Adding 10 kilograms (22.1 pounds) to one’s bench press in less than a month is no easy feat. It’s even more difficult to add that much weight to one of the heaviest raw bench presses ever caught on film. However, super heavyweight powerlifter Danial Zamani did just that when he scored a 347.5-kilogram (766.1-pound) bench press just three weeks after hitting a 337.5-kilogram (744-pound) lift.
Check out Zamani’s lift in the video below from BarBend‘s Instagram page:
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When Zamani shared this lift on his Instagram page, he hinted in the caption that he is not done adding weight to the barbell:
It’s not over yet wait for storming start in close future [sic]
The Iranian powerlifter has been steadily increasing his raw bench press presumably to challenge current bench press world record holder Julius Maddox to be the first human ever to score a 362.9-kilogram (800-pound) bench press. In April 2021, Zamani pressed 330 kilograms (727 pounds); two months after that, he pressed 337.5 kilograms (744 pounds), and now this 347.5-kilogram (766.1-pound) PR. That means in just three months, he added 17.5 kilograms (38.9 pounds) to his bench press.
Zamani has sufficiently beaten his competition-best bench press, which, according to Open Powerlifting, is a 345-kilogram (760.6-pound) bench press in a single-ply suit scored at the 2017 WPC World Champions Cup. Zamani won that event.
Maddox hit the world record 355-kilogram (782.6-pound) bench press on February 21, 2021, at the World Raw Powerlifting Federation (WRPF) Hybrid Showdown:
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Since that world record, Maddox’s sights have been set on the thus-far elusive 362.9-kilogram (800-pound) bench press. He was set to attempt that lift in the World’s Ultimate Strongman (WUS) “Feats of Strength” series “Beasts of the Bench” sanctioned by the United States Powerlifting Association (USPA). However, an unfortunate misload led to Maddox tweaking his pec and being unable to lift the milestone.
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Maddox recently managed to hit a new double PR of 340.2 kilograms (750 pounds). Before these insane lifts by Zamani, it seemed clear that Maddox would be the first man to bench press 800 pounds.
If Zamani continues to add kilos to his bench at the current rate, Maddox may end up being the man who built the hype while Zamani ultimately takes the prize. Regardless, the race to the first-ever 800-pound bench press is far more competitive than before.
Feature image: @danialzamani1 on Instagram