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Heaviest Bench of All Time (w/Jimmy Kolb)

Written by David Tao
Last updated on November 11th, 2024

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Today I’m talking to powerlifter Jimmy Kolb, the all-time record holder in the equipped bench press. In June 2021, he benched an astonishing 508 kilograms (or 1,120 pounds) in a single-ply bench shirt. It’s the heaviest bench press ever performed by a human. Jimmy joins us to talk about training as a bench specialist, his transition from raw to equipped lifting, misconceptions about equipped lifting, and pushing human performance past boundaries of what was once thought possible. It’s an interesting look at one of the most focused strength approaches we’ve ever seen.

(Learn more about Jimmy Kolb’s scholarship program for young lifters.)

Jimmy Kolb BarBend Podcast

On this episode of The BarBend Podcast, host David Thomas Tao talks to Jimmy Kolb about:

  • Jimmy’s strength and sports background (01:40)
  • Introduction to powerlifting competitions in a “rough and tough” environment (05:00)
  • Jimmy’s military experience and regaining elite strength after his military career (08:10)
  • Constantly pushing the barrier of upper body strength (12:20)
  • It takes a village — and showing up to a meet with 20+ supporters (15:00)
  • How raw equipped lifting came to eclipse equipped lifting in many lifters’ eyes (18:30)
  • When is the weight going to be enough? (22:00)

Relevant links and further reading:

Transcription

Jimmy KolbJimmy Kolb

Never in my life has somebody’s negative attitude or negative online comment, ever affected my performance. It’s probably hard for a lot of people to understand. I stay off the Internet for the most part, it doesn’t affect me. I enjoy what I’m doing for me. [laughs]

 

I’m going to lift the way I want you to please myself and nobody else.

David TaoDavid Tao

Welcome to the “Barbend podcast,” where we talk to the smartest athletes coaches and minds from around the world of strength. I’m your host, David Thomas Tao, and this podcast is presented by barbend.com.

 

Today, I’m talking to powerlifter Jimmy Kolb, the all-time record holder in the equipped bench press. In June 2021, he benched an astonishing 508 kilograms or 1,120 pounds, give or take in a single-ply bed shirt. It’s the heaviest benchpress ever performed by a human.

 

Jimmy joins us to talk about training as a bench specialist, his transition from raw to equipped lifting, misconceptions about equipped lifting, and pushing Cuban performance past boundaries of what was once thought possible. It’s an interesting look at one of the most focused strength approaches we’ve ever seen. Now, let’s get to the show.

 

Thanks a ton for joining us today. I’m really excited to dive into your history in strength sports and powerlifting, but Jimmy, for those who might not be familiar, tell us a little bit about your background and how you got to where you are today in lifting.

Jimmy KolbJimmy Kolb

 I’ve always been in sports since I was six years old, seven years old, just the normal stuff, soccer, baseball, wrestling. I was in the martial arts from the age of 7 to 14. I was in a bookstore in Canton, Ohio, and looking for more books on the sports. I was already in, but I happened upon the Joe Weider Bodybuilding Encyclopedia, and I looked at that, and I was like, “Wow, that’s impressive.”

 

When I first got into weightlifting at 14, my first, oh, seven, eight months, probably close to a year, was spent on bodybuilding, but I discovered early on there’s two routes you can take. It was get as big as you possibly can, and that’s the outlet, or get as strong as you possibly can which I’d have to change everything up. I thought that was more impressive.

 

Like I said, at 14, I trained from 14 to 18 trying to get as big and strong as possible. Then at 18, I started competing. Then 13 years later, here I am.

David TaoDavid Tao

You were wrestling at the time? This is supplementary, strength, and conditioning in your teenage years?

Jimmy KolbJimmy Kolb

Yes. When I was at 14, at that time, the only school sport that I was still actively doing was shot put, discus, and track and field which was fun. I’m a bigger fan of individual sports. I never did football. Obviously, [laughs] I never did basketball or anything like that. When I started lifting weights besides track, I was lifting weights for the sake of lifting weights, which drove the football coaches absolutely nuts.

