No need to beat around the bush on this one: Julius Maddox has performed the heaviest raw bench press ever.
Competing in the super heavyweight (308+lb) division, Maddox’s legendary 350kg/770lb bench press took place on his second attempt at the Xtreme Powerlifting Coalition (XPC) Slingshot Showdown at the Arnold Sports Festival. Despite the confusion the Arnold encountered earlier this week regarding whether or not spectators would be allowed due to the looming threat of coronavirus outbreak, Maddox put on a show.
Check it out for yourself via the video from his Instagram page below:
If you need to see that lift again from a different angle, we have you covered. Maddox shared the video on his YouTube channel as well and there is a special surprise in it to give context to just how impressive a feat this is. Check it out below:
Maddox opened with a breezy 317.5kg/700lb bench press on his first attempt. In the video you’ll notice a particular someone on the right side of the frame capturing the whole thing on camera. That’s Eddie Hall, the 2017 World’s Strongest Man, with a front row seat to the history books being rewritten.
Maddox had previously set the bench press world record back in November of 2019 with his 337.5kg/744lb bench press at the World Raw Powerlifting Federation (WRPF) Rob Hall Classic II. Since then, he has been building towards the milestone of becoming the first person to ever bench press 362.8kg/800lb raw.
On February 11th, Maddox called his shot when he stated:
“The new all-time world record raw bench will be 800 pounds by the beginning of June.”
He is well on his way. Just two weeks prior to this new all-time world record, Maddox posted a video of him hitting a then personal best 347kg/765lb in the gym that he said was “easy”. If you missed that lift, check it out below:
Maddox is clearly on pace to hit the 362.8kg/800lb bench press in June, and we are excited to see him be the first person to ever do so.
Feature image via Julius Maddox’s YouTube channel.
FAQs
What is the heaviest raw bench press of all time?
The heaviest raw bench press of all time is 770 pounds. The lift was performed by powerlifter Julius Maddox. The lift took place in March 2020 at the Xtreme Powerlifting Coalition (XPC) Slingshot Showdown at the Arnold Sports Festival.