Just sayin it's all bs. We have sumo deadlifts where the plates come off the ground one foot for some. In the bench you have fat guys with an arch with a wide grip pushing the bar a foot with a cheat shirt. Shallow squats too. Just saying pointing out bodybuilding exercises is that people want credit for being strong cheating the exercise every way they can to use a heavy weight.
That's what makes John Haack's lifts so impressive to me. He uses a full range of motion for his lifts.
This is also why I'm certain there are powerlifters with 1,500-lb totals [bench = 400, squat = 500, deadlift = 600] who I know couldn't beat me in a balanced Strongman contest. Both types of lifters are strong in different ways. When I see a powerlifter my size bench pressing 450+, I wonder how many reps he could get with 225, without the back arch. Probably not much than me - maybe 25. Despite having a much higher 1RM.
I also know a 600-lb deadlifter who could only flip a 750-lb tire three times. At the time, my deadlift was around 450, but I could flip the tire six times.
The point I take home from this is that different people train for different things, and are stronger in those areas, which do not always carry over perfectly to other areas. The reason MMA fighters can beat stronger men is because fighters are strong in certain positions.
I used to think I could f*ck a woman better than Ron Jeremy because he is fat...but porn stars become "strong" in sex positions.
Our central nervous systems adjust to whatever we are training for. Powerlifters are great at getting one rep maxes, but they are ultimately mastering form to an extent that allows them to lift so much.
I'm not sure to what degree that increases their lifts. I'm curious if I could lift 10% more if I used actual powerlifting form.
I also agree with Fortress that Kirill Sarychev is the truly greatest raw bench presser, when you consider his form compared to that of Julius Maddox, shown above.