 

I didn’t like it. I didn’t like the coaches. I wasn’t going to play for them.

David TaoDavid Tao

They wanted you. They see you lifting some big weights in the gym, and they’re like, “Jimmy, come on.”

Jimmy KolbJimmy Kolb

They didn’t understand that I was lifting weights for the sake of getting better at lifting weights.

 

David TaoDavid Tao

You said you started competing around 18 in powerlifting. Were you lifting raw? Were you lifting equipped? What was your first competition like? Give us a little bit of vision there.

Jimmy KolbJimmy Kolb

I lifted raw from 14 to 18, cut exclusively raw. At 18, I was doing some local meets that weren’t sanctioned, high school-type meets and things like that. That was all raw. I was squatting in the fives and sixes, benching in the fours, and lifting the fives and sixes. My first introduction to equipment, or what is still called gear — Gear has got this different meaning now that makes no sense to me.

David TaoDavid Tao

We prefer equipped when we write about it, just so we’re super clear. [laughs]

Jimmy KolbJimmy Kolb

Equipped?

David TaoDavid Tao

 Yeah. [laughs]

Jimmy KolbJimmy Kolb

We’ll call it equipped so that we’re not confused. I got introduced to the equipment at 18 by a man named Adam Hicks. He was the original guy who introduced me to it, taught me how to do it, brought me to my first powerlifting gym. Then, like I said, the rest is history up to this point.

David TaoDavid Tao

What was that first gym like? I think that where people train is very important in their strength careers as far as the methodology they’re using, their approach to training, how they’re competing, even what federation they’re competing in. Tell us about that original gym where you were actually around other powerlifters.

Jimmy KolbJimmy Kolb

It’s called Blackstone’s Gym. It’s in West Lafayette, Ohio. We grew up…I was in the northeastern Ohio, so about an hour south of Cleveland and an hour east of Columbus. It’s called Blackstones, Jim. John Blackstone was and still is the APF chairman for the State of Ohio. I was introduced to powerfully competitions in the APF.

 

The environment was rough and tough, dirty just like a chiseled out hole in the wall was our power room in this place. It was intense and it was always heavy. I was surrounded by a lot of very intelligent individuals.

 

I learned early on how to train for what we’re doing, different methods and obviously being so close to Columbus and having influences from Elite FTS, the WESTSIDE BARBELL and Lexen Xtreme. That’s how it all started back at Blackstones.

David TaoDavid Tao

Now, how long have you been competing in…I should ask how old are you because you started competing around 18. How long have you been competing? How old are you today?

Jimmy KolbJimmy Kolb

Right now, I’m 31. I just turned 31 a couple months ago. On the dots, I’ve been competing for about 13 years, lifting for 17, competing for 13.

David TaoDavid Tao

Did you start your lifting at 140 kilos right now? Is that correct?

Jimmy KolbJimmy Kolb

That’s correct.

David TaoDavid Tao

Have you been in that weight class since you were 18 or was that a gradual build up?

Jimmy KolbJimmy Kolb

 [whistles] That’s a very gradual build up.

 

No, my first official meets, I was competing at 220. I was 220 up until right about the age of 20 to 21, but I started to gain a little bit of weight to 242 and that was my home. My early 20s, I wasn’t until later on, in my late 20s, when I was still enlisted in the Marine Corps, I started lifting weights. I took a small hiatus between the years of 2015 and 2017.

 

I joined the Marine Corps, started lifting weights, mid enlistment when I was high at 242s, 275s. Now, about 308s.

David TaoDavid Tao

That, I got to say we’ve actually had a couple of Marines on the podcast and you don’t see many marines walking around at around 240 pounds. Talk to us about that and being on the heavier side for the armed forces.

