Legendary powerlifter Jen Thompson keeps raising the bar — literally. The 11-time International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) World Classic Bench Press Champion posted a video on Instagram of her bench-pressing 330 pounds, raw. Thompson has competed in the -63 kilogram and -72 kilogram categories (or 138 and 158 pounds). So, pound for pound, that means the 47-year-old pushed close to 2.4-times her body weight over her chest.
View this post on Instagram
“I have been after this weight for seven years,” Thompson wrote on Instagram. “Back in my equipped days, [my husband] got me a new license plate every time I broke a WR [world record]. I broke the equipped bench press record back in 2013 at 330 lbs. So for the last seven years, I have wanted to hit this raw, so I could make this license plate a true statement.”
Thompson, who was inducted into the IPF Hall of Fame in 2019, has also accumulated multiple USAPL (USA Powerlifting) records and five IPF world records in both the -63 kilogram and -72 kilogram weight classes.
One of her most impressive performances was in March 2019. Thompson competed in the USAPL SBD Arnold SBD Grand Prix and bench-pressed 303 pounds at 136 pounds. Then, that same day, Thompson stepped back on the platform for the USAPL Arnold Titan Pro Bench Bash. She smashed 308.6 pounds. Both lifts were done raw. While the powerlifting legend is best known for her bench press, she’s also squatted 325 pounds and posted a 446-pound deadlift (both raw).
[Related: Try Powerlifter Jen Thompson’s Favorite Tip for a Stronger Bench Press]
Her best raw bench press in a competition is 319.7 pounds, which Thompson achieved at the 2018 USAPL Bench Press Nationals in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Another competition doesn’t seem to be in Thompson’s future, for the moment, at least. But smart money wouldn’t count her out if she does ever decide to step back on the platform.
Featured image: both photos from @jenthompson132 on Instagram