What do you qualify as a heavy bench press? Most will say a 300, 400, 500 lb bench press, but what about 600+ lbs — raw? This is a strength feat there very few accomplish in lifetimes spent lifting. One athlete who frequently presses 600+ lbs is professional powerlifter Jeremy Hoornstra.
If you’re unaware of Hoornstra, he’s a world record bench press holder for the 242 and 275 lb weight classes. His current world records stand at a 662 lb press for the 242 lb weight class and 675 lbs for the 275 lb class. To this date, no athlete has accomplished a 700+ lb raw bench press in the 242 lb weight class (or 275 lbs for that matter) in competition. Could Hoornstra be the first?
Hoornstra recently shared two insane bench press videos on his Instagram page that highlight his crazy pressing strength. The first video below features a 660 lb paused bench. He gets a little bounce off his chest in these videos, so would these lifts count in competition? That’s up for viewer discretion, but his world record numbers don’t lie.
From the video’s description Hoornstra writes that his current weight is around 239ish. This 660 lb press is only two pounds off his current world record of 662 lbs in the 242 lb weight class, which he set in April 2016.
With how well the weight moved off his chest, I’d bargain he has a little more in the tank. Possibly more than his current world record?
Another recent video Hoornstra shared was a video hitting a 620 and 675 lb press. If his weight is still hovering around 239ish, then he just pressed more than his current world record.
The 675 lb press ties Hoornstra’s current -275 lb weight class world record. If Hoornstra can maintain these presses at a bodyweight that puts him in the 242 lb class, then we could be seeing him take another world record relatively soon. He’s coming dangerously close to a 700 lb raw bench press and making history.
If Hoornstra could pull off a 700 lb press in competition, then he would be the first to do so at his weight raw. Could 2017 be the year Hoornstra makes history for the 242 lb weight class?
Feature image from @hoornstra_strong Instagram page.