Many powerlifting fans have been thinking about the prospect of Julius Maddox potentially breaking the elusive 800 pound mark on the raw bench press in 2021. Those same fans, and the Kentucky native himself, now have more reason to be excited.
On February 2, 2021, Maddox posted a video on Instagram of himself bench pressing 771 pounds (350 kg) for a single. That is significant in his quest for that 800 pound mark because this puts him one pound over the current world record of 770 pounds (349.5 kg) that he set at the XPC Slingshot Showdown at the 2020 Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio. So Maddox has now done more than his current world record in training.
This clearly will give him momentum and confidence as he continues his preparation for his next attempt at his ultimate goal. You can see Maddox’s new PR in the clip below. Maddox is the first to note on social that the lift wasn’t up to competition standards, and the lockout at the end of the rep wasn’t perfect. Still, it’s a noteworthy achievement along Maddox’s storied career. He’s currently the only athlete on earth consistently benching at or above 750 pounds raw.
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The lift was performed in Newport Beach, California. Even though he hit the J-hooks of the bench on the press, he appeared to have no major trouble locking the weight out with his triceps. Among those in attendance spotting him was Jake “Big Boy” Johns, of the lifting group Strength Cartel.
This lift is less than two weeks after he pressed 750 pounds in a previous training session. That lift was featured in a YouTube video on Maddox’s channel.
Maddox told BarBend his next attempt at the elusive 800 pound (362.8 kg) raw bench press will occur at Chicago’s Wrigley Field on June 10, 2021.
His first competition attempt at the weight took place on June 22, 2020 in South Bend, Indiana. Unfortunately for Maddox, there was a controversial misload of the bar when he took the lift-off for the initial attempt. After the weight was corrected, he wasn’t able to complete the lift. He suffered a pec injury and withdrew from the rest of the meet.
Original Source of Featured Video: Instagram/irregular_strength
