Shear'Ree is a

powerlifter Powerlifting is a competitive strength sport that consists of three attempts at maximal weight on three lifts: squat, bench press, and deadlift. As in the sport of Olympic weightlifting, it involves the athlete attempting a maximal weight singl ...

from California who is reported by some, on November 15, 1982, as the first man to

bench press The bench press or chest press is a weight training exercise where a person presses a weight upwards while lying horizontally on a weight training bench. The bench press is a Compound movements, compound movement, with the primary muscles involved ...

700 pounds raw (without the usage of any aids).

Background

Even-though James Henderson is credited as the first man to officially bench press 700 pounds raw in 1996 if the sources are correct, this makes Shear'Ree to have achieved this feat 14 years prior. His bench press of 700.9 pounds without the use of specialized equipment, such as lifting suits or

bench shirt A bench shirt is a stiff supportive shirt, used to improve performance in the bench press, most often in powerlifting competitions. Bench shirts are usually made of polyester, denim, or canvas Canvas is an extremely durable Plain weave, p ...

s, is said to have been the first successful attempt of its kind and has been recognized by some as a significant milestone in the sport of

powerlifting Powerlifting is a competitive strength athletics, strength sport that consists of three attempts at maximal weight on three lifts: Squat (exercise), squat, bench press, and deadlift. As in the sport of Olympic weightlifting, it involves the athle ...

nonetheless. Shear’Ree trained extensively for several years leading up to the Venice Open, where he benched a personal best of 474 lbs while equipped. He prepared by gradually increasing the weight he lifted. with the help of his spotter, Ed McGlasson. Following his achievement, Shear’Ree became a coach and mentor to many aspiring powerlifters, including McGlasson. As a coach, Shear’Ree trained and mentored the first female firefighters in California who passed the

Los Angeles City Fire Department The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD or LA City Fire) provides firefighting services and technical rescue services, hazardous materials services, and emergency medical services to the residents of the city of Los Angeles, California, United ...

physical aptitude test. He also used his achievement to support various humanitarian causes, including restoring vandalized headstones at Mt. Carmel Cemetery and raising money for victims of the

San Ysidro McDonald's massacre The San Ysidro McDonald's massacre was a mass murder, which occurred at a McDonald's restaurant in the San Ysidro neighborhood of San Diego, California, on July 18, 1984. The perpetrator, 41-year-old James Huberty, fatally shot 22 people, incl ...

by hosting a Lift-A-Thon. Shear’Ree started his own outreach program called Program Shear’Ree and spoke to schools and troubled youths in gangs. In addition to his achievements in powerlifting and coaching, Shear’Ree had a career in politics. He ran for President in the 1996 election and is registered as a candidate for the 2024 elections. Shear’Ree also founded Shear’Ree Motorsports and created the Shear’Ree Edition Muscle Truck heavy Chevy, of which only 800 were made. He was interviewed after

lane splitting Lane splitting is riding a bicycle or motorcycle between lanes or rows of slow moving or stopped traffic moving in the same direction. It is sometimes called whitelining, or stripe-riding. This allows riders to save time, bypassing traffic cong ...

became legal for motorbike riders in California and worked with the Highway Patrol to test the safety and functionality of the maneuver.

Presidential campaigns

Shear'Ree briefly ran for

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

in 1996 as a Republican. He is currently registered as a candidate for the

2024 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 5, 2024. The Republican Party (United States), Republican Party's Ticket (election), ticket—Donald Trump, who was the 45th president of ...

as an Independent under the name Shear'Ree Shear'Ree.

References

World record holders 1982 births American powerlifters Living people {{US-bodybuilding-bio-stub