Fantasy Matchup: Ed Coan Vs. Steve Goggins

Fantasy Match up: Ed Coan Vs. Steve Goggins

Well I'll go first on this one!
This is a tuff comparison. Both Great lifters in their classes through out their carers. Sure some will say that guys today are breaking their records, but no one of today can out deadlift these two in their weight classes!!!

This comparison is tough, because they are so equal!

This is the way I'll break it down!
Age, not a factor, because the are both about the same age!

Coan very short range of motion on the squat and deadlift. So this gives him a big advantage.
But Goggins stays neck and neck with him, on both of those lifts!
Example, one of the earlier WPO meets Coan squats 1038, following Goggins 1036! CLOSE!
I agree with Coan about Steve's rounded back squat (bar depth is amazing). I have spotted Steve and seen his chest touch his knee's!!!!

Bench: Raw would go to Coan, but it is a equipped meet so they are still neck and neck!!!

On to the deadlift:
Coan pulled 900ish at 220. that will never get beaten! (remember a very short ROM!)

Goggins pulled 881 after becoming the first man in history to squat 1100+ (that rounded back style)!!!!!

I think it should be a draw, but if I had to pick one over the other it would be Goggins because of the ROM, and deadlifting 881 after squatting 1102.

They both are the Greatest of all time to me! No matter what changes occur in gear in the future these guys will never be beat in my book! BECAUSE THE DEADLIFT WILL TELL THE TALE!!!!

always thought bridges was number 2 right behind coan! Goggins would have to be in my top 6 to 8 lifters.

- Coan is the best, bridges follows up at a close second, after that, i think the gap between the 3rd greatest powerlifter is a little wider!

Might as well just say The Hulk vs. The Thing

Putt Houston.... now with more Bom Chicka Wahwahhhhhh

Thing has an advantage in the bench but Hulk rips in the deadlift.

bridges is the best ever at 181, and in my opinion coan is the best ever at 220 for sure, belaev is around where coan was at 198 however that was many years ago and gear has certainly gotten better, goggins is also a freak though.

Yeah but isn't Bridges technically a smurf? That shouldn't count. What bad ass.

I like Goggins he is my favorite lifter. Kicked ass in old school gear and wasn't afraid to wear the heavy duty gear and kick ass there as well.

Goggins' best USPF total is 2320 at 275. I think Coan did something like 2468 at 242. In all honesty, it's not super close, especially if Goggins lifted at 242. I'm not sure he would have managed 2300 at that weight. Goggins did pull 881 in the WPO, but I'm not sure he pulled over 821 in the USPF.

Not even close. Back in the day, Coan beat Goggins heads up at USPF nationals at 220 with LEGITIMATE SQ judging, none of this WPO/IPA crap. Goggins couldn't hang with Coan in the SQ to proper USPF depth, as Coan has ALWAYS done. None of his hundreds of squats have ever been questioned on depth. Coan's best total at 220 was 2403 and the best Steve did at 220 was, I believe, 2204 in the USPF . Noone has dominated the sport with legitimate, legal lifts in so many weight classes for so long. In his heyday at IPF Worlds, he was winning every year by 250 to 500 pounds! That's unheard of to this day. Steve is a great lifter who should be commended for his longevity of throwing around such huge numbers, but let's be real--Ed Coan is the greatest powerlifter to ever step on the platform. Noone can touch his SQ and DL numbers with single-ply gear and legal squat depth. Noone!!!!!

Can't believe anyone would bring up the IPF , and brag about beating up on drug free lifters by 500 lbs.
Compare their best to best.

They are both awesome lifters.

i believe that they competed against ea other in a uspf meet where ed was quest lifting bc he was suspended and totaled over 2300 and goggins was around 2000..

Ok- Ed Coan might be a slightly better lifter. But who would win in a fight- Steve's beard or Ed's mullet?

Neither one of them could get very much out of a bench shirt.

I've seen one guy get past over alot on these forums. People forget about Willie Wessels, Rob if you read this correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Willie total 2400 or 2200 at 220. Thats amazing, even by todays outrageous totals. Willie is a technical genius when it comes to the squat, one of the first to hit 1003, thats when 1003 would get you on the cover of PLUSA. Just my .02, Wessels should at least get some recognition. Cheers!

