's Next
Kyle turns 30 this year with his athletic prime arguably just beginning. While he acknowledges the decade ahead will eventually require hanging up the belt, the immediate future looks explosive.
Can he become the first ABS champion in nine years to successfully defend his belt? Based on recent trajectory, betting against him seems unwise.
The partnership with Animal positions Kyle not just as an athlete but as an ambassador for the brand's core ethos: relentless pursuit of strength, refusal to compromise, and respect for the iron game's traditions while pushing its boundaries forward.
"My mindset is just undefeated right now," Kyle stated before his last competition. "And I already believe that I'm the best in the world. Today I just have to prove that."
He proved it. Now he gets to do it wearing Animal.
Welcome to the family, Tiger. The cage is yours.
Follow Kyle Kirvay: Instagram: @kylekirvay
Learn more about the ABS Powerlifting Series: Instagram: @powerlifting_series
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