ELIZABETH, Pa. -- A local powerlifter has set a world record for bench pressing over 770 pounds.
Jamie Harris (pictured, left) of Elizabeth benched 771.75 pounds Saturday at Mountaineer Park in West Virginia.
The previous record was 770 pounds. Harris had set a previous record in 1995 of 740 pounds.
Harris said that there's more to competitive powerlifting than just pumping iron. Technique is everything.
"A legitimate competition bench press, your buttocks has to stay on the bench, there's no arching or jerking up and down," Harris said. "Your feet have to stay flat on the ground. And when you bring the bar up to your chest, you have to actually pause the bar to your chest until the referee gives the signal to press it.
The 5-foot-11, 370-pound Harris will try to become the first person to ever bench press more than 800 pounds on July 7.
"After my performance Saturday night, I really believe I can bench 805," he said. "We'll have to see. God-willing, if everything goes the way I expect it to, it'll be there."
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