Julius Maddox, who says he wasn’t even planning on lifting, was convinced by Pete Rubish to try his hand at a max bench. He figured “Why not,” wrapped his wrists, and went ahead and made the heaviest bench press ever completed in the Cage’s 12-year history: 705 pounds (319.8kg).
Wasn’t planning on lifting in the cage yesterday @pete.rubish made me do it. After driving 7 hours and a horrible hotel experience here is 705 on the fly
That’s actually the most weight we’ve seen Maddox bench since he joined the 700-pound club in January, though he first made the 705-pound PR a few weeks ago.
We also had to highlight another phenomenal bench press that took place in the Cage: the -220lb powerlifter Brandon “Popeye” Perdue made a lift of 605 pounds (274.4 kilograms). And right afterward, he benched with two 200-pound dumbbells for eight reps.
But let’s go back to that bench. Perdue currently holds the all-time world record in the lift for his weight class with 600 pounds, which he made at a WRPF meet this past August. That 605-pounder wasn’t just a PR, it was an unofficial world record. He wrote on Instagram that he hopes to make his record “harder to beat” — we can’t wait to see the numbers he puts up at his next meet.
Featured image via @irregular_strength on Instagram.