Mike Joseph

Mike Joseph, born on 23 July 1971 in Essex in the United Kingdom, is a powerlifter known as the Bench Press King. He began competing in powerlifting at the age of 29, broke the British record in his first competition and in that same year represented England at the World Championships, where he won his first world title. He competes under the British Drug Free Powerlifting Federation, an affiliate of the World Drug Free Powerlifting Federation, which follows International Olympic Committee anti-doping rules and tests its lifters. After nine world titles a torn rotator cuff in 2010 forced surgery, but he returned in February 2012 for Team Great Britain, broke a world record that had stood since 1994 and won his tenth world title at the World Championships in Autun, France. He holds four world records and a Guinness record for a 24-hour endurance bench press, and in 2009 he appeared on his own Sky TV show.