He's added 75 pounds to his bench press in less than a year.
They say that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Fourteen-year-old Missouri native Morgan Nicholls — whose parents are legends in the world of bodybuilding — is proof of that phrase, though he chose a slightly different path. In an Instagram video posted by the Nicholls on Jan. 26, 2021, the powerlifter successfully bench-pressed 405 pounds for a single rep. Nicholls appeared to have no trouble pressing the weight.
Though Nicholls’ lift was done in training, his bench press is 47 pounds over the heaviest lift recorded in international competitions in the 90-kilogram (198-pound) weight class. Check out the lift below courtesy of Nicholl’s Instagram:
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Morgan’s success is without a doubt partly thanks to his strength sports lineage. His father (the spotter in the video) is Chad Nicholls, a renowned bodybuilding coach and nutritionist. He is most famous for working with eight-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman and current Mr. Olympia Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay.
Morgan’s mother is a legend in her own right. Kim Chizevsky-Nicholls is a four-time Ms. Olympia winner, having held that title from 1996 until 1999. She also has competed in the fitness and figure divisions onstage.
Chad Nicholls shared his own video of the lift his son did as well as his thoughts about the feat.
“This is without a doubt one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen in a gym, so obviously, I have to post it. When @raising_mayhem [Morgan Nicholls] sets his mind to something, it’s almost a guarantee it’s gonna happen,” Chad Nicholls wrote in his Instagram post. “He just doesn’t have an off switch. It’s hard for me to wrap my head around, so most are just not gonna understand it. That’s a 405-pound bench at 14 years old and 198 pounds. Two hours before this he ran three miles. He is just a different breed.”
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As for Morgan, this 405-pound bench press is his current training PR, but he’s more than just a bench presser. According to Open Powerlifting, Nicholls participated in the Teenage 13-15 division of the Southern Powerlifting Federation’s GP Summer Smash powerlifting meet in Springfield, Missouri, in May of 2020.
Competing in the 90-kilogram (198-pound) weight class, the then-13-year-old squatted 204 kilograms (450 pounds) with wraps, benched 147 kilograms (325 pounds), and pulled 206 kilograms (455 pounds). His 558-kilogram (1,230-pound) total was good enough for first place.
When “Mayhem” plans to compete again is unclear, but what is clear is that he’s training like he’s on a mission.
Editor’s note: The quote in this article was slightly edited for grammar.
Featured image: @raising_mayhem on Instagram
About Roger Lockridge
Roger "Rock" Lockridge has been writing professionally for 10 years and has been training for 20. His work in the fitness industry has been seen in numerous outlets and has been a part of coverage for several events including the Mr. Olympia, Arnold Classic, the CrossFit Games, and the Olympics. He's also shared his own personal success story in several interviews and articles. Lockridge lives in West Virginia with his wife and son.
