Johnnie Harris is no stranger to pressing jaw-dropping weight on the bench. In his competitive powerlifting debut at the 5th Annual Maryland State Championship in November 2019, Harris heaved 297kg (655lbs); breaking the International Powerlifting League (IPL) raw bench only world record in the 125kg (275lbs) weight class.
Well, a month and a half later, he made that lift look like a warm-up. Check out Harris’ 308.4kg (680lbs) push courtesy of the kingofthelifts Instagram page:
Oh wait, before you watch, note that Harris’ bodyweight during this lift is only 131.5kg (290lbs).
And wait, also before you watch, be aware that Harris pauses this lift!
Apparently, some people working out with Harris thought that he should take caution when attempting a 680lbs bench press and recommended he use side spotters. You know, in case the weight was too much of a burden. Since, you know, benching over twice his bodyweight might be burdensome.
Harris gave thought to that recommendation. He weighed the pros and cons. He peered into the future of what the lift would look like if he decided to employ the aid of side spotters. Then at the soft melody of an ear piercing yell, Harris gave his verdict:
No f*cking side spot!
Harris’ excitement of hitting a 680lbs raw bench came in the form of marching around said bench and repeating that quote.
Have faith in me!
With this lift now in the rearview, there are plenty of reasons to believe his team will have that faith in Harris as he sets his sights on benching 317.5kg (700lbs). Harris promoted the hashtag #roadto700 in a video of his training session on his Instagram TV channel:
Will Harris be able to challenge for the all-time world record?
For context, the current all-time world record raw bench press is 337 kg (744.1lbs) set by Julius Maddox on November 16, 2019. At the time of that lift, Maddox weighed 201.8kg (444.1lbs). That means Maddox benched 1.6x his bodyweight. Harris’ 680lbs lift equated to 2.3x his bodyweight.
Now, 29kg (64.1lbs) more is a ways away from Harris’ current best 680lbs. But if Harris continues to add weight to the barbell at his current pace, the all-time world record is certainly a possibility.
FAQs
Who is Johnnie Harris?
Johnnie Harris is an accomplished powerlifter who currently holds the IPL raw bench only world record (297kg (655lbs)) in the 125kg (275lbs) weight class.
What is the all-time raw world record bench press?
The current all-time world record raw bench press is 337 kg (744.1lbs) set by Julius Maddox on November 16, 2019.
Feature image from Johnnie Harris’ Instagram page: @power__bbuilder
