Braids breaking records: Mexican powerlifter hoists over 150 pounds with just her hair!

Getting a tangle in your hair is hard enough… but tugging it with 150 lbs of weight? 

That’s not something I want my poor scalp to have to handle!

Enter Diana Elizabeth Batres Hermosillo – a talented circus performer from San Luis, Potosi, Mexico. 

For the last 26 years, Diana has performed incredible stunts with her body, though perhaps none as challenging as this recent record-breaking attempt.

In front of an excited crowd at Le Paz Theatre on 28 February, the entertainer took to the stage, attached six weighted plates to her braids, and lifted a hair-raising weight of 166.11 lbs (75.35 kg) to claim the record for the heaviest weight lifted with the hair (female)!

She took the record from Indian weightlifter Asha Rani, who hoisted 122.58 lbs (55.6 kg) Rampur, Punjab back in July 2014.

Read more stories about record-breaking powerlifters in our dedicated Sports and Fitness section!

To prepare for the attempt, Diana said that she trained for six months to withstand the intense pressure the task caused on her scalp, neck, and back.

By adding heavy discs from the gym on to a steel chain, she was able to fashion a contraption that could be attached to her braids – eventually increasing its weight as time went on.

On the day of the attempt, she tightly braided her natural hair into two even sections, then connected them in the middle with a hair tie that she could attach to the chain with a carabiner.

And finally, after weighing the plates on a scale in front of the nervous crowd, Diana clipped into her contraption – and lifted the weight of a human with just her hair!

Holding the 166.11 lbs (75.35 kg) in the air for a spectacular total of 14 seconds, the powerful performer gracefully extended her arms out to the side, and showed off her skills as the crowd erupted into gasps and applause.

After her mind-blowing show, Diana returned to the stage once more to perform another act –  during which she dangled her entire body weight in the air just by the strength of her hair, once again attached to a hook. 

So it’s needless to say, we would love to know her hair care routine after shows like this!

Congratulations on this spine-tingling performance, Diana – you are Officially Amazing!