The block press world record has been toppled. At Untamed Strength Gym in Sacramento, CA, strongman Jacob Matthew Finnerty aka “The Bear,” cleaned a 386.6-pound block from the floor and locked it out overhead to set a new world record.
The block press world record was in flux ever since Steve Schmidt locked 370.1 pounds to claim the record. Finnerty replaced him in the record books after besting that record with a 378-pound lift at the Clash of the OC contest. However, that same day, Marcus Crowder secured a 380-pound block overhead. Finnerty sought to move the record to a milestone 400 pounds at Untamed Strength, but the Sacramento heat proved too much to overcome. However, he still managed to eclipse Crowder’s lift by 6.6 pounds.
Check out Finnerty’s lift in the video below, courtesy of his Instagram page. In the video, strongman Travis Ortmayer can be seen in the foreground cheering Finnerty through the block clean to the finish:
Note: scroll to the left to watch the video.
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Finnerty vs. Strongman Records
The block press world record isn’t the only strongman record Finnerty pried open the record books recently. In December 2021, at Odd Haugen‘s 805’s Strongest Man at The Training Hall in Thousand Oaks, CA, Finnerty scored a natural stone press world record of 320 pounds. The natural stone press is similar to the block press, whereby the strongman laps the stone from the floor, cleans it to a front rack position, and presses it overhead.
Finnerty’s 320-pound natural stone lift marks the first time an American has held the record. The record remained in Iceland for over two decades, first claimed by four-time World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champion Magnus ver Magnusson.
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[Related: Strongwoman Rhianon Lovelace (U64KG) Hits Unofficial Deadlift World Record of 280 Kilograms (617.3 Pounds)]
Finnerty told BarBend that his current goal is to become the “King of the Overhead” by attempting to break the axle press and log press world records in August and September 2022, respectively. The max log lift attempt will be at Strongman Corporation’s 2022 America’s Strongest Man contest on Sept. 11, 2022.
The current axle press world record is 217 kilograms (478.4 pounds) by Cheick “Iron Biby” Sanou from the 2021 Strongman Classic. Iron Biby also holds the max log lift world record of 229 kilograms (504.8 pounds) scored at the 2021 Giants Live World Tour Finals. It is a tall order to surpass Iron Biby’s overhead strength in such a short time frame. Still, if Finnerty’s block press and natural stone press world records are any indications, it’ll be worth paying attention if a new overhead king assumes the throne in September.
Featured image: @jacobfinerty on Instagram
