This year has been an absolutely huge year for the bench press. We’re seeing handfuls of athletes push new boundaries on the bench and one athlete in particular that we’re excited to see compete in the next two months is James Strickland.
Strickland is no stranger to pressing heavy weight, and he’s continuing to push new boundaries as he aims to tackle the 700 lb+ milestone. Yesterday, he shared a smooth 615 lb double bench press as he preps for his next powerlifting debut which will be the Pressing the Pieces Together event in Lombard, Illinois.
The Pressing the Pieces Together event is taking place on April 27th and is designed to raise money for autism awareness. Strickland is also raising money for the event and if you’d like to make a donation, then check out this link!
As for Strickland’s goals for the meet, they’re pretty simple. Become the lightest man to hit a 700 lb+ bench press in a sanctioned setting. He told us for this event his main goal is,
“I want to press 705 lbs+ and officially break the 700 lb barrier under 300 lbs. Then I’m doing full power in sleeves at The Showdown meet in September and I’m looking to go 2,300 lbs+, then all goes as planned, do full power with wraps at the Big Dogs meet in November.”
Needless to say, Strickland has a big year ahead of him and the Pressing the Pieces Together event is only the tip of the iceberg. Currently, Strickland holds the all-time bench press world record in the 308 lb weight class, which he set at the Boss of Bosses 6 meet back in August 2019.
When it comes to the 308 lb all-time bench press only world record, Strickland has come close to breaking Scot Mendelson’s long standing record of 701 lbs. Back in February 2018, he took a run at the record, but unfortunately fell just shy of topping Mendelson’s 2002 feat. Will he be able to break this world record once and for all? Time will tell!
Feature image from @swimhack Instagram page.