| Julius Maddox | |
| Nickname: | Irregular Strength |
| Nationality: | American |
| Birth Date: | 13 May 1987[1] |
| Birth Place: | Owensboro, Kentucky, United States |
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in |
| Weight: | 430 - 470lbs |
Julius Maddox (born 13 May 1987) is an American powerlifter who is the world record holder in the bench press.
On August 31, 2019 Julius Maddox pressed with wrist wraps and without a belt, surpassing the record of Kirill Sarychev.[2]
On November 17, 2019, Maddox pressed with wrist wraps and without a belt, breaking his own world record.
In March 2020, Maddox set the world bench press record at [3] at the Arnold Sports Classic in Columbus, Ohio beating his own previous record of that he set at the Rob Hall Classic meet in November 2019.[4] The record prior to that was by Kirill Sarychev, set in 2015. Maddox also holds the official world record for most times bench pressing in official powerlifting competition, with 10 times.[5]
Maddox competes at anywhere from to bodyweight in recent competition.[6] [7] [5]
On February 21, 2021 Julius broke another All Time World Record at 782 lbs (354.7 kg) at a Ghost Strong meet in Miami Florida.
In February 2020 Maddox benched in the gym, sharing it in a post on Instagram. In January 2021, Maddox Benched in the gym, unofficially breaking his own world record by . In May 2021, Maddox benched 795lbs during a training session. [8] His previous best lift in the gym was, done in January 2020.
Maddox also holds multiple unofficial repetition World Records on the bench press, including for 3 reps,[9] and for 7 reps.[10]
On May 10, 2021, Maddox pressed 796lbs (361kg) in his gym, which is 14lbs above the current world record.[11]
Maddox was born and raised in Owensboro, KY, where he still lives with his wife Heaven and their four children. In high school, Maddox was recruited for football by several top Division-1 programs, but faced troubles with drug addiction, depression, and jail time. Because of this, Maddox eventually faced a choice between two 5-year prison sentences or entering a recovery program. Maddox entered the recovery program, where he found a set of weights and began his powerlifting journey.[12]
Maddox had been lifting for around seven years at the time he set the world bench press record. Maddox credits lifting weights in helping him overcome his addictions and problems.[13]
Maddox has stated that one of his personal inspirations is C.T. Fletcher. His progressive goal is to bench press 800lbs. (363 kg)