At the end of August, Julius Maddox slapped the all-time world record bench press record to sleep; this past Saturday, he slapped it for sleeping with a world record 744-pound bench press, executed faster than the Tijuana Two Step.
Everything is bigger in Texas, including bench presses, so no better place to set the record than at the Rob Hall Classic Meet at Big Texas Gym in Austin, Texas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSTEYTwnB1g
Here is a video of Julius’ 744 lb records-setting bench press
Now, compare that to the 723 lb American record Julius hit less than five months ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWLfby1VKvE
As Julius’ coach, I want to first off congratulate him! Not just for undoubtedly being the strongest bench presser of all-time, but, most importantly, for being a great man. Once operating by the code of the street, now Julius lives by the law of the Lord and has helped countless others become free of addiction and find a life of purpose through his Friends of Sinners Ministry.
Let’s look at some strategies that have helped Julius recently increase his bench press.
Majoring in the Minors
#Squateveryday was a popular hashtag a few years ago. It popularized the trend of doing primarily competitive lifts, with little to no assistance work; the complete antithesis to the advice of the greatest powerlifter of all-time, Ed Coan, and others with great longevity and careers expanded across decades. Thankfully, now more lifters are including accessory work.
The benefits to accessory work are huge, it can correct imbalances, increase muscle hypertrophy (think both safety and confidence), teach a strength athlete to feel a muscle working and add variety to strengthening targeted muscles while preventing overuse.
A glass of red wine daily can benefit your health, a pint of the moonshine you buy 90 miles North East of Nashville, Tennessee, won’t.
Everything has a point of diminishing returns.
A few years ago, Julius’ shoulder strength was a strength but overtime it began lag. We built it back up with one the one-arm landmine press, it paid huge dividends and was key to Julius achieving his first 700-pound bench press.
Over time, Julius’ strength went batshat crazy in this movement.
Everything has purpose!
The purpose here was to set the world record bench press, not a 600-pound overhead press. The landmine press was simply a means to an end; in our proverbial chess game, it was checkmate with this movement. So, instead of getting absurd with this lift, we switched to lateral raises and rear delt flys, face pulls and T3 raises to target the often neglected lower traps, which play a huge role in shoulder health.
Application Point
Everything has a point of diminishing returns, in the best-case scenario, gains cease and in the worst, you will become acquainted with the local orthopedic surgeon. Pause, sometimes, when reflecting on your purpose for accessory work and ask yourself, “Is this useful?”
Belief
Matthew 17:20 says, “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, “move from here to there” and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.” That affirmation is powerful.
And, for the solely scientifically inclined, there is a spot for you under this powerful tent of belief. A 2014 review of 53 trials compared elective surgical procedures to placebos and found that sham (bogus surgeries) provided some benefit in 74 percent of trials and worked as well as the real shebang nearly 50 percent of the time.
The take home is this, as you hit your lifts each week in training, you build positive momentum. You progressively feel a power greater than you take over, no longer do problems exists just possibilities, it feels like you are never going to miss a lift. This psychic chemistry tells you nothing is beyond your capacity. If the bar is loaded, you will lift it! This is the zone; few lifters have been there, but great champions, like Julius, live in it.
Application Point
An article on Julius by Roger Lockbridge says Bryant made no hesitation in predicting Maddox’s future. Quoting Maddox, “He just saw me and said it out loud with a straightforward tone. ‘You’re going to set the all-time raw bench record. You’re going to break the world record.’ The way he said just matter of fact was something that added onto that confidence. At that point I was like ‘tell me what to do and I’ll do it.’ It was on.”
Julius fully believes in himself and our discussions have been in an “as if” fashion; now that is has happened, it’s just becoming official to the rest of the world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hg5Rvy7rrAc
Jim Williams bench pressing 675 lbs with elbow wraps in 1972 & Julius’ 744 lb lift
Every day is Back Day
Kaz says a “strong man equals a strong back.” Bench press is no exception! A strong, well-developed, muscular back not only iridates an aura of power and gives you a nice, stout shelf to bench press off, it even provides a little spring on the press up. We have used this strategy for nearly two years and the dividends are coming in as Julius’ bench press is now riding around in a Bentley and smoking 100 dollar cigars!
