Big news strong people: Iranian powerlifter Danial Zamani bench pressed 360 kilograms (793.6 pounds) in training. Zamani initially shared the lift in a video posted to his Instagram page on Feb. 7, 2022. Zamani’s lift is the heaviest raw bench press of all time ever caught on camera. Zamani’s bench press was performed in training, so it doesn’t count as the official world record. Check out the staggeringly heavy lift in the video below:
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[Related: Powerlifter Bill Gillespie Sets All-Time World Record Equipped Bench Press of 512.5 Kilograms (1,129.9 Pounds)]
“I want to thank first of all my coach Babak Ghazbani, who [has guided] me since last 10 years in my sports life,” Zamani wrote in the caption of his post. “I owe him a lot and all my seniors and pro athletes worldwide who support me and motivate me to reach my goal.”
The official world record is 355 kilograms (782.6 pounds), set by Julius by Julius Maddox at the Hybrid Showdown III on Feb. 20, 2021. Zamani has incrementally closed the gap between him and Maddox for the heaviest bench press of all time. In April 2021, he put up 330 kilograms for a single. He tacked 7.5 kilograms onto that lift a few months later. Then, in July 2021, Zamani hit 347.5 kilograms for a single, signaling that he was in the same league as Maddox — an impressive accolade. Just two weeks ago (Jan. 2022), Zamani managed to get 350 kilograms over his chest.
Next Up…800 Pounds
Originally, Zamani and Maddox were slated to go pec-to-pec in a bench press competition at C.T. Fetcher’s Iron Addicts Gym in Signal Hill, CA. However, that event — Iron Wars V — never occurred for reasons unknown. It’s not clear if and when the event will be rescheduled.
At the time of Zamani’s 350-kilogram bench press, he said that he’d attempt the world record in “15 days.” This more recent lift is 13 days later. It seems that Zamani still intends to break the record, but he’s experienced a bit of a hiccup in training.
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[Related: John Haack (93KG) Claims Another All-Time Raw World Record Bench Press at Hybrid Showdown 4]
“My first target was 360 kilograms, which is a few kilograms more than the current world record. My second target is breaking the 800-pound mark, which I am going to attempt in 20 days,” Zamani wrote. “I can not promise to break [the] record for now due to having pain in my shoulder. I [will try] my best and will attempt it definitely.”
Whether he breaks the record or not, Zamani says he plans on posting the video regardless for his fans. At the time of this article’s publication, Maddox hasn’t commented on Zamani’s all-time heaviest lift. However, others in the strength sports community have shared positive comments or congratulations, including 2017 World’s Strongest Man, Eddie Hall, and C.T. Fletcher, who at one time held this record himself.
Featured Image: @danialzamani1 on Instagram