16-Year-Old Morgan Nicholls Scores a 238.1-Kilogram (525-Pound) Bench Press PR

Based on the tenor of Nicholls’ lift, an achievement like this might have almost been inevitable. In fact, a general perusal of Nicholls’ Instagram page will provide evidence that the athlete has been steadily but surely working on his bench press in recent months. For example, in late November 2022, Nicholls achieved his first 226.8-kilogram (500-pound) bench press. Fast-forward to early May 2023, where Nicholls shared a video of himself finishing off a 224.5-kilogram (495-pound) paused bench press for two sets of one.

In that same post, Nicholls revealed he underwent ACL surgery in early January 2023. The athlete had apparently suffered the injury sometime at the end of his high school football season in late Fall 2022, but it was initially “misdiagnosed.” Nicholls did not provide precise details on the extent of his tear, on which leg it occurred, or any specific rehabilitation methods and subsequent recovery timelines.

What’s apparent is that the ACL injury may have slowed some of his progress to start the year 2023. The video of his 495-pound bench press was Nicholls’ first post in roughly five months, which would align with his surgery and recovery timeline. At the time of this article’s publication, Nicholls understandably does not appear to have attempted any staple leg exercises like the back squat or deadlift since his surgery. Based on his social media presence, the last he left off with both lifts were a raw 288-kilogram (635-pound) deadlift PR from early December 2022 and a 247.2-kilogram (545-pound) squat with wraps PR in April 2022.