Larry Wheels Bench Presses 585 Pounds for 4 Reps, Hits New PR

You’ll be hardpressed to find a more versatile strength athlete than Larry Wiliams, aka Larry Wheels. He’s dominated powerlifting at the top level, has trained in strongman, won a bodybuilding show, and even tried his hand at arm wrestling. And yet, despite his proclivity for multiple sports, Wheels is still best known for his consistent stream of nutty in-gym PRs. (After all, the man’s clothing line is called Team Personal Record).


And he’s not slowing down. On Nov. 11, 2021, Williams posted an Instagram video of himself bench pressing 585 pounds for four reps. According to the caption, it was yet another personal record for the founder of the PR brand. The video clip can be seen below.




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Williams was wearing wrist wraps and elbow wrap, but he didn’t have a lifting belt on. The reps were performed in a “touch and go” fashion, meaning Williams didn’t pause the bar on his chest before pressing. He maintained control of the weight from start to finish, so momentum didn’t appear to play a part in his new PR.


This feat of strength came less than a month after Williams posted a video of himself shoulder pressing 140-pound dumbbells for 17 reps with pro bodybuilder Regan Grimes. Even though Williams hasn’t competed in powerlifting since March of 2020, he demonstrates that he can press very heavy weight.


The last time Williams competed in powerlifting was at the 2020 Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio. At that meet, he bench-pressed 292.5 kilograms (645 pounds) successfully while competing in the 140-kilogram class at a weight of 128.3 kilograms (283 pounds). He also squatted 394.5 kilograms (870 pounds) and deadlifted 387.7 kilograms (855 pounds) for a total of 1,074 kilograms (2,370 pounds). He finished earned first place in his weight class. Both Williams’ bench press and total from this meet are current world records in the 140-kilogram weight class.




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Williams is no stranger to incredible feats of strength on the bench. In October of 2018, he pressed 605 pounds for a triple. In September of that same year, he repped out 225 pounds for a set of 70 reps. AS for Williams’ heaviest bench ever? That would be a 650-pound press, done in the gym, in 2020. He’s also loaded up the bar with 700 pounds and took it for a spin with no success.


Williams has yet to announce intentions of competing again as of this writing.


Featured Image: @larrywheels on Instagram




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