Jimmy KolbJimmy Kolb

The Marine Corps has the strictest, tried the most annoyingly strictest standards that have not been updated since ’40s. It was Marine Corps. It was. I was active duty. I was not reserved. For four years, got out honorably after four years, but there’s a reason why I was only 4 years.

 

I don’t want to get into that part, but being heavier, I was safe for a long time. I had a 22, 23-inch neck, and then 40, 41-inch waist, which kept me in the safe zone because that’s how they tell how fat you are. Your neck and waist, and then they do some little formula and tell you how fat you are.

 

My neck being very large kept me safe. My runs, I was a decent runner. At 235, I could still run a three-mile at 23 minutes, 24 minutes.

David TaoDavid Tao

That ain’t bad. You’re moving.

Jimmy KolbJimmy Kolb

I was and then things towards the end turned sour. Some people say they’re salty Marines. I wasn’t sour Marine right at the end.

 

I started packing on the weight. Clearly, I was getting out. They knew it and I add, you’re good. Stay out of sight, which I worked at an armory for three years. It was very easy for me to stay out of sight. Very, very easy.

 

It was rough. My weight was a problem, my entire career. Although, they told me that before I joined. That was in the late entry program as a poolee. They said, “Hey, you know, you’re a bigger guy. Your weight is gonna be an issue your entire career.”

 

I’m like, “Why you let me go then?” It was tough, but I got through it. Now, we’re here and I’m enjoying life not being in the military.

David TaoDavid Tao

Basically, since 2017 is you’ve been here for aggression up to your current weight class and your re-entry into the powerlifting world. When you came back into high level competition, did you have any particular goals in mind? Did you have your sights set on anything?

Jimmy KolbJimmy Kolb

I did. When I was competing in the 2014 and 2015 era before I had took that small hiatus, I had set the all-time world record bench at the 242 weight class at 950. Then I never accomplished the 1,000-pound mark. I attempted a couple of times and missed it. Then I temporarily retired, so to speak.

 

We’re sitting on our couch when we lived on Quantico here, which we’re still in the same area right outside Quantico. Things were getting crappy in the military. I wasn’t really doing anything, and life was just kind of meh. We had a conversation, she said “What do you want to get out of life? What do you want to do?”

David TaoDavid Tao

This is you and your wife?

Jimmy KolbJimmy Kolb

My wife, yes. Wife of eight years. I said, “You know what, I want to bench a 1,000 pounds.” At that very moment I was back at it. I got on the phone with some old sponsors. I got on the phone with the old team. Got equipment in, and started training again. That’s how I came back to it.

David TaoDavid Tao

Your focus is…I don’t want to imply you’re not just a strong human, but bench is your specialty. It’s what you’re known for, and we’ll get to some of your accomplishments in just a second. Tell us about your training for that, training specifically for hitting big-bench press marks.

 

A lot of people assume that bench specialists aren’t doing deadlifts, aren’t doing squats. You’re clearly a strong human overall, and you’re not going to bench a thousand pounds if you don’t have strong legs.

 

Tell us a little bit about your training approach, and how that was split up and focused.

Jimmy KolbJimmy Kolb

Currently what I’m doing, is the sixth day a week training split. I do it to myself, it’s pretty miserable.

David TaoDavid Tao

[laughs] I was going to say. I didn’t want to make a face, or make a groan, but that sounds pretty rough.

Jimmy KolbJimmy Kolb

I have it all structured in my head, it’s a little different. My weekend is Fridays. That’s the only day a week I don’t train. That’s technically, to me, that’s my weekend.

 

My week begins with Saturday morning bench. That’s my heavy-shirted day. My heaviest day of the week, Saturday mornings. I had structured the rest of the week all the way to Thursday, based on the performance I did that week, or that weekend. Then it starts back over the next week.

 

Two bench days a week, two upper-back days, and two shoulder days. I will integrate some leg training in there, on one of those random days, but the majority of the focus is on the upper body, upper back, triceps, and then the training with the heavy weights.

