December 7, 2025, 9:02 pm | Read time: 4 minutes
In bench pressing, upper body strength is paramount. Technique and discipline are also crucial. Colter Rammell seems to have plenty of both. The 15-year-old from Idaho set a new world record in his age group this October.
This is how much weight Colter Rammell pressed
The teenager competed in the “Equipped” bench press and lifted a total of 90 kilograms on his second attempt. This set a new global record in the “Single-Ply Bench” category for his age group.
To explain: In this type of bench pressing, special equipment is allowed to enhance performance. Colter Rammell wore a compression shirt, a tight and supportive garment that compresses the arms and allows for an extremely fast rebound from the lower lift position. This typically enables lifting significantly more weight.
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World record with little preparation
Colter Rammell set the world record in South Africa. As the youngest member of the U.S. team, he competed alongside 14 other powerlifters at the World Powerlifting Championships in Durban. He also attempted squats and deadlifts, but only in bench pressing did a new record seem realistic.
“We looked at the record book and there was a boy from England years ago who was a real ace. He set pretty much every weightlifting record there was. But we looked at it and found there was a weight he somehow didn’t manage,” his father told the Salt Lake City, Utah-based newspaper “KLS.com.” “We saw it was doable.”
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Muscle teen breaks another record
By the way, the athlete also competed in the “Raw” category, where aids are prohibited. This means athletes must rely solely on their pure strength and technique without any support.
And indeed, Colter Rammell also broke his own national record here. He lifted 100 kilograms! An incredible number, considering he weighs only 66.4 kilograms.
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What Colter Rammell says
Even though the teenager, who has also participated in several bodybuilding competitions, is still at the beginning of his career, his path seems set to continue. “I enjoyed it. There were a lot of people there. There were participants from South Africa, Great Britain, Russia, Australia, and Germany,” he said after the contest. “These are the strongest people in their countries and around the world. They are the strongest of the strong. It was a bit intimidating,” he admitted.
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Prefer calisthenics over football
It’s no coincidence that Colter Rammell is already pressing 90 and 100 kilograms at such a young age. After all, he started training several days a week with his father in the gym back in eighth grade.
He explains: “I didn’t particularly like football, but I had to do something. So I started with calisthenics to get stronger, just push-ups and squats.” And he kept getting better and better. “I got so strong that I was told to start powerlifting.”
And that’s exactly what Colter Rammell did in South Africa–with impressive success. “It’s pretty cool to watch him and see him make progress and achieve these big milestones and successes,” his father emphasized in conclusion.
These are the current world records in bench pressing
Colter Rammell still has quite a few kilos to go before reaching the world records in all age groups in the two bench pressing disciplines.
In the “Equipped” variant, with a shirt, American Jimmy Kolb pressed an incredible 635.5 kilograms in July 2023. And in “Raw” bench pressing, without aids, Julius Maddox is the current number one. He managed to lift an astounding 355 kilograms in February 2021.
And anyone who has ever tried 100 kilograms can imagine how much muscle power is needed. It will be interesting to see if Colter Rammell will one day break these records as well.