World Record Bench Press for 2005

The World record bench press for 2005 is still held by Gene Rychlak. He is the first and only man to have an official 1000 pound bench press record.

There are world records for each of the many different weight classes, age groups and other classifications in powerlifting, but I am going to write about the all-time heaviest bench press in history!

There have been some big bench presses in the history of powerlifting, and with advances in training, nutrition, supplementation, and equipment, they will continue to go up. Pat Casey was the first to bench press 600 pounds, and he did it in the 1960’s before anabolic steroids and bench shirts. Ted Arcidi was the first to press 700 pounds and he did it in the 1980’s. In 1996, many people witnessed Anthony Clark bench press 800 pounds at the Arnold Classic. This was a very controversial lift because it appeared on video that he never locked the weight out, and the weight was taken by the spotters as though he had missed the lift. There was a pause of about 7 or 8 seconds before the lift was given white lights and counted as an official lift. It was so controversial that very few people ever considered that lift to be the first 800 pound bench press.

None of that should taint the memory of Anthony Clark (who passed away in early 2006) because he was a fantastic power lifter with an official squat of well over 1,000 pounds, several world record bench press lifts, and a total of over 2400 pounds in the three power lifts. He did his lifts with a reverse grip, which is quite unusual, and he was the first teenager to bench press over 600 pounds. I once watched Anthony Clark bench press in a contest in 1997. You couldn’t even get into the warm-up room with all the media and television cameras crowding around him. I watched him go up to 600 pounds without his bench shirt, and he blew that weight off his chest like it was a broomstick! He put his bench shirt on, and I believe he ended up with a 727 pound bench press that day.

That brings us to Gene Rychlak. In the new millennium, Gene has become the top bench presser in the world. He was the first to bench press 900 pounds a few years ago, and that feat blew me away. Before we could get used to the idea of a 900 pound lift, he went and broke it again and again. Finally, as we stand now, Gene Rychlak holds the World Record Bench Press at the end of 2005, with an amazing 1005 pounds! It absolutely boggles the mind. Now there are a few other members of the 900 pound club, including Ryan Kennelly and Scot Mendelson, but I am just waiting for Gene to shock us again in the near future.

With the right supplements, maybe you can set a world record bench press.

Before I go, I should also mention that Scot Mendelson has the world record bench press of all time without a bench shirt. He recently lifted 755 pounds in a contest with no supportive gear, and that is amazing! For comparison, Bill Kazmaier, the three-time World’s Strongest Man, set the world record bench press in 1981 with 661 pounds with no supportive gear. That just goes to show you how strong Scot Mendelson is.