Cpl. Jonathon Bailey became interested in heavy weight lifting while he was depolyed in Afghanistan. Just months later, he's setting bench press records.
WASHINGTON — Being one of the few and the proud has a special meaning in Cpl. Jonathon Bailey’s life. Breaking state records for heavy lifting isn’t enough for this Marine – he wants to beat the world record.
Bailey, 21, is a communications technician with Marine Air Control Squadron 1, Detachment Delta in Yuma, Ariz. He is training for the World Bench Press and Dead Lift Championships taking place Nov. 1-6 in Reno, Nev.
Last month, Bailey broke the bench press record of 385.7 pounds for 20- to 25-year-olds in the 198-pound weight class, pressing 402.2 pounds. Now he’s shooting for the open-class record of 507 pounds.
“I’m at about 455, so I’m about 60 pounds away,” he said. “I’ll have it by November.”
HOW HE DID IT: Bailey follows a strict two-days-on, one-day-off workout schedule and focuses on one muscle group a day. Since he’s training for a “one-rep heavy max,” which means lifting his heaviest weight just once, he lifts about 75 percent of his maximum weight for three to six repetitions.
Q: What is your advice for other Marines who want to work on building upper body strength?
Source: Jonathon Bailey Bailey is training to beat the current bench pressing record of 507 pounds. He'll compete for this record in November.
It’s there, but you have to work for it. If you want it, it’s not just going to happen overnight. You’ve got to work to get it. And start slow. Don’t think you can push yourself right away. Your body needs time to build before you go up and throw the heavy weights on top of you and injure yourself.
Q: What’s the most common injury you face while you train?
Because of it being an equipped event with the special shirt and deadlift suit, the most common injury I’ve sustained, just because of the weight on top of you, is broken blood vessels in my eyes. That heals on its own. And once your body gets used to the pressure, it won’t happen as much. I rarely get blown blood vessels in my eyes anymore. But the most common injury in the equipped (event) is broken arms or broken legs.
Q: Why are the rest days so important?
It allows your body to recover. When you’re building muscle, you’re actually destroying your muscles, allowing them to grow back bigger and stronger. So that day of rest that allows your muscles to regain some of the strength that you lost because of that workout. As a Marine, I still PT (do physical training) five days a week, so I still get some cardio in. I’ll run three to five miles and do light workouts like pushups and crunches, just not with the heavy weight.
Q: Do you listen to music while you work out?
I don’t listen to any music. I don’t like any noise. I’ll have three spotters there with me and I tell them, “Hey when I get ready to lift, don’t talk.” I do listen to some music beforehand, though. And my favorite song to get motivated to is “Somebody to Love” by Queen. But I usually find self-motivation normally, so I don’t need music – it’s just there.
Q: What makes breaking these records so important to you?
Pride. I’m a very prideful person in all aspects of my life – not just in power lifting. It’s just that drive and determination that you want to hold the state records and the world records and to be the best that just pushes me.