David TaoDavid Tao

Obviously you’re doing some lower body training, but it’s focused on upper body. What role is upper body strength going to play? You obviously have a lot from your earlier days of powerlifting. Do you ever think it’s a limiting factor, or it’s more about maintaining a level of strength there?

Jimmy KolbJimmy Kolb

I’m constantly pushing the barrier with upper body strength, upper body size. A lot of the training I do besides the actual bench itself is really body building. I do supersets. When I train upper back, it’s all bodybuilding style, tons of rows, tons of upper back, traps and stuff like that, shrugs.

 

If you want to continue to bench more weight, the end goal is to ultimately get stronger, and in my case not only getting stronger, getting more and more proficient and technical when it comes to the equipment.

 

I’m constantly, whether it’s more reps, more weight, lower boards, whatever it is, I’m always trying to gain something somewhere. It’s very important to always be moving forward.

David TaoDavid Tao

Do you ever miss training for a powerlifting total?

Jimmy KolbJimmy Kolb

When I did it, I hated every minute of it.

David TaoDavid Tao

Really? What was your least favorite? Clearly, bench is your favorite, so what was your least favorite part?

Jimmy KolbJimmy Kolb

 [laughs] When I was 20 years old at a body weight of 218, I totaled 2,410, which to my knowledge, to my contemporaries that have told me this, that’s still the highest junior total in the 220 class ever accomplished of all time.

 

I was OK at it, but just the suits, and the wraps and the…I loathe squat and deadlift, all together. I did it because of the idea that to be a true power lifter, you have to do all three. I still agree with that.

 

I just did it, like, son of a bitch. I got a few totals under my record, under my belt. Ultimately once I started to put time and focus just into the bench, it blew through the roof, and I’m just very happy doing that, and that’s all.

David TaoDavid Tao

Let’s talk about training. You’re training equipped bench and you are — for the record, and I mentioned this in the intro — you have the heaviest of all time, in a single ply shirt. You’re the best. You’re the current king of the of the equipped bench.

 

Talk about training for that. Are you loading up a 1,000 plus pounds a week on the bench for this heavy session? What volume and weight are you doing when you train for the equipped bench? Also, an add-on to that, how do you actually train for that?

 

Because when you’re lifting these weights, one spotter standing over you with the loose grip, two fingers on the barbell, ain’t going to cut it as far as safety.

Jimmy KolbJimmy Kolb

Yes. Really and truly, my success really depends on my crew. Now, when I went to this competition three weeks ago, up in New York, between the people that were just there to compete with me, and those there to support, we had a group of 20 people show up.

 

Incredible. I have never had that happen in my entire career. That was really cool. It has a lot to do with the crew. I have an enormous crew. Saturdays, for those big benches, I have between six to ten people showing up to be there to help, and also get their own training in.

 

That’s a lot to do with it. Like you’ve said, it’s not just one guy hovering with a 1,000 or whatever it is. It’s at least five people on the bar, with those maximum poundages.

 

As for training for this lift, and also the future lifts that I’m going to do, my minimum working weight begins with 1,100 pounds. My training philosophy has always been, if you want to bench a specific weight at a competition, you have to handle said weight, plus some, every single time you’re in the gym to bench.

 

When I was trying to get 700 pounds, when I was a teenager, my minimum working weights, whether it was full range, off boards, whatever the scenario was, was 700 pounds and up. I have done that my entire career, and it’s worked.

 

When I go to the gym, my working weights leading up to this meet were anywhere from, could be 1,160. I’ve handled 1,200 pounds quite a few times, 1,255, I remember that particular day, 1,300 pounds, a couple of different times.

 

I’m handling loads that are way above and beyond. I train for so much more than what I actually accomplished at these competitions. It’s this balance of I’m happy that I did that, but at the same time it’s like, I could have done so much more, because I trained for that.

David TaoDavid Tao

When an outlet like BarBend like us we write, “Hey, this is the heaviest equipped-bench press of all time,” really that’s just the heaviest in competition. You’ve been doing the true heaviest of all time in training leading up to that.

