• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The BarBend Logo in white.

BarBend

The Online Home for Strength Sports

  • News
    • CrossFit
    • Strongman
    • Bodybuilding
    • Powerlifting
    • Weightlifting
    • HYROX
  • Reviews
    • Recovery
      • Best Cold Plunges
      • Best Saunas
      • Best Mini-Massage Guns
    • Supplements
      • Best Protein
        • Best Vegan Protein Powders
        • Best Whey Isolate Protein Powders
        • Best Mass Gainer
        • Best Protein Bars
      • Best Pre-Workouts
        • Best Pre-Workout for Women
        • Best Pre-Workouts for Men
        • Best Non-Stim Pre-Workouts
        • Strongest Pre-Workouts
      • Best Creatine
      • Best Electrolyte Supplements
      • Best Greens Powder
      • Best Meal Replacements
      • Best Nitric Oxide Supplements
      • Best Fat Burners
      • Individual Supplement Reviews
    • Cardio Equipment
      • Best Treadmills
      • Best Rowing Machines
      • Best Exercise Bikes
      • Best Ellipticals
      • Best Recumbent Bikes
      • Individual Cardio Equipment Reviews
    • Strength Equipment
      • Best Adjustable Dumbbells
      • Best Dumbbells
      • Best Kettlebells
      • Best Barbells
      • Best Squat Racks
      • Best Weight Benches
      • Best Resistance Bands
      • Best Leg Extension Machines
      • Individual Strength Equipment Reviews
    • Apparel
      • Best Weightlifting Shoes
      • Best Cross Training Shoes
      • Best Running Shoes
      • Best Gym Shorts
    • Fitness Tech
      • Best Running Apps
      • Best Fitness Trackers
      • Best Workout Apps
      • Best Smart Scales
    • Support Gear
      • Best Lifting Straps
      • Best Gym Bags
      • Best Lifting Gloves
      • Best Wrist Wraps
  • Nutrition
    • Diets
      • Carb Cycling
      • Vertical Diet
      • Reverse Dieting
      • Carnivore Diet
      • Ketogenic Diet
      • Intermittent Fasting
      • IIFYM Diet
    • Muscle Gain
      • How to Dirty Bulk
      • Go From Cutting to Bulking
      • Eat These Carbs
      • How to Eat for Muscle
    • Fat Loss
      • Macros for Fat Loss
      • Calorie Deficits
      • Natural Fat Burners
      • Cut 2 Pounds Weekly
    • Supplement Guides
      • Pre-Workout
      • Whey Protein
      • Mass Gainers
      • Greens Powders
      • Creatine
      • BCAAs
    • Daily Protein Needs
    • Pre- and Post-Workout Nutrition
    • Foods With Creatine
    • Bulking Tips
  • Training
    • Exercise Guides
      • Deadlift
      • Bench Press
      • Back Squat
      • Overhead Press
      • Lat Pulldown
      • Shoulder Exercises
      • Chest Exercises
      • Ab Exercises
      • Quad Exercises
      • Biceps Exercises
    • Training Guides
      • Beginner’s Guide to the Gym
      • How to Build Muscle
      • Guide to Muscle Hypertrophy
      • How to Train on a Cut
    • Workouts
      • Back Workouts
      • At-Home Workouts
      • Chest & Back Workouts
      • Full-Body Workout
      • HIIT Workouts
      • Bodybuilding Workouts
      • Farmer’s Carry Workouts
    • Programs
      • 5×5 Program
      • Bodybuilding Programs
      • Push-Up Program
      • Pull-Up Program
      • 5/3/1 Program
      • Powerbuilding Program
      • German Volume Training
      • Build Your Own Program
  • Calculators
    • Protein Intake Calculator
    • Macros Calculator
    • BMR Calculator
    • Squat Calculator
    • Calorie Calculator
  • Community Forum
Home » Powerlifting News » Powerlifter Jimmy Kolb Bench Presses All-Time World Record, 508 Kilograms Equipped

Powerlifter Jimmy Kolb Bench Presses All-Time World Record, 508 Kilograms Equipped

The 2021 IPA Bench Press World Champion pushed the limit on what a human being can bench.

Phil Blechman
Written by Phil Blechman
Last updated on November 28th, 2024

Jimmy Kolb has done what no other human has done before. The bench press specialist competed at the 2021 International Powerlifting Association (IPA) Strength Spectacular Powerlifting Championships on June 27 at York Barbell Club in York, PA, and scored the all-time heaviest bench press ever of 508 kilograms (1,120 pounds) while wearing a single-ply shirt.

Kolb competed in the bench press-only competition in the 140-kilogram weight class and of course, won gold. You can check out a video of this legendary lift below, courtesy of his Instagram page:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jimmy Kolb (@kolbstrong)

[Related: How to Increase Your Bench Press Without Benching]

Heaviest bench in human history.

