The Iron Queens: 20 Female Athletes with the Most Monstrous Bench Presses

Female fitness bodybuilders and athletes have always gotten a bit of a bad rep, with people considering them to be less capable. However, as we demonstrate today, this is not necessarily the case.

When it comes to the bench press, there is not a better chest exercise. Therefore, it is a good way to pinpoint just how strong an athlete is. While certain sports like bodybuilding do not necessarily require excessive strength, a certain level of muscularity is still needed. As a result, the bench press is a staple of both male and female athletes.

Obviously when comparing men and women, there is a huge discrepancy. However, this is not to say that female athletes are not as capable. There are some ladies who could easily out-bench men in the gym, with some impressive lifts. Today we are going to take a look at some of those amazing women, who are able to bench press unbelievable amounts.

These are 15 of the top female fitness athletes, and their heaviest bench press:

20. Pauline Nordin — 110-lb

Pauline Nordin is one of the IFBB’s top female bodybuilders. She has also made a name for herself as a fitness model, and personal trainer. She even was able to be a trainer on the Nordic version of “The Biggest Loser,” putting her training skills to the test.

When it comes to bench pressing, Nordin does not actually include the exercise into her workout routine. However, what she does include is dumbbell presses, which essentially relies on the same movement. When doing the exercise, she uses 55-pound dumbbells. Therefore, it is safe to assume that she would be able to do a set of 110-pound or even more, if she were to switch to bench pressing.

19. Oksana Grishina — 200lb

Originally hailing from Russia, Oksana Grishina moved to California to further pursue her career in fitness. As the 5x Ms. Fitness Olympia champion, she is established as one of the most elite female bodybuilders in history. As a result, it is expected that she is to be in excellent conditioning.

Weighing in at 115 pounds, she somehow managed to bench press a solid 200 pounds. While alone that is not too crazy, compared to her bodyweight this becomes impressive. Honestly, she could probably do better if she desired, but she typically maintained her chest development by lifting 110 pounds in prep.

18. Tina Nguyen — >200-lb

As a 2014 NPC National Figure Champion, Tina Nguyen quickly established herself as a top talent. Furthermore, when she has gone on to win the 2017 San Antonio Pro, she made herself known among female bodybuilders. She is known for her incredible physique, while maintaining a very feminine appearance. As a result, she has amassed a massive following on Instagram.

When it comes to her gym work, Nguyen is no slouch. It is worth noting that the bench press is not a part of her regular routine. However, she has revealed that she is able to bench more than Barack Obama, who can hit 200 pounds.

17. Dana Linn Bailey — 225-lb

One of the most elite female bodybuilders in the world, Dana Linn Bailey is a wonderful talent. She won the 2013 Mr. Olympia in the Women’s Physique division. These performances have allowed her to gain an incredible popularity, getting over a million Instagram followers.

Bailey has an incredibly toned physique, due to an intense training regimen. Part of that involves a solid and decently heavy bench press. When she hits the gym, she is known to be able to press an impressive 225 pounds.

16. Ariyana Nooshin — 220.5-lb for 10 Reps 

Ariyana Nooshin has experience in both powerlifting and bodybuilding. So, she is an athlete who has focused both on her strength and physique. Well, with such a passion for lifting weights, Ariyana climbed up the ranks and became one of the strongest bench pressers in the world.

One of her feats of strength that stands out is a 220-pound fully-raw bench press set for 10 incredible repetitions. Moreover, Ariyana was not aiming to perform as many reps, but decided mid-way that she wanted to achieve 10 reps. Her one-rep-max came out to around 308.5 pounds, which is impressive for someone with a frame of around 158.5 pounds.

15. Alina Popa — 242-lb (4-6 reps)

Alina Popa is a Romanian bodybuilder, who has been competing for over twenty years. Therefore, she has consistently demonstrated incredible ability, leading to a great physique and insane levels of strength. 

When looking at her size, it seems likely that Popa could reach a one rep max of over 300lb in the bench press. However, she has not attempted that at any point. Although she does say she typically hits 242lb for 4-6 reps, which is still mind-boggling. 

14. Dena Westerfield — 315-lb

Dena Westerfield is a bodybuilder hailing from Florida. She made a name for herself with her bulky frame, and impressive muscles. However, she has made her biggest impact as a personal trainer, helping others achieve their success.

Westerfield spends a lot of time in the gym, working with other people. Despite that, she still manages to find time to train herself. Her bench press is quite impressive, reaching a massive 315 pounds. It is not often for female bodybuilders to hit a bench press of over 300 pounds, but she crushes it.

13. Jennifer Thompson — 327.4-lb

Jennifer Thompson is arguably the most iconic female bench presser in history, specializing in the exercise for many years. She started competing in powerlifting back in 1999 and improved her abilities over the course of multiple decades. This earned her a spot in both the IPF and USAPL Hall of Fame.

Jennifer Thompson’s heaviest bench press came out to 327.4 pounds raw. However, it is important to note that she was 49-years-old at the time and weighed just 148.9 pounds. So, it adds to just how impressive Jennifer’s bench press is.

12. Kiera Aston — 330.7-lb

Kiera Aston is known for being one of the youngest IFBB Pro bodybuilders ever. However, her journey started at the age of just 17-years-old. It did not take her long to improve since she made a huge transformation over the course of four years. While it would seem that her physique is the most impressive, her strength gains also left many people speechless. Kiera excels in many events, with bench press being one of the most prominent ones.

Kiera Aston’s heaviest bench press was 330.7 pounds, which she revealed to Larry Wheels during one of their collaborations. She has also shared many extremely heavy bench presses within that range, including a 322-pound lift which you can check out below.