Jimmy KolbJimmy Kolb

Yeah, that was part of it. I was stepping into uncharted territory, once when it came to the actual competition bench. [laughs] It’s part of that mindset you have to have, like this is a big deal, but the same time, you can’t worry about that.

 

You have to focus on the task at hand. That nobody has done this before. Nobody has successfully done this much weight in the bench in history, regardless of gear used, equipment used, age, weight class, doesn’t matter. That was in my mind.

 

At the same time, it’s like, “Well, I do this every single week plus 100, 200 pounds more on a regular basis.” For me, the weight was nothing new. It was only new because of the competition setting, pretty much.

David TaoDavid Tao

Makes sense. All right. I got to talk about a topic that I asked you beforehand. You said beforehand you’re a pretty open book. We’re going to talk about a topic that, hey, gets people riled up on the Internet.

Jimmy KolbJimmy Kolb

I love that.

David TaoDavid Tao

Hey, you know what? I’m sure we’ll get some comments on this. People that say, “It’s all about the shirt.” They talk about equipped powerlifting. They say, “That’s not real powerlifting.” We actually posted your record lift on Instagram. There was a lot of support. Don’t get me wrong. There were definitely some people who said, “That’s not real powerlifting. That’s not a real lift.”

 

Let’s talk about some of the perception of equipped lifting because for a long time in powerlifting equipped lifting was the thing. Now raw powerlifting has become much more popular in the past couple of decades. It seems like people are frowning upon, or at least some people in the community are frowning upon, equipped lifting. What is your response to that?

 

I don’t want to call it a controversy because, look, equipped lifting is a sport. Right?

Jimmy KolbJimmy Kolb

Yes.

David TaoDavid Tao

Let’s talk about your perception of that, how you respond to the haters, so to speak.

Jimmy KolbJimmy Kolb

The thing is, this is going to be hard for a lot of people to understand this idea I have. I think the Internet is a mistake. The Internet should go. It’s never going to. We’re too deep in it. Never in my life has somebody’s negative attitude or negative online comment ever affected my performance. That’s probably hard for a lot of people to understand.

 

I stay off the Internet for the most part. It doesn’t affect me. I enjoy what I’m doing for me. I’m [laughs] going to lift the way I want you to please myself and nobody else, so tough. As far as some of the equipment, when I was 18, when I got my first shirt, I could bench 550. Oof. It was like a Mack truck was on my hand.

David TaoDavid Tao

Was it 550 raw or 550 with a shirt?

Jimmy KolbJimmy Kolb

I was benching high fours raw at 18. I could bench 550 in that shirt.

David TaoDavid Tao

Gotcha.

Jimmy KolbJimmy Kolb

The learning curve is enormous. It’s hard to learn. The thing is, people will look at it and, “Oh, you’re doing not a real lift.” I’ve spent from 18 to now 13 years crawling and scratching my way to get to this 1120 over a decade of consistent work, even like a two-year hiatus of break I took there right in the middle. Gear has been equipment.

David TaoDavid Tao

Terminology is confusing sometimes.

Jimmy KolbJimmy Kolb

I’m still the old school, gear means equipment, but equipment has been a part of the sport since the ’80s. The first squats who came out like ’79 or ’80 in the marathon squat suit, bench shirts followed shortly after. It’s been part of the sport for over four decades, so whatever.

David TaoDavid Tao

It’s not going anywhere. It’s not like the people are suddenly going to stop lighting equipped. [laughs] It has been around for a log time.

Jimmy KolbJimmy Kolb

Raw got popular in everything that’s cool. Equipped didn’t go anywhere. Raw is easy. I live for raw every day. You know what I mean? If that’s what you want to do, that’s cool. Do it for yourself. I’m not going to lift raw to please others. I’m going to lift raw when I am damn well ready to. Wait if that ever happens.

