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The standard weightlifter discussed his journey to achieve the 800-pound mythical goal and shared training techniques.

If you want to learn how to shoot, you need to get skills from Michael Jordan or LeBron James. If you want to be stronger—especially, if you want to strengthen your bench press—the person to ask is Julius Maddox.

Since 2019, the Kentucky native has set many world records on the original bench press (which means he did not use auxiliary equipment such as bench press). His current record is 782 pounds, and he is preparing for his third attempt to be the first person to bench press 800 pounds. Although others may think that this will never happen, in his opinion, there is no doubt that he will do it.

"If you believe it wholeheartedly, you must continue to fight for everything you love," Maddox said.

He also obeyed this spell. The 6-foot-3 and 440-pound champion has come a long way from his recovery period to becoming one of the most recognized people in the field of strength sports. Men's Health and Maddox talked about some of the keys to success in record-setting, both personally and on the world stage.

For clarity, this interview has been compressed and edited.

sleep. I must get enough sleep, ranging from seven and a half hours to nine hours a night. I also rarely take naps. One of the disadvantages is that I am always on the go. However, I definitely have to get enough rest. That's probably the case for me.

The main thing I want to say is don’t just focus on...weight, because I should have technology. When it comes to becoming stronger, technology is everything. Many times, technique is the cause of misses by weightlifters.

I would also like to say not to program. Stick to your daily life. When you have a coach or a specific plan you are using, make sure to stick to that plan.

When you start training, what obstacles do you have to deal with? How did you overcome them?

For me, when I first started training, I was recovering. So I can't come and go as I want. I also had to use old equipment, it's not even a commercial gym. It was an older bench, an older barbell, an older weight, and I was very limited in what I could do. In the end, I made full use of it and performed as many sets and repetitions as possible. That is one.

The other is later. I have to strike a balance between training and two jobs. What I will do is get up at six in the morning to do my first job. I got off the car at about 2:30, which gave me an hour and a half to exercise. Then I will go to my second job. If that doesn't work, then I will train after the second job, around 12 am I will train, go to bed, get up at six, and do it again.

I have to say my coach Josh Bryant. Here's the thing: when I started training, not many people knew about bench press, especially in terms of technique. Even today, it is difficult to find someone who can provide appropriate technical assistance. I will ask people, either they don't know, or they have some bad settings. Of course, I watched CT Fletcher, Leroy Walker, and all these people, but it was for motivation. As far as I can follow and join them, it must be Josh. Even so, it is only online for a long time. Before people know who I am, no one wants to give me a day. In a sense, this actually gave me a vendetta, because no one wants to help me progress or teach me.

As we are saying now, I am not focusing on specific meal plans. I do emphasize avoiding sugary drinks, I stay away from fried foods, and obvious things like that. At this stage, I know what my body needs and what it can tolerate. The most important thing for most people is to eat before exercise and make sure to have enough protein. Of course I will. I weigh approximately 1.1 grams per pound.

When a big attempt is coming, I need to consume calories. I still stay away from what I said before, but now I am increasing carbohydrates and becoming fuller. I want to make sure that I am building and maintaining my quality.

Of course it is protein, glucosamine for joints, you always need to take multivitamins and do pre-workout exercises. I like MHP's Hyper Crush, but these are the four main ones. This really doesn't have to be complicated.

I think you must perform a deep tissue massage. A deep tissue massage is probably the best thing you can do for yourself, whether you train or not. I receive it once a week. Yes, this is an additional expense, but in order to be at your best and perform at the highest possible level, you have to do what you have to do to gain an advantage.

This is crucial. You just need to consider what you value more. If you want to make progress in a sport, and you have no family, no children, and you just work and save money, then when it comes to a competitive sport, most of the money will be spent on the sport.​​ If you are training for yourself, you just need to figure out what your priorities are. It's hard to balance going to a bar and spending a few hundred dollars on weekends and spending a few hundred dollars on things like supplements or massages. Everyone just needs to weigh it.

I like to wear clothes that I feel comfortable. Shoes must be comfortable, not necessarily beautiful, but I like to match them. If what I am wearing does not match, I will find it very strange. Determine whether comfort or your appearance is more important, and choose the method that will help you.

We live in the microwave age, and people want to shorten the process.

Now, if you’re talking about someone trying to take it where I have it, I’m almost a walking billboard. I will not endorse a brand I don’t like, but it must also be mutual. There are some exceptions, such as the jumpsuit I wear when attending meetings. The reason I wear Adidas is because they are comfortable. For me, everything is for comfort. If you feel comfortable, if you feel and look great, then you will play great.

For me, everything is focused on helping me sit on the bench. At the end of the day, about 70% of my training is auxiliary training and 30% is main training, which means squats, deadlifts, and bench presses. I also train those. However, accessories are very important to me. Many people think that weightlifting is a lazy sport, but for me and the people around me-we are working horses. There is a system behind everything we do. We put every variation of every exercise into our plan for a reason. We didn't just randomly place things there because the gym brothers did this. Everything should have a purpose to help you achieve your goals.

self. We live in the microwave age, and people want to shorten the process. Getting stronger is not a process you want to rush. This is common. When you take shortcuts, you will be desperate. The result may be injury, burnout, many things, but the main thing it does is to cause harm. Another problem is that they do not have a routine to follow. This is another problem that can cause big errors.

It was in Chicago in the summer of 2019. It was me, Josh Bryant, Ed Cohen, and some other friends sitting at a table. Someone asked me if I thought about trying the 800-pound bench press. My initial thought was "I have to reach the world record first." After getting the world record, my first thought was "Well, we are on the way to 800".

I try my best to limit interference. Of course, there are many distractions in life, but I am getting better and better. About what I do is that everyone has a suggestion or offer for me to try it in their activities or gym. I find it not worth the risk when I am not ready. You can't worry about things like this. So when I make some settings, I lock myself in.

The first, as I said to myself, is to remove as much interference as possible. If something or someone does not add value to your life, then you need to reassess the situation. It limits your mental abilities and cannot go all out. After all, when it comes to motivation, it must be something you value highly.

You must be willing to get there at all costs. People can't let you eat, go to the gym, do work. You must find it within yourself. If the person reading this article is thinking about motivation, then external motivation is helpful, but it must come from within to succeed. You just need to ask yourself every day, "How much do I want it?"

This is a difficult question to answer. I just resubmitted and started again. I think the most important thing for everyone is to put one foot in front of the other. If you do this, you will slowly ignite the fire. It must be difficult. Even a month is worth it.

There is no specific person right now, but I always share suggestions when asked, of course. Some people have been with me since the first day. One is a handicapped weightlifter. He was paralyzed from the waist down. I am working with him to return to his competitive level. In addition, I will definitely do my best to reply to messages and answer questions.

This is a tricky question because I think I know some people lose a pound or two every week and they also get stronger. However, this is difficult to do. Your meal plan must be dialed in, and few people can dial it in this precise way so that they can do it. It is very rare to be able to do this. Some of them indeed depend on genetics. I train my main weightlifting like a weightlifter, but I do my auxiliary training like a bodybuilder. So it is basically power construction.

Don't let others limit what you love in life.

If it is powerlifting, the person should have experience working with advanced weightlifters. Regardless of that sport or other sport, please check their records. See who they have worked with. this is very important. When things start to get complicated, the coach shouldn’t avoid problems or frighten you. Choose an experienced and reputable person, and take the time to find out who that coach is. If you plan to give him or her your money, time and energy, you want to know that they will give you the best return, your hard-earned money.

That is your goal and passion. Strengthen yourself as much as possible. Don't let others limit what you love in life.