On February 21, 2021, at the Ghost Strong Hybrid Showdown in Miami, Florida, Julius Maddox, the American powerlifter, successfully performed a heavy-weighted bench press, creating history.

Recently, “coachify.ai” shared a post on Instagram with a caption “🏋️‍♂️💪 Julius Maddox set the raw bench press world record by lifting 782 lb (355 kg) in competition, the heaviest raw bench press ever officially recorded.”

The post further explained that this lift of Maddox “cemented his reputation as the strongest raw bench presser in history and marked a defining moment in modern powerlifting.”

Julius Maddox, aka “Irregular Strength,” performed this press in the “Unequipped” category. This means he was not wearing any safety gear, such as belts or a bench shirt. During the press, he used only wrist wraps.

This is not the first time he has broken a record, but he has a history of surpassing records year by year.

In 2019, he surpassed Kirill Sarychev’s 2015 record of 739.6 pounds. Then next year, Maddox broke his own record with a 744.1lbs press at the Rob Hall Classic. 

In 2020, Maddox set another world bench record with 770lbs at the Arnold Sports Classic in Columbus, Ohio. 

But Julius Maddox's hunger yet to be met, as he is still craving more. 

Julius Maddox’s new aim

According to Generation Iron, Julius Maddox already holds the all-time bench press record and is now pushing his limits and targeting an 800-pound press in the raw category.

He even attempted to fulfill this desire in 2021 at Wrigley Field, but unfortunately, he couldn’t make it after 2 failed attempts. 

It will be so interesting to see how far Maddox can push the extremities of human tendency and fulfill his deep desire. 

Till then, follow Bodybuilding bros for more updates on bodybuilding and fitness.

Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Joyita Das