Mike Joseph (born 23 July 1971), known as Bench Press King, is a Bench press Powerlifter and 10 times British, European and World

Bench Press The bench press, or chest press, is a weight training exercise in which the trainee presses a weight upwards while lying on a weight training bench. Although the bench press is a full-body exercise, the muscles primarily used are the pectorali ...

Champion and holder of four World Records as well as holding a record in the

Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

for a 24-hour endurance bench press record.

Early life

Joseph was born in Essex in the United Kingdom.

Career

Joseph started competing in powerlifting at the age of 29 and broke the British Record in his first competition. That year he represented England in the World Championships and won his first World Title. He is a member of the British Drug Free Powerlifting Federation (BDFPA), an affiliate of the World Drug Free Powerlifting Federation, which follows International Olympic Committee and World Anti Doping Association rules, including vigorous drug testing. In December 2009, Mike appeared on his own show on Sky TV, "The Bench Press King", on the

Active Channel Active Channel was a technology introduced by Internet Explorer 4.0 in 1997. It allowed synchronizing website content and viewing it offline. It made use of the Channel Definition Format, which was designed to "offer frequently updated collecti ...

. Joseph claimed nine World Titles before incurring a rotator cuff tear in his shoulder in 2010, which ended required surgery. After a period of rehabilitation and physiotherapy he returned to powerlifting in February 2012, representing Team Great Britain, lifting in the British Championships and breaking the World Record which had stood since 1994. In June 2012, Joseph represented Team Great Britain and won his tenth World Title the World Championships in Autun, France.

Personal records

* World Powerlifting Record @ 82.5 kg * World Bench Press Records @ 82.5 kg * World Bench Press Records @ 75 kg * 24 Hour Bench Press Endurance Record (

Guinness Book of Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

)."Heaviest weight lifted in 24 hour bench press by a team of nine."
''Guinness World Records''.

References

External links

*The Active Channel. "Bench Press King DVD," ''http://www.theactivechannel.com/player/bench-press-king ''.
"British Drug Free Powerlifting Association"
*Stans Gym. "Bench Press King," ''http://www.stansgym.com/mikejoseph.html ''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Joseph, Mike British powerlifters 1971 births Living people