Big James Henderson

Infobox_Person
name = Big James Henderson
residence = Miami, Florida
imagesize = 325px
birth_date = birth date and age|1965|04|09
birth_place = Roxbury, Massachusetts, United States of America
occupation = Powerlifter, Preacher, Motivational speaker
spouse = Shelia Henderson
website = http://www.bigjameshenderson.com/
height = height|ft=6|in=5
weight = lb to kg|372

James Gregory Henderson (born April 9 1965 in Roxbury, Massachusetts) is a former American powerlifter most famous for being the first person to bench press over 700 lbs.cite book|title=The Guinness Book of World Records 1999|editor=Guinness World Records Editors, Mark C. Young|publisher=Bantam Books|date=1999|isbn=0553580752|oclc=41382761]

One circumstance that made Big James Henderson's career so remarkable is he never used a bench shirt for any of his lifts. Another noteworthy fact is Henderson’s lifts were executed in the International Powerlifting Federation which has one of the strictest drug testing policies of all powerlifting organizations. Because of this, the IPF is the only powerlifting organization recognized by the International Olympic Committee. During his career Henderson never tested positive for any performance enhancing substances.

World Titles

Henderson holds the record for the most consecutive (five) IPF bench press world titles since its inception. He won these titles in:
*1994 Jarvenpaa, Finland
*1995 Prague, Czech Republic
*1996 Amsterdam, The Netherlands
*1997 Hamburg, Germany
*1998 Edmonton, Canada

Heaviest lift

Henderson is the current world record holder for raw bench press without the aid of performance enhancing substances or equipment. Big James Henderson’s record setting lift was 711 lbs. and it occurred on July 13 1997 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania during an IPF/USPF sanctioned event. The lift was completed with no bench shirt, and Henderson tested negative for performance enhancing substances.

Personal life

Henderson is a graduate of Mercer University, where he holds a Bachelors degree in Theology and Psychology.

A devoted born again Christian, Henderson gives motivational speeches to groups such as students, business leaders, and prisoners. He currently tours the Georgia Prison System as a speaker for Heartbound Ministries. During his appearances he tells his story of how he became the bench press champion and performs feats of strength.

References