yup and the official world record holder in the squat, deadlift and total! The guy's amazeing!
And i agree with the DL being the best indicator of overall strength..
That is the proper form, arch, tuck and pull.. A flat back takes away from the pecks and transfer's too much to the delts hence why so many complain about shoulder injuries, it's not due to haveing lifted too much weight it's due to poor form.
What they really should be asking is whatcha DL or Squat. A bench isn't really a good indicator of raw strength but it is the first question everyone asks.
Yup, the same is true in BB comp.'s, the judgeing in the last few years have become so fixated on massive that esthetics has been thrown out the window.
I'd have to go with Scot Mendelson's raw 715. He was the first Man to Bench over 800 pounds and has also benched 1008 pounds shirted... Though Ryan Kennelly's 1075 shirted is an insane lift to say the least.
Yes a topic of "interestedness" for me.:)