'World's strongest organist': Leduc church music director shatters world powerlifting records

In powerliftingcircles, Colin Bonneau is somewhat of a legend.

The 70-year-old church musicdirector from just outside Sherwood Park has been setting worldpowerlifting records for the past 20 years.

"I've been calling myself the world's strongest church organist ...and nobody's ever challenged it," chuckledBonneau. "I've never met one."

Bonneau turned 70 on Oct.9, bumping him up into the 70-74 age category.

He set hismost recentrecordat a meet in Calgary on Oct. 21, where he managed to shatterthe world record for bench press by 99 pounds, bench-pressing a record342 pounds.

'I was pleasantly surprised'

Bonneau easily bench-pressed 244 pounds, 303 pounds, 331 pounds, and then set a fourth record of 342 pounds, allshattering the old record of 243 pounds.

"I was pleasantly surprised when I was able to lift as much as I did, " Bonneau said.

Last weekend'sfour records officially bringshim to 90 world records in powerlifting.

When he's not lifting or pushing heavy weight, he's the musicdirector at St. David's United Church in Leduc, which is Bonneau'sother passion in life.

"I'm a musician, " he said. "I have a hobby of powerlifting... but music is my real passion."

He has been teaching and playing the organ in churches around Edmonton for35 years. He's played in all kinds of bands. He has played the church organ since 1965.

On Sunday, the congregation at his Leduc church was told of his latest accomplishment.

"They announced ...that I'd gotten another four world records,"he said. "People clapped and stuff, they think it's pretty cool."

Thelatest four records arein addition tofour he earned at a meet last March.

"Everyone clapped," he said.

"Nobody's ever met a weightlifting church organist, [they] just don't exist."

Powerliftingsince 50

Bonneauprides himself on a natural, drug-freelifting routine.

He's part of the 100% Raw Powerlifting Federation,a type of liftingwhere participants aren't allowed to use any devices to help them lift theweight, such as bench shirts.

Once he broke the record on the weekend,Bonneausaid the "highfives" startingflying.

"I got a lot of cheering and stuff, " saidBonneau,who startedpowerliftingat the age of 50.

When I did my fourth lift, the meet director said, "You seem to defy gravity!"

'I blame it on my genes'

Bonneau said he started lifting weights as a way to keep in shapeand stay healthy.

"It'd be nice to say, 'I train 10 hours a day,' but really, I blame it on my genes," he said. "I've got really good genes, and I'm lucky."

He puts in time at the gym.

"Being short is really good for bench-pressing and squatting."

Bonneaudoesn't planon slowing down.

"I think I could have actually done 160 [kilograms],which would have been 353 pounds. Next time, next meet, which will be in Calgary sometime in February."

If he lifts that weight, the feat could landthe powerlifting church organist with world record number 91.