Application Point
Your upper back can take a licking and keep on ticking! The upper back recovers quickly. Julius trains four days a week, one day is completely devoted to upper back work , the other three include minimally one upper back exercise, sometimes more. This has been paramount to keeping Julius’ shoulders healthy. REMEMBER, the lower back recovers very slowly, when increasing upper back frequency, use things like pull-up variations or lat pulldowns and keep rows chest-supported or on a cable. BENT OVER ROWS WILL TAX YOUR LOWER BACK, THEY ARE NOT A ONE TO ONE SUBSTITUTE FOR CHEST-SUPPORTED ROWS.
Isometrics
“Train 10 minutes a day and increase your strengthOpens in a new Window. by over 30 percent in 10 weeks,” claimed one popular isometric training system. Often isometric zealots speak of isometrics with divinization. Yet, others make them seem as profitable as selling brisket sandwiches outside the annual vegan convention.
By having Julius push against an immovable rack (although I bet he breaks it soon) just shy of lockout, this allowed him to produce roughly 15 percent greater force than could be produced concentrically. In a max bench pressOpens in a new Window.Opens in a new Window., maximum force is maintained for 1/3 of a second as the weight is lifted up. Isometrically, maximum force production can be maintained for five to six seconds. This allowed Julius to produce 15% more force 15 times longer in an isometric contraction. This systematically targeted Julius’ sticking point and gave him the strength to lock out 744.
Application Point
If performed incorrectly, isometrics can be damaging to your rate of force development and can damagingly impact your stretch shortening cycle.
So here are some guidelines:
--Perform an isometric contraction against an immovable, strong, solid structure.
--Don’t start the isometric contraction at the point the isometric contraction will take place. Some dynamic movement is recommended pre- and post-contraction.
--Do not exceed five to six seconds for maximal isometric contractions.
--Perform some sort of explosive dynamic work after isometric contractions for the benefit of your central nervous system and positive neural adaptations.
--To maximize benefits, contract as hard as possible.
--After a workout that contains isometrics, try some breathing exercises, static stretching and/or proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretching, and some foam rolling.
--Do not perform for more than six to eight weeks at a time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCivoA9JhvI
Josh talking about bench press isometrics
Training with the Bandbell Bar
Don’t worry, Julius and I have aren’t starting a drum circle in sister town Tibet outside of Santa Fe or writing screen plays at Starbucks in California.
But we are in favor of anything that works!
The bandbell bar recently has helped Julius in his training on his secondary accessory bench press day.
The bar is designed around the principle of Oscillating Kinetic Energy (OKE).
Why does this principle matter to Julius’ world record quest? This tool was originally used just for rehab, but it is also, as we have discovered, is very useful for prehab.
Using a bamboo bar instead of a steel bar in any movement changes the lift. A flexible bar with weights suspended by flexible resistance bands becomes erratic (because the weights have multiple degrees of freedom). Julius is required to control this throughout the lift. It’s not just point A to point B, but controlling it in three-dimensional space so it doesn’t get to points C,D,E or F. This requires full recruitment of the often underutilized stabilizer muscles. In essence, Julius receives great muscular workout but his central nervous system isn’t worn down like it would be handling maximal weights on a secondary bench day.
Application Point
Training with bandbell bars can be a great prehab tool for serious strength trainers! Does this tool replace the standard bench press? Hell no! Can it help you stay healthy and prolong your lifting career? Evidence suggests such; furthermore, it is the brainchild of former Westside lifter, Jim Seitzer, and sold by EliteFTS.
Final Thoughts
This is what has helped Julius! I am sure something in here can help you. In the words of Bruce Lee, “Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own.”
