Bench press world record - men and women

The bench press is one of the so-called king exercises and, for many people, also an indicator of overall strength - at least of the upper body. So we think most readers will be familiar with the question “how much do you bench?" If you train regularly and your maximum is somewhere between 80-90 kg, you will probably fall into the slightly above-average range. If you lift 90 kg or more, you will be above average in your local gym.

Lifting more than 100 kg on the bench press with correct technique (the whole back on the bench) is, however, fairly difficult and requires regular and structured training aimed at muscle growth with a sufficient protein intake per kilogram of body weight. If you are looking for a tasty source of complete protein, try hyve whey concentrates with a natural composition.

How much do the strongest people in the world bench press?

The bench press world records listed below do not take into account the competitor's weight category or the governing organisation. The only condition is that the lift must be performed on the back and using correct technique - i.e. the back stays in contact with the bench throughout the lift. Arching the back automatically disqualifies the competitor, because it shortens the path of the lift.

The categories can be divided into raw, in which the competitor uses no equipment apart from wrist support, and equipped, where the competitor uses a belt and a special powerlifting shirt (bench shirt), which provides shoulder and torso support, and therefore assists the upward force.^{1, 2}

Current bench press world record - men

Since 2021 the world record in the no-equipment category (so-called raw) has been held by the American Julius Maddox, who officially lifted 355 kg, beating his previous record of 349 kg. The current bench press world record with equipment (bench shirt) is held by Jimmy Kolb, who on 29 July 2023 at the 2023 IPA Tristar Bash successfully lifted 635 kg, beating the previous record by 23 kg.^1,2,3

Current bench press world record - women

The raw bench press record has belonged since 2016 to the lifter April Mathis from the United States, who lifted 207.5 kg. The women's equipped bench press record belongs to Rae-Ann Coughenour-Miller, also from the United States, who lifted 290 kg.^{4, 5, 6}

References:

1. Julius Maddox Bench Presses 355 Kilograms Raw For New All-Time World Record". barbend.com. 21 February 2021.
2. Julius Maddox sets new 350kg/770lb bench press world record". Fitnessvolt. 8 March 2020. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
3. Lockridge, Roger (2023-07-29). "Jimmy Kolb Bench Presses 635.4 Kilograms (1,401 Pounds) Equipped, the Heaviest Single Lift in Powerlifting History". BarBend. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
4. Powerlifting rankings: unlimited class, women by bench".
5. The heaviest raw bench presses of all time". barbend.com. 3 February 2017.
6. Powerlifting rankings: raw, women by bench". openpowerlifting.org.