Owensboro’s Julius Maddox is set to break the world record for raw bench press this weekend in Corpus Christi, Texas. He will be competing against upwards of 100 participants at The Battle of the Bay for a chance to build upon his already impressive resume.
Maddox is presently ranked number one in the world for raw bench press and feels confident that he can bring the world record back to Owensboro. The current record is 738.2 pounds and is owned by Russian powerlifter, Kirll Sarychev.
Only five people in history have bench pressed over 700 pounds and Owensboro is home to one of them. Maddox’s current personal record stands at 716.5 pounds, but he is attempting 740 pounds this weekend. He is confident that his training regimen has him adequately prepared for the task.
His training regimen consists of 2- to 3-hour intense training sessions four or five days per week. In addition to this, he maintains a high protein diet and consumes up to two gallons of water per day.
“The atmosphere is crazy [at competitions], there are a lot of people pushing you,” Maddox said. “It’s electric, there’s not a word that could describe the feeling.”
Weightlifting was initially a means of managing stress for Maddox who at the age of 25 was struggling with recovery from drugs. Maddox relied heavily on the organization, Friends of Sinners, where he is presently employed, to assist him in turning his life around.
Breaking this record would be the peak of Maddox’s bench pressing career, but he has no intention of slowing down. He looks forward to celebrating this feat with the entire community.
“It’s a huge goal that I’ve set for myself,” Maddox said. “For years I’ve struggled with my identity and who I was, and at one point I found my identity in Christ. This is a new life for me, and with it, came several goals.”
Maddox hopes to continue to use weightlifting as a platform to share the Gospel and his story of redemption.
“It’s my goal to encourage kids to have a healthy lifestyle and to make decisions that will lead to them to success,” Maddox said.
While his relationship with Christ, his strong work ethic and his relationships in the community have led directly to his success, there is one more person he did not want to exclude.
“At the end of the day this is a huge blessing and it allows me to pay my mom back for all that she has done for me,” Maddox said. “I’m very grateful for her.”
