Julius Maddox knew that he was a bench press prodigy when he and his buddies, who were in a treatment facility for drugs and alcohol, loaded up the bar with all of the weight in their dingy basement gym and pressed.

“We were just joking around…and I moved it for reps and it just blew my mind,” Maddox says. The weight on the bar: 525 pounds. 

Since then, Maddox has hired a coach and, with proper programming, has broken the world record raw bench press (meaning only wearing a belt and wrist wraps) not once, but twice. He first benched 739.6 pounds in August, breaking the old record of 738.5 pounds, and followed that up with a 744.1-pound lift in November. Check out the record-breaking lift here:

Along the way, Maddox—who you can follow on Instagram at @irregular_strength—has become a bench press technician. 

 

We asked the world’s baddest bench presser to walk us through the right way to set up on the bench, and to provide a few tips for hitting your best numbers. Whether you’re a newbie trying to crack 225 or a vet looking to add another 5 pounds to your already impressive max, you’ll benefit from Maddox’s advice. 

Julius Maddox Bench Press World Record

Julius Maddox Bench Presses a World Record-Breakin...

The American powerlifter eked out a 335.5kg lift to break the raw bench press world record.

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