 

A lot of people don’t understand that. They look at it as though it’s cheating. I offer anybody. My shirts are available to anybody. They want to come and try it out, make it work. I’ll load up the wieght for you.

David TaoDavid Tao

[laughs] You and a few helpers, probably. Let’s talk about…Would you ever go back to raw lifting? Is that something you’ve ever noodle on in your head?

Jimmy KolbJimmy Kolb

I got such a passion for the equipment. I grew up in the sport in the mid early 2000s when equipment was at its all-time high. The WTO was finally come back. WTO was super popular. The Arnold Classic, all these big lifters and Ryan Kennelly was prominent and Donnie Thompson and Chuck Vogelpohl, all the Westside guys.

 

That’s the part when powerlifting was more underground. Lifting raw would be something where I am completely satisfied with my equipped numbers. I’ve had that conversation with my wife several times. She’s like, “When’s it going to be enough? When are you going to be satisfied?” I’m like, “Hun, I can’t answer that for you. I have no idea.”

David TaoDavid Tao

Well, that was going to be my next question. You preempted that. I appreciate. [laughs]

Jimmy KolbJimmy Kolb

If that point ever does come around where I am very satisfied with what I’ve done, because in order to train raw and trying to be the best in the world raw, I’d have to completely change everything that I’m doing, completely ditch the equipment, train exclusively raw.

 

I lift equipped for one more big reason, is because I don’t want to get hurt. The original idea with the equipment was because whenever you hear somebody ripping up a pack, blown out a shoulder, ripping a quad. What is it during? It’s during raw lifting.

 

Especially bench press, very, very risky at maximum poundages. Me being a natural athlete, if I had ripped my pack or blowout a shoulder, I can’t recover from that. It’s going to be a very long process. The equipment is there to keep you safe.

 

I want to do this sport for decades, not just years. Big turn of events would have to happen to me to go exclusively wrong. For now, not going to happen.

David TaoDavid Tao

I think what people underestimate with equipped lifting. There’s one expert on this recording and it ain’t me, but to lead in, what people don’t understand about equipment is, as you mentioned, it’s not like you just put on a shirt and you’re automatically doubling your benches.

 

It’s not like you put on a squat suit and suddenly you’ve got robot legs. There is a learning curve. You have to learn to work with this instrument and work in harmony with this instrument. It’s an entirely different sport.

 

The mechanics, completely different. It’s not like you could take the best raw lifter, add the best raw bench presser. It’s not like you could take Julius Maddox, put him in a bench shirt, and suddenly he’s lifting more than you are equipped. Because it’s just different mechanics. It’s a different lens.

Jimmy KolbJimmy Kolb

It is. It’s high dense fabric, it’s not like a t-shirt, it’s high dense polyester, is what I’m using. Single layer of polyester. The most basic piece of equipment that’s in powerlifting. Single-ply is bare-bone basic.

 

I’m very attracted to the idea of getting as much as you possibly can out of one layer of material. I used a single-ply, Titan Super Katana for this lift, 1120. I’ve been using Katanas since 18 years old.

David TaoDavid Tao

Wow, so you’re a company man?

Jimmy KolbJimmy Kolb

I’ve been with Anderson Powerlifting since I was 19, so about 12 years with the company. They’re distributor for Titan support systems equipment. I’ve spent over a decade getting very, very proficient. I haven’t switched shirts back and forth, different companies.

 

I’ve been with this one particular shirt for a very, very long time and learned how to use it. It’s been really fun. I enjoy it a lot.

David TaoDavid Tao

It almost reminds me, the closest analog I can think of, and again, I’m not the expert on this call, but it’s like a set of golf clubs for a golfer. They have to become one with their instrument.

 

You always hear about, if a golfer switches drivers or something like that, it’s a big deal. They got to retool their whole game. Switching a shirt would probably be similar for you, if not even more impactful.

