Jimmy Kolb Breaks All-Time World Record with 635.4-Kilogram (1,401-Pound) Bench Press — Heaviest Lift in Powerlifting History

Kolb's bench press is the heaviest lift in powerlifting history.

Written by Robert Zeglinski Last updated on Aug 1, 2023

On July 29, 2023, powerlifter Jimmy Kolb recorded a 635.4-kilogram (1,401-pound) equipped bench press during the 2023 International Powerlifting Association (IPA) Tri-Star Bash in Elizabethton, Tennessee. The lift is not only an all-time equipped World Record — surpassing the athlete’s own previous mark of 612.5 kilograms (1,350.3 pounds) from the 2023 IPA Hillbilly Havoc — it is officially the heaviest single lift in powerlifting history. Kolb is the first-ever athlete to break the 1,400-pound barrier on a single lift and was also the first to break the 1,200-pound and 1,300-pound barriers.