41-year-old Bob Merkh is a 7th-grade social studies teacher at Upper Township Middle School in South Jersey. His students dub him “The Worlds Strongest Teacher,” and thats not just because of his hulking stature. With a best squat of 1165 lbs., a best bench of 1100 lbs., and a best deadlift of 805 lbs., Merkh has the #4 total of all three lifts of men, all-time, all weight classes in the world.
“I humbly would say that I have one of the biggest powerlifting titles in the world,” says Merkh. “There are a lot of people out there who don’t compete. There are a lot of NFL players, so I cant say I’m one of the strongest men in the world.”
Merkh first got into powerlifting as a hobby, and it wasn’t until he started seeing his numbers hit pro standards that he realized he could powerlift professionally. While Merkh loves to lift, his real passion lies in teaching. He has always had a love for the American Revolution, even tattooing it on his leg, and encourages his students to find joy in history.
Through his job as a teacher, Merkh has found more ways to engage with his students and better his community. He leads the Special Olympics Powerlifting team in New Jersey, and he and his wife, Stacey, are founding members of We Belong, an organization of allies to the LGBTQ+ community that also organizes Pride Fest.
He says he always tells his students, “How you do anything is how you do everything,” and that same philosophy carries over into powerlifting. He continues, “I would say they’re related because the discipline required to be a great powerlifter is the same discipline required to be great at teaching.”
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Tuesday, July 1, 2025