Jimmy KolbJimmy Kolb

I’ve been with the same company for 12 years, pushing 13 almost. They distribute for Titan, so I use Titan equipment, but if something works, why change it? It’s very cliché, “If it works, why change it?”

 

That’s what’s worked for me. All seven of my All-Time World Records, not World Records, All-Time, have been set using a Titan Katana in one format or another. Sometimes single-ply, sometimes multi-ply, but all the same style shirt. I’ve become an expert with it over the course of 12 years.

David TaoDavid Tao

They can’t buy a brand ambassador better than you. As far as proof is in the pudding.

Jimmy KolbJimmy Kolb

 Until one of these multi-ply guys, or one of these new bench rubber shirt guys surpasses that mark, I can at this very moment tell you that the Titan single-ply Super Katana is the greatest piece of equipment in benching you could possibly buy until someone surpasses that mark.

David TaoDavid Tao

Jimmy, what are any other misconceptions, as we come toward the end, that you think people might have about equipped lifting, what you’re doing, anything you want to say like, hey folks, this might be something that you’re thinking about wrong?

Jimmy KolbJimmy Kolb

That’s a hard one. The biggest thing with equipped lifting is that it’s cheating, it’s cheating, it’s cheating. I don’t hear a lot of hate when it comes to Hawthorn or Eddie Hall pulling over 1,100 pounds in the deadlift.

 

They’re using all the equipment they have to their advantage for that lift. Now, it’s a dead lift on a bench. It’s not a squat, it’s a different lifts. Straps, deadlift suits, two belts, they’re going to use as much equipment as they can to their advantage.

 

You throw a bench shirt in there, and it’s like, “Oh, it’s pure cheating. It doesn’t matter. ” That’s the biggest thing, but like I said, it’s been a literal part of the sport for over 40 years. It’s not this brand-new thing that came out in the last decade or so. I invite people to try it. A lot of it, what I hear, is ignorance or arrogance or both, matters to me not.

 

Like I said, nothing affects me except what I’m doing for myself. [laughs] Internet comments are [laughs] very irrelevant when it comes to real life. I have accepted that a long time ago. I’m very happy, very peaceful, but try it. It’s fun. It’s going to keep you safe. You’re never going to rip a pec. You’re not going to blow out a shoulder.

 

Arguably, it’s a little more dangerous because the weights are heavier, and accidents can happen. You can dump it on to your belly. You can dump it on your face. I’ve done both with a thousand pounds plus. It’s not fun, but it’s fun. It’s going to keep you safe. It’s a different challenge. Both raw and equipped have their own challenges.

 

I respect both for what they are, so it’s give it a try, and you might have a different frame of thought.

David TaoDavid Tao

Excellent. Jimmy, where’s the best place for people to follow along when you are online with what you’re doing and you’re lifting and training?

Jimmy KolbJimmy Kolb

Most of it goes on Instagram, kolbstrong, K-O-L-B, strong is the Instagram handle this print, my brand on everything. I also host a Patreon channel, the Kolb Strong Power Community. People can pledge 10 bucks a month, and they can see. That’s the easiest way for me to show people.

 

I get questions all the time. How do you train? How do you do this? How do you structure that? I put those six days a week that I told you about my training. I record from the first set of the first exercise to the last of the last exercise, six days a week, with commentary over top of it.

 

People can literally watch day-by-day by week-by-week of what I’m doing in the gym to lead me to these big benches.

 

Instagram and Patreon, I’m on Facebook but not very often. That’s probably the best way.

 

David TaoDavid Tao

Excellent. Jimmy, thanks so much for joining us. It was a real pleasure talking to you today.

 

Jimmy KolbJimmy Kolb

Thank you for having me here. It was a pleasure. I know you’ll have a good rest of your week.

About David Tao

BarBend's Co-Founder and CEO, David is a veteran of the health & fitness industry, with nearly a decade of experience building and running editorial teams in the space. He also serves as a color commentator for both National and International weightlifting competitions, many through USA Weightlifting.

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