Local power lifter shatters world record - again

Moses Lake's Kennelly bench presses 1,050 pounds

MOSES LAKE - To get an idea of what Ryan Kennelly goes though to attempt a world-record bench press, all you've got to do is look at his diet.

The 6-foot-2, 346-pound Kennelly, a Moses Lake resident since 2002, eats nine meals a day. He eats all types of foods - most of them healthy, some of them not so much - but eating gets so much like a chore before a major competition that Kennelly tries plenty of tricks to psyche out his body.

Take, for example, the time he spread peanut butter on filet mignon.

"I eat healthy until I'm about three weeks out from the contest, and then I turn to comfort food because I'm so stressed," Kennelly said Thursday, just six days after breaking his own world's record with a 1,050-pound bench press in Kennewick.

"That's when I go to stuff that's not too good for you," Kennelly continued, "but it eases my mental stress because at that point you're basically thinking, 'Did I train hard enough? Am I ready?'"

Kennelly became a professional power lifter 15 years ago. Along with competing in various events around the world, he has also produced a video, written a book and is a personal trainer for several local clients.

Kennelly, known by his fans and peers as the "Benchmonster," keeps odd hours, training the Ukrainian power lifting squad by video teleconference, which means he's teaching at 2 a.m. Pacific time. His Ukrainian connection, however, has proven valuable. In July he traveled there for a competition, and won the first-place prize of $20,000 by lifting a new world's record mark of 1,036 pounds.

Four weeks after that effort, he tried to break the record again in Iowa. But a torn groin muscle hindered his attempt, and he didn't get a chance to do it again until Dec. 1 in Kennewick.

"You have to prove you can do it again," Kennelly said. "You can't just do it once."

He achieved the new world's record with the help of three spotters, who are necessary simply to hand him the weight off the bar. Safety is a top priority, and as with any athlete at the top of his profession, Kennelly uses nothing but the best equipment.

Kennelly said he's aiming to clear 1,100 pounds soon, but because of the disadvantages of traveling, he thinks it's more likely the world record will be broken close to home. He's 50 pounds ahead of his nearest foe at the moment and said, "It's a nail in their coffin if I can do a little more."

After winning the world-renowned Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic in Columbus, Ohio, four times, Kennelly is hitting the road again soon. He'll go to Los Angeles in February and then to the Ukraine for another shot at $20,000.

If he can break the 1,100-pound barrier, he said he'll essentially retire - meaning he won't attempt a higher mark unless he receives a major offer from his sponsors. Kennelly has earned up to $100,000 for a single competition, so the price tag will be high.

"I wear their clothing, I wear their protective shirts, and when I go up there and lift I'm making them a lot of money," he said.

Kennelly said the biggest challenges he's faced over a 15-year pro career have simply been overcoming injuries to achieve high marks again and again. He's going to keep putting away the calories in the hope of doing it one more time.

"I eat a lot of food around town, whether it be Subway, Quizno's, J.J.'s," he said. "I don't know if I'm in my prime, but I've learned the technique and I train hard."