Julius Maddox: Believe in the impossible.
«If you want to get to the next level in life, you have to force yourself to be great.»
Anthropometry:
Height 191 cm;
Weight 205 kg;
Age 35.
A unique American athlete, world record holder in the bench press Julius Maddox was born on May 13, 1987 in Owensboro, Kentucky. He is married and has four children.
The kid was big from childhood. At school he played American soccer and dreamed of becoming the best. It seemed that soon his dream would come true: he became the star of his school, the local newspaper printed articles about him. In high school, he was recruited by several top Division-1 soccer programs. But, he ran into serious problems: he started using drugs and ended up in jail.
«Because of drug addiction, depression and incarceration, I hit rock bottom.»
Maddox eventually faced a choice between jail time or inclusion in a rehabilitation program. By this time, he was already a husband and father. After spending only four months in prison, Maddox realized that his fall was first and foremost a terrible blow to his children. The guy entered a drug rehabilitation program. That’s where he started powerlifting.
«During this time, I discovered two things that changed my life forever: my relationship with Christ and a dirty basement floor with old weights. Using my faith as strength and guidance, I started powerlifting»
And while doing bench presses started out as a way to replace an addiction, very quickly it turned into something much more than that.
«Growing up in Kentucky, I never knew that powerlifting would be my chosen path, and my journey has not been easy»
It turned out that Maddox was made for the sport. In no time at all, he was able to achieve unprecedented heights in the bench press. After several years of training, he was able to lift a barbell weighing 300 kilograms. And, in order to squeeze 350 kilograms, Julius needed 7 years of training.
«If you pay attention to the small things, the big results are bound to come.»
On August 31, 2019, Julius Maddox shook 335.5 kg at Boss of Bosses VI, surpassing Kirill Sarychev’s record of 335.0 kg.
On November 17, 2019, Maddox squeezed 337.5 kg at the Rob Hall Classic, breaking his own world record.
In February 2020, Maddox shook 347 kg in training, which he shared on his Instagram.
In March 2020, Maddox set a world record in the 350 kg bench press at the Arnold Sports Classic, breaking his own previous world record.
On February 22, 2021 at Hybrid Show Down III, Julius broke another world record with a 355 kg bench press.
On September 6, 2021, he tried to bench press 362 kg. It didn’t work.
On May 10, 2022, Maddox shook 361 kg in his gym.
Maddox also holds several unofficial world records for reps in the bench press: 320 kg in 3 reps and 290 kg in 7 reps.
Julius Maddox is the strongest bench presser in the world today.
«In terms of my plan, I can still add to it.»
In his interviews, Julius Maddox reveals the secrets that help him set records:
- The most important thing is adequate sleep
- Work on technique
- Stick to a training program
- Adequate balanced nutrition
- Use of sports supplements
- Regular massage
- Take your time! Rushing leads to injuries.
- Avoid distractions as much as possible
«External motivation helps, but for true success it must come from within. You must ask yourself every day: «How badly do I want this?» No one is going to make you eat, go to the gym and plow through it. Only you! You yourself must be willing to do whatever it takes to achieve your goal. Be persistent and don’t stop even if you fail»