Hey "Anonymous",
I'm sure those Russians, Bulgarians, Poles were all totally "drug-free" too. We all know everyone went "off" before the drug-tested IPF worlds and Ed still kicked everybody's ass. And why wouldn't I bring up the IPF Worlds? It's still the most legitimate representation of a world championship in our sport with the strictest judging. Probably the closest thing we'll see to PL in the Olympics. If you think all the guys Ed competed against were drug-free at the worlds, you're sadly mistaken. I believe the Russians are currently under a suspension by the IPF. If you think this was the first year the Russians have taken drugs in PL, you may have actually been born last night!!!

goggins is a very strong lifter but im sorry there is only one atop the powerlifting world. I dont think anyone will come close to a 900 deadlift at 220 ever again. Prob one of the greatest lifts of all time in my opinion. A bad day for coan would be only totaling 10x bodyweight and no world records. Coan the best, with bridges second, and the rest could be made up of kirk, goggins, olech, kaz, john kuc, im sure there are many more that could be considered for spots 3-10.

when you ppl say coan in the best u are purely looking at numbers he completed at a certain bodyweight... if thats the case i could agree and say he is the best... but if we take into consideration he has not ROM in the squat/deadlift compared to alot of taller lifters then i'd say no..... i mean fuck if you take 12 inches off my squat/ deadlift becuz my legs and torso are that of a midget i bet my squat/dead go way up.... give an advantage like that to goggins and he'd blow him outta the water... but none of you ppl take that shit into consideration..... you just think strength is the number lifted.... so if coan deadlifts 900 at 220 and only move it a foot... he's beettter than a 220 deadlift 800 that moved it three feet.... yeah powerlifting = bigger number lifted is the winner... but i dont think that necessarily says who is strong.... i mean the 220 guy pulling 800 could do a one foot rack pull of over a 1000.... so should we compare that to eds lift? i mean honestly to compare ppl dont you think you should take weight lifted and how far they lifted the weight? (ROM)? Most of you will still pick coan no matter what becuz doing it this way is to much thinking for you.... so u'll just pick the bigger number as the winner..

jeremy, this is not too much thinking for us, but perhaps too much reading for you. Where exactly did it ask who's strongest? That's right, nowhere. The question is who's the best powerlifter.

In basketball do they raise the hoops for taller players? In hockey do they enlarge the goal for bigger goalies?

Hell, if you're going to adjust totals for ROM, shouldn't you adjust in accordance with muscle/fat ratio too? What about muscle fiber type ratio? Hand size?

Your comment is pretty stupid for someone looking down on others for that kind of shit.

coan also pulled 887 conventional with a longer ROM, does that make you feel better? HIs career speaks for itself.

Where and when did Coan pull 887 conventional?

Fantasy Matchup: Ed Coan Vs. Steve Goggins

Matchup the key word/words. So just look at their top numbers. No excusses!!!!

Coan (correct me if I'm wrong)
squat-1038 (WPO), bench-562, DL-900

Goggins
squat-1102, bench-600, DL-881

Don't pick and choose the time, fedration, walkout, monolift, if one was sick, and the other was ju**** or not!
If they had both meet later in their carers, it would have been a battle!!!!! A close one!!!

anonymous i thought powerlifting was about strength.... stronger meaning your better? so what if a 220 guys comes along with half the range coan had and blows his numbers outta the water becuz he has to deadlift 2 inches and squat 4... lmao... u guys going to say he's better becuz he lifted the biggest total ever within his own rom? or will you wake up and see yeah he's strong but he has a huge advantage .... and its not really brute strength... just a huge leverage advantage? thats why i'd never say he's the best ... one of the best but not the best or the strongest ever.... i mean lets just be honest!

Kirk took Goggins down in a USPF nationals too. 1994 I think.

Kirk is a better comparison to Steve, but still superior.

I agree, the only thing that counts is the numbers in the book!
Everyone has their opinions, and their favorites, so crying about, what if this, and what if that, is irrelevant! Just the final numbers on paper is the only thing that history will remember!!!!!

Everyday it's a different lift! Some good, some bad. All the lifters that have been mentioned above are great and have my respect!!!

ANY GIVEN SUNDAY!
CHAMPIONS ALWAYS GET BEAT!
NO ONE GOES UNDEFEATED!

Jeremy,
Wouldn't asking what they could do raw be logical (to you)?
Let's say you were messing around in the gym (awhile back) and a 900 lb. barbell fell on you. Would you have asked Goggins or Coan to get it off you?

Oh hell, that's easy. Goggins, because you wouldn't have to wait for him to get in a sumo stance....lol!

Really wouldn't want to be in that position!

Shannon has a point, don't pick and choose the competitions or feds or walk outs. her numbers seem to be close.

Goggins came on later in his career where as Coan was always a monster. it would be a great matchup.

Steve has said several times that Coan was the best he has ever seen, there seems to be alot of respect as there should be.

Glenn Baggett
NGBB Elite

how many different weight classes did Goggins hold world records in ? I wish I had his back stremf though.