Not only is the lift itself one for the record books, but so is the rate at which Kolb added weight to the barbell in 2021.

Route to the Heaviest Ever Bench Press

Back in January 2021, Kolb appeared at the Revolution Powerlifting Syndicate’s (RPS) North American and New Jersey Championships at Atilis Gym in Bellmawr, NJ. At that event, he bench pressed 476.2 kilograms (1,050 pounds) and went home with the gold. According to Open Powerlifting, two months later in March 2021, Kolb competed at the IPA Bench Press & Deadlift Worlds where he tacked on an additional 13.8 kilograms (30.4 pounds) to score a 490-kilogram (1,080.3-pound) bench press. That was not, however, the heaviest bench press ever caught on film. That was still a feat, to the best of our knowledge, held by Will Barotti.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oBz_lGTXeA&ab_channel=BarBend

[Related: Roohallah Rostami (80KG) Hits World Record 241-Kilogram Bench Press at 2021 Para Powerlifting World Cup]

Will Barotti

Barotti bench pressed 501.2 kilograms (1,105 pounds) in a multi-ply suit. That was an astounding lift because it was heavier than the heaviest deadlift ever caught on film — 501 kilograms (1,104 pounds) by 2018 World’s Strongest Man champion Hafthor Björnsson. Of course, single-ply and multi-ply are different and it is not entirely fair to compare them. However, when talking about which person has bench pressed the most weight for a single rep in all of human history, it seems appropriate.

Julius Maddox

Kolb’s recent 508-kilograms (1,120-pound) bench press is, to the best of our knowledge, the heaviest ever bench press. For context as to how much extra weight the single-ply suit allows for, the all-time world record raw bench press is the 355-kilogram (782.6-pound) lift by Julius Maddox at the World Raw Powerlifting Federation (WRPF) Hybrid Showdown in Miami, FL, on Feb. 21, 2021.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oItyHlzRq8&ab_channel=BarBend

[Related: Weightlifter Lasha Talakhadze Bench Presses 180 Kilograms (396.8 Pounds) for Reps]

Jimmy Kolb

Kolb’s recent lift is not only heavier than Barotti’s lift, it is heavier by a rather significant margin. It may not seem like 6.8 kilograms (15 pounds) is much when there were 508 kilograms (1,120 pounds) on the barbell. But advancing the all-time world record by double-digit pounds is an otherworldly feat of strength. According to Open Powerlifting, the 30-year-old Kolb has competed in 29 sanctioned powerlifting meets since his debut at age 18. Twenty-one of those events resulted in gold and the remaining eight were all disqualifications.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Unleash’d Strength (@unleashdstrength)

[Related: Strongman Robert Oberst’s 3 Tips for a Bigger Bench Press]

At the pace that Kolb is adding weight to his bench press, it is anyone’s guess as to how much heavier he will go. Everything beyond Kolb’s latest lift is unexplored terrain in the powerlifting world, but we’re excited to see where he goes next.

Feature image: @unleashdstrength on Instagram

Phil Blechman

About Phil Blechman

Phil is a native New Yorker passionate about storytelling, bodybuilding, and game design. He holds a BFA from Syracuse University.

View All Articles

Primary Sidebar

Latest Reviews

Featured image for the Ironmaster Super Bench Pro V2 Review

Ironmaster Super Bench Pro V2 Review (2025): Our Expert’s New Favorite FID Bench

Titan T3 Power Rack Review

Titan T3 Power Rack Review (2025): An Expert-Approved Rig Beckoning to Budget-Minded Athletes

Our tester works out at the beach in preparation for the Rogue Resistance Bands Review

Rogue Resistance Bands Review (2025): Tested by a Certified Personal Trainer

Barbend tester Jake Herod works out on a Force USA Trainer

Force USA G3 Review (2025): Our Experts Tested This Compact All-In-One Rack for Small Home Gyms

BarBend

BarBend is an independent website. The views expressed on this site may come from individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect the view of BarBend or any other organization. BarBend is the Official Media Partner of USA Weightlifting.

  • About Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest

Sections

  • CrossFit
  • Strongman
  • Bodybuilding
  • Powerlifting
  • Weightlifting
  • Reviews
  • Nutrition
  • Training

More

  • BarBend Newsletter
  • BarBend Podcast
  • The Ripped Report
  • 1RM Calculator
  • BMR Calculator
  • Macros Calculator
  • Protein Calculator
  • Squat Calculator

Policies

  • Accessibility
  • Advice Disclaimer
  • Cookies Policy
  • Disclaimers
  • Disclosures
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Copyright © 2025 · BarBend Inc · Sitemap