It’s rather short but I’m sure some of you would be interested
http://66.98.138.31/~lerchmo/videos/bench.htm
The sound is quite loud so I would advise turning yours down before playing it.
I realize it simply makes more sense to use 100 pound plates and a sturdy bar, but I was looking forward to seeing a bar crammed with 45s and bending like mad. A little silly of me I guess…very impresive regardless.
[quote]Zell959 wrote:
I realize it simply makes more sense to use 100 pound plates and a sturdy bar, but I was looking forward to seeing a bar crammed with 45s and bending like mad. A little silly of me I guess…very impresive regardless.[/quote]
I don’t think that amount of 45 lb plates will fit on a power bar with collars. You have to use 100s.
Did they have to take the wrist wraps off so he could let go of the bar?
“I just benched a grand!! What are you gonna do about it?”
That should be in the ‘Strong Words’ section.
Now why i admit he is aphenom and a beast of strength. i dont like how he benches i watched that 6 times and he harly moves his elbows at all. his gut and arch combo is so big and his arms are wide anuff he is basically just doing a short rom shoulder raise. i think this is why so many people complain aabout bench shirts. it’s not like watching mendelson bench where he is going down much futher.and hia arms bend. it’s just more pleasing to the eye mechanically. though i am sure if he gained 70 lbs of fat and a huge gut he could “lever” up alot more weight do to a smaller rang of motion. but like i said before everyone jumps my ass. im not knocking big R. just saying not my cup of tea. thats why i like scott he has biggest raw bench. and one of top shirt ones as well. and i like how he lifts in his many videos much better.
Relentless,
I am not going to jump you or flame you or whatever you want to call it. Mendy and Gene are both very strong and great lifters. It does not matter how big this guys gut is, or this guy has a bigger range of motion, or anything else. Lets just accept it for what it is, and that is strength no matter how you look at it. We are all in the same game, regardless of whether we are powerlifters or not, right? I do not know anyone that does not want to get stronger (relative or absolute), no matter what their other goals are.
[quote]relentlessfury wrote:
Now why i admit he is aphenom and a beast of strength. i dont like how he benches i watched that 6 times and he harly moves his elbows at all. his gut and arch combo is so big and his arms are wide anuff he is basically just doing a short rom shoulder raise. i think this is why so many people complain aabout bench shirts. it’s not like watching mendelson bench where he is going down much futher.and hia arms bend. it’s just more pleasing to the eye mechanically. though i am sure if he gained 70 lbs of fat and a huge gut he could “lever” up alot more weight do to a smaller rang of motion. but like i said before everyone jumps my ass. im not knocking big R. just saying not my cup of tea. thats why i like scott he has biggest raw bench. and one of top shirt ones as well. and i like how he lifts in his many videos much better.[/quote]
I’m with you. Mendelson rocks.
Powerlifting has turned into auto racing. To complete a bench press it takes a pit crew.
beef
Check out the 713 raw video. This is the bench press record as far as I am concerned.
just looking at him in that picture, if I saw a guy like that walking down the beach, I would seriously question if he even lifted weights? Maybe it is just that his goals are different than mine, but I would much rather look like myself with a 365lbs bench raw, then look like him with a 1000lbs bench. I guess form follows function, but he just looks like some fat guy. Maybe it is a bad picture, and I know that fitness is context dependent, but he looks kinda terrible. For a dude that benches and squats 1000+ I would expect some kind of muscle definition.
At least guys like Tate and wendler have defined upper bodies, maybe not like bodybuilders, but they at least look like really strong guys who lift weights. Mr. Rychlak just looks fat?
He doesn’t care. He just wants the body that allows him to lift the most weight. Look at a lot of the WSM, like Pudz, he could be a bodybuilder. SOme powerlifters are similar but a lot of the heavyweights are a lot more like Gene. Not aesthetically pleasing but thats not his worry.
I also dislike the bench press. Now I am not gonna start knocking shirts or whatever but seriosuly, any piece of equipment that gives you that much extra should surely be discouraged? No before you say it, its not like using top of the line golf equipment or tennis racquets, its more like competing in the 100m sprint on a horse.
[quote]Brad Cardoza wrote:
Check out the 713 raw video. This is the bench press record as far as I am concerned.[/quote]
Agreed.
[quote]IL Cazzo wrote:
Brad Cardoza wrote:
Check out the 713 raw video. This is the bench press record as far as I am concerned.
Agreed.
[/quote]
Me too!
[quote]Zeppelin795 wrote:
IL Cazzo wrote:
Brad Cardoza wrote:
Check out the 713 raw video. This is the bench press record as far as I am concerned.
Agreed.
Me too![/quote]
Finally! Agree totally. The other is a freak show.
Wrong. I saw the video of the 713 and it wouldn’t pass under old IPF judging. Either would Gene’s. Or any other modern bench. And so on.
Kaz did 661 in a t shirt about 25 years ago. So who’s the best? The answer is it doesn’t matter. There are differences in judging and equipment sinc epowerlifting split in multiple federations back in 1982. Currently there are over 25 different federations that show no sign of unifying, for multiple reasons such as drugs, monolifts, supportive gear etc.
I for one will never compete in a federation that disallows monolifts. Mainly due to safety considerations.
Mendelson has competed in shirted contests and has not come within 100 lbs of Gene’s top effort. there are rumors of big training lifts, but if you’ve been in this game like me for over 20 years you will know that these rumors will always exist.
And who really cares. Powerlifting is a fun diversion to me, but it’s really a niche sport like strongman and Olympic lifting. No one really cares about these sports.
If they were the most popular sports in this country, the top guys would make 10s of millions a years, instead of nothing.
You can consider something true, pure or mot, but since when has sport ever been pure. That’s just some propaganda crap that some ivy leaguers started up when the revived the olympics back in the late 19th century.
Like it or not equipment will be here, since the guys that make it pay the bills for a sport no one cars about. Inzer, Elite, Titan, etc are main sponsors for lifting, not Verizon, budweiser, and nike.
[quote]Brad Cardoza wrote:
Check out the 713 raw video. This is the bench press record as far as I am concerned.[/quote]
what you mean sunken into the chest with little pause?
Hendersons lift was far better, done under stricter rules.
Exactly, once we get into this argument, it will then lead to the judging argument. I prefer to leave it at all time bench, not even worrying about equipment.
I think only Sean Lattimer, who posts here, could possibly support 1000 pounds in the bench. Sean has done an 859 bench if I’m correct.
Another point, when peeople wonder where they stand, it’s easy to find out. enter a bench meet. you don’t need to use a shirt, but you need to compete. Gym lifts don’t count, mainly due to lack of judging. Many guys claim large gym lifts, but when looked at closely, wered one with a bounce and heave with a butt 6’ in the air.
Enter a meet to find out what you can do.
I read all the posts in this thread before I watched the video. As you guys already know the threads have both negative and positive comments about Gene’s record. I didn’t know what to expect when I finally opened up the link to watch the video. I must say that after watching it, I am very impressed what he did. Yes, he had special shirt, big arc, big gut, different judging…etc, but man, he lowered that grand slowly and with control, no bouncing and lifted that shit up with little trouble at the top. No matter how you look at it, I really believe this guy can bench over 800 raw. I give my kudos to him.
Is benchpressing a sport? Maybe it is, but then golf, cheerleading and chess can count sports too. Athletic shot putters got also big stomach, but they can easily jump over 1,076m high, 110 meter hurdles - feet together! Can you do that?