11. Kristy Hawkins — 341.7-lb

Kristy Hawkins is an incredibly accomplished individuals, and not just as a bodybuilder. She has also accomplished a ton as a powerlifter. Moreover, and perhaps most impressively, is that she is also a chemical engineer.

When it comes to her workouts, Hawkins also takes a scientific approach. This has allowed her to get a bench press of 341.7 pounds, setting her above many of her peers. This is a quite impressive lift, almost as crazy as the rest of her life accomplishments. 

10. Dayana Cadeau — 352-lb

Dayana Cadeau is an incredibly accomplished bodybuilder, having competed for over 20 years. She is known for her huge physique, yet maintaining symmetry. Even getting older, she still keeps her form, even getting leaner in recent years.

Cadeau’s approach to training puts more of a focus on technique, over bulk. However she has been able to hit a one lift max of 352 pounds on the bench press. As far as female bodybuilders are concerned, this is beyond unbelievable.

9. Allison Hind — 360-lb

If we are looking at the bench press from the standpoint of who the greatest pound-for-pound athlete is, then Allison Hind has to be incorporated. She has set eight All-Time Powerlifting World Records throughout the course of her career and the majority of them happened on the bench press.

Allison Hind dominated both the 165 and 148-pound weight classes, with her heaviest bench press coming out to 360 pounds. Thaw was more than 2x her bodyweight, showing how incredible the proportions of her bench press power were. Interestingly, Allison set World Records in both the raw and equipped divisions of powerlifting.

8. Julia Vins — 363.8-lb

Julia Vins is one of the most popular female athletes in the world today. Known as “Muscle Barbie,” she gained a massive social media following for her doll-like face, with incredible physique. This Russian athlete has made herself a huge name in the fitness world, and as an Instagram model.

In the gym, Vins typically focuses on her legs, which are her favorite thing to work. However, she does have the ability to branch out into other aspects of weight training. This is a result of her being able to break some powerlifting records. When it comes to the bench press, her max lift is 363.8 pounds, which is not too shabby.

7. Iris Kyle — 375-lb

Few other female bodybuilders are as impressive and accomplished as Iris Kyle. She has managed to reach heights of popularity, setting her apart from other women. She is recognized for her massive size, and great definition.

Size like that, does not come without training hard. Kyle was regularly putting in hard work in the gym, leading her to a long-lasting career. However, she was also known for being able to hit a 375-pound bench press. This alone, is almost beyond comprehension, but she made it look easy.

6. Debi Laszewski — 375-lb

Debi Laszewski is similar to Iris Kyle, in the sense that she is also known for her massive size. While it is not something that is for everybody, she is proud of her male-like physique. She put in a ton of hard work in the gym to have accomplished these results, and she is not ashamed of that.

That work is, in part, a factor of her ability to bench press massive weights. She loves the bench, calling it her favorite compound exercise. As a result, she has a max lift of 375 pounds, making her one of the strongest female bodybuilders in the world. 

5. Yaxeni Oriquen-Garcia — 375-lb

Yaxeni Oriquen-Garcia still has an unbelievable physique at the age of 58-years-old. Another massive woman, she is a bulky bodybuilder, who is known for her size. While this style is not attractive to some, she has found happiness in herself, and the things that she does.

In the gym, Yaxeni is still able to go hard, despite her age. Her highest bench press ever is 375 pounds, which is simply impeccable. Therefore, she is one of the strongest women to ever walk the bodybuilding stage. 

4. Nataliya Kuznetsova — 375-lb

Nataliya Kuznetsova is one of the most physically imposing female bodybuilders ever seen. She has a size and frame that seems almost cartoonish with it’s massive bulk. However, it is known that this is purely a product of hard work, and intense training.

Another person able to bench press 375 pounds, Kuznetsova is again one of the strongest women alive. She has been able to use her incredible achievements to become an ambassador for female bodybuilding, generally. She truly is a physical specimen, and a beast of a woman.

3. Agata Sitko — 343.9-lb (Raw) & 485-lb (Equipped)

Born in 2002, Agata Sitko is one of the youngest women in the debate for the greatest bench presser of all time. Despite being extremely young, Agata Sitko has set multiple Drug-Tested Bench Press World Records in both Junior and Open age classes. She is also competing at a weight of around 170 pounds, which is absurd considering how much weight she is lifting.

Agata Sitko’s heaviest ever raw bench performed in a competition came out to 343.9 pounds. However, she is likely to improve on that significantly as she continues developing. Moreover, the Polish powerlifter has also bench pressed 485 pounds with a single-ply shirt.

2. Becca Swanson — 600-lb

Becca Swanson is regarded as the strongest woman to have ever walked the planet, even on our own listing. She has some unbelievable lifts in her accolades, achieving huge success over her career. In fact, she holds many powerlifting records and won numerous championships for her efforts over the years.

The reason Swanson is placed so high on the list is because of her incredible accomplishment of being the first ever woman to lock out a gigantic 600-pound bench press! That lift was performed in the equipped powerlifting division, but is still scary heavy, for either male or female athletes.

1. Ashleigh Hoeta — 700-lb

Ashleigh Hoeta is another powerlifting figure that found her place on the list of all-time greatest female bench pressers. However, she has only been competing for a few years, making her debut back in 2020.

It did not take long for Ashleigh to take over the top spot though, as she dominated the equipped division and set a Bench Press World Record of 700 pounds. This is far beyond what anyone else achieved, which is what makes her one of the best.

Check out the reaction of 2017 WSM Eddie Hall to Asleigh Hoeta’s bench: 

Female athletes are starting to gain a ton more respect in the fitness world. With bench press skills like this, it is easy to see why. The fact that so many women can lift this heavy defies the expectations of many and proves that they are just as strong as their male counterparts.

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