Richard Schoenberger born 13 november 1965 – Died 20 July 2023
Richard Schoenberger was One Massive Chest. When your chest is wider than your waist and your chest circumference is greater than your height, then you are Richard Schoenberger.
You may have heard of C.T. Fletcher. You may even have seen the famous 1990s video where he trains and benches five reps with 225 kg / 496 lbs. Perhaps you also noticed the incredibly large-chested man standing behind him, hyping him up before the set. A man with a chest circumference approaching 190 cm / 75 inches. That man is Richard Schoenberger.
The Man Behind the Motivation
In C.T. Fletcher’s training clip, Richard can be heard motivating him at 4 minutes and 22 seconds into the video:
“Let’s go big man, come on now. Have some fun, let’s go. Come on big man. Throw it around. Come on, just another stepping stone. Come on now. Let’s go T. Come on big man. Just throw it around. You got this. You got this. Come on, what are you gonna do? There you go. There you go. You got it. Come on T. Come on T. Blow it away, let’s go. Come on.” That man is Richard Schoenberger, and when it comes to pressing strength, C.T. Fletcher was never close to him.
A Raw Bench Press Specialist
Richard Schoenberger was a man who, during the 1990s, dedicated himself to competing in classic (raw) bench press. The 1990s and early 2000s were not kind decades for classic lifting. Equipment had become fully established in all lifts, and whether you lifted raw or equipped was rarely discussed. All that mattered was who lifted the most weight. Richard did not care much about bench shirts or what others thought. He lifted for himself, and his goal was simple: to bench press as much weight as possible without a bench shirt and without doping.
He competed for the first time in 1991, where he also met C.T. Fletcher. The two would go on to become long-time training partners. At that competition, Richard benched 235.8 kg / 520 lbs in the super heavyweight class and won. C.T. Fletcher lifted the same weight in the -125 kg class, which he also won. After that meet, they teamed up and trained together regularly. Schoenberger has stated that he was lifetime drug-free and competed in tested federations without ever failing a test.
From Skinny Teenager to Colossus
Richard did not always look the way he did in his prime. In his early teens, he weighed no more than 75 kg / 165 lbs, which may not sound extremely light, but for a man who would later weigh 165 kg / 364 lbs before the age of 30, it was modest. He began strength training as a sophomore in high school, driven by a desire to become big and strong, and he fully committed to eating and training accordingly. Over the next six consecutive years, he gained roughly 14 kg / 30 lbs per year. His bench press progressed rapidly, increasing by about 14 kg / 30 lbs per year, and as a teenager he was already bench pressing over 200 kg / 441 lbs, including an impressive 193 kg / 425 lbs at just 16 years old, a rate of progress that clearly demonstrated his exceptional potential early on.
During his junior year of high school, Richard injured his knee while weighing around 134 kg / 295 lbs. Despite being encouraged by several people to use steroids to recover faster, he refused, developed a strong aversion to them, and was determined to come back stronger and better without their use. That decision paid off. He earned a scholarship to play college football, achieved straight As academically, and was named Student of the Year upon graduation. After finishing school, he entered his first competition while working at Rockwell International on the Space Shuttle program, which was run out of a recreation center. He won in dominant fashion, and from that moment on, he was hooked on competing. To put his early strength into perspective, his training partner C.T. Fletcher benched 184 kg / 405 lbs at 18 years old.
Breaking 600 Pounds Raw
In 1994, at the age of 28, Richard competed in a USPF powerlifting meet, which at the time was the United States’ IPF-affiliated, fully tested federation. This was an equipped competition, as there was no raw alternative available. To register a total, Richard squatted 62.5 kg / 138 lbs and deadlifted 62.5 kg / 138 lbs. In the bench press, however, he did something extraordinary. He broke the 600 lb barrier, pressing 606 lbs / 275 kg. It was the heaviest bench press of the entire competition, and it was done without a bench shirt.
The Rise of Raw Lifting in AAU
During the early 1990s, bench press shirts took over completely, leaving no competitive platform for raw bench pressers. The AAU stepped in and introduced classic lifting as an option. The AAU was not a pure powerlifting federation, but a broader sports organization that included lifting as one of its disciplines. By the mid-1980s, lifting within the AAU had nearly disappeared, but during the 1990s, classic lifting revived the organization.
This provided Richard with exactly what he wanted: a place to bench press to demonstrate pure strength, not skill in handling equipment. The AAU also emphasized drug-tested lifting, which was notable at a time when many federations openly chose not to test.
277.5 kg at 165 kg Bodyweight
The AAU hosted many championships with impressive titles, large trophies, and numerous weight classes. Participation was often limited, but the performances were no less remarkable. At the 1996 AAU North American Bench Press Championships, Richard weighed in at 165.1 kg / 364 lbs and bench pressed 277.5 kg / 611 lbs. The bar exploded off his chest, with a slightly heavy lockout, and the lift was completed with ease.
What made the lift even more impressive was his grip. Richard benched with a relatively narrow grip, not index finger on the smooth, but hands positioned between the rings and the smooth. This was not unique to that lift, it was simply how he benched.
A Young Josh Bryant Appears
At the same competition where Richard pressed 277.5 kg, a young lifter named Josh Bryant made his debut. Today, Josh Bryant is best known as a coach and is currently Julius Maddox’s trainer. Josh competed in the -90 kg class at just 15 years old, bench pressing 140 kg / 309 lbs raw. At the age of 22, he would go on to bench 272.5 kg / 600 lbs raw.
Later Career and Legendary Training Lifts
Richard continued competing throughout the 1990s and into the early 2000s, frequently pressing between 240 and 260 kg in competition. He has stated that he once pressed 625 lbs / 283.5 kg, though it is unclear whether this occurred in competition or training. Given his verified 277.5 kg lift, it would not be unreasonable to believe. He also benched 615 lbs / 279 kg during a filmed training session for Video Power Magazine in the 1990s.
When Floor Press Didn’t Work
On one occasion, Richard attempted the floor press. In this exercise, the lifter lies on the floor, and the elbows or upper arms contact the ground before the bar reaches the chest. For Richard, however, this did not happen. The bar did not stop because his elbows hit the floor. It stopped because the bar hit his chest.
Keep in mind that Richard neither used nor could use a significant arch, and he benched with a narrow grip. To understand the size of his chest, grip the bar roughly at shoulder width, lie relatively flat on the floor, and observe where the movement stops. That distance, and more, was the depth of Richard Schoenberger’s chest.
Richard’s Best Competition Lift
+125 kg / +275 lbs class
Bench Press: 277.5 kg / 611 lbs Classic (Raw)
