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Over the years I have witnessed some incredible events in the Iron Game. I've seen John Grimek pull trains with his bare hands. Paul Anderson squat over 1000 Pounds. Schwartzenegger win the Mr. Olympia seven times and Lee Haney topple that feat with eight. But on June 17, 1995 I saw the greatest event of them all. On that day, a little man, by the name of Chris Confessore, who barely stands at a height of 5'4" tall and weighed just 236 pounds came out of nowhere and bench pressed 741 pounds! By doing so he not only recorded the heaviest triple bodyweight bench press of all time, but he also broke legendary Super Heavyweight Anthony Clark's 738 pound bench press record. In all fairness to Anthony, it should be noted that he bench pressed 750 pounds at a recent meet. However, Anthony Clark also weighs more than 100 lbs more than Chris Confessore. Chris has held world records in five different weight classes. In addition to holding the greatest pound for pound bench press title of all time, Chris also has possession of the second greatest pound for pound heaviest bench press, when in 1993 he bench pressed 662 pounds at a 217 pound bodyweight. In 1994 Chris gained an additional 20 lbs. and broke World Champion Ken Lain's World Record in the 242 lb. weight class by easily bench pressing 685 lbs. Now with Chris' 741 pound bench press one has to question whether anyone in the 242 pound weight class will ever be able to break his record. The next best lift in that division is almost 100 pounds less! Chris confessore is the greatest bench presser of all time, but can he dead lift or squat? Although he admits he doesn't squat or dead lift as tenaciously as he used to, he still squatted 810 lbs at the Nationals and dead lifted over 700 lbs. at a 215 pound bodyweight. What makes Chris an unlikely candidate for his accomplishments is that unlike the big genetic specimens of his sport like Anthony Clark and Ken Lain, Chris is not very big in either height or bone structure. Looking back at the scrawny pictures of his 130 lb. body at the beginning of his career, you would agree that he really had very little promise at all. Some people assume that because of Chris' short stature, he has very short arms which give him an advantage in not having to push the bar very far when bench pressing. Not true! Relative to his height Chris has very long arms. In fact he takes a 33 inch sleeve. Despite his anatomical disadvantages, Chris throughout his career has virtually broken a world record every time he has entered a meet. And while legends like Anthony Clark do it with double plus bodyweight bench presses, Chris does it with triple plus bodyweight lifts! Top Iron Curtain Labs Interview ICL: Chris what is your secret? Chris: The GH1000 Professional Strength Building System. ICL: How is this system different than what is currently available on the market? Chris: GH1000 is a two part system. It is comprised of a powerful anabolic formula that works in conjunction with a carefully designed weight training system that has yielded consistent gains for me since I started using it years ago. ICL: How does it work? Chris: I take the formula in the mornings with breakfast and again in the evening with supper before working out. My workouts are broken down into two phases which consist of a twelve week heavy cycle which builds explosive power and an intense six week light cycle that is designed to induce deep muscular hypertrophy. What most strength athletes out there don't realize is that high repetitions are very important for developing red muscle fibers and inducing deep muscular hypertrophy which is responsible for increased muscle size. If you don't blow your muscles out and force them to get bigger, your explosive power will inevitably suffer. If you look at my physique you will see that relative to my bone size my muscles are very large, that is because of the high repetition sets that I have utilized over the years with the routines that Iron Curtain Labs has developed for me. ICL: High repetitions for thick mass? Chris: Absolutely! But you have to remember the way the ICL training principle is employed. First you spend 12 weeks working only on developing explosive power, then you utilize that power to handle heavier weights in the 6 week light cycle that follows. The whole point here is that although I am using higher reps, this system is enabling me to handle them with very heavy weight! Using very heavy weight for high reps during that six week period forces you to intensely work your red muscle fibers and induce deep muscular hypertrophy which forces your muscles to get bigger. These bigger muscles are now capable of handling even greater weights when you embark on the following heavy cycle. GH1000 is a continuous progressive system that has enabled me to get consistently stronger over the years without let up. ICL: Would you recommend this system for a bodybuilder? Chris: Bodybuilders are no different from powerlifters, except competitive bodybuilders need to pay special attention to detail and diet before contest time. But basically a bodybuilder like a powerlifter needs to handle heavier weights throughout the year so that he or she can pack on as much muscle as possible. ICL: What are your goals at present? Chris: My goal is to break the mythical 800 pound barrier this spring with the special bench routine and supplementation that Iron Curtain Labs has developed for me. ICL: Do you think you'll do it? Chris: At press time I'm benching 770 pounds at a 228 body weight. By the time spring rolls around I should be able to push 800 plus pounds. ICL: Now that you are a major name whose reputation and following is surely rising, there will be a lot of fans and well wishers rooting for your next record-breaking lift. We hope to be there covering the story when it breaks. Good luck, Chris, and thanks for talking with us. (At Press time Chris has bench pressed more than 770 pounds at a mere 228 pound bodyweight. Chris believes that the way his training program is going for him, he will easily bench 800 plus pounds by the time the Iron Curtain Labs Classic arrives in February of 2000.) TopTitles Multiple World Record Holder
Chris Confessore is a columnist with Muscle Mag International Magazine. |
16+ Bench Press World Records.