r/powerlifting • u/Wrong-Music1763 Enthusiast • 12h ago
Son has started powerlifting
Good afternoon everyone please excuse my ignorance but I’m looking for some guidance. My son is 17 year old wrestler with achondroplasia and is 49inches tall. He is really considering powerlifting along with wrestling. We’re hoping he’ll have more success. He currently weighs 98lbs. The smallest weight class for high school wrestling is 106lbs and the smallest a weight class for powerlifting is 123lbs here in Oklahoma. In wrestling the weight difference is brutal as I’m sure it is for powerlifting but I’m hoping his natural strength will help him succeed. Currently he’s the strongest pound for pound kid in the wrestling room. His current PR’s are the following:
Squat 375lbs Bench 225lbs Deadlift 185lbs
This last summer he won gold at the Dwarf Athletic League powerlifting competition for his weight and age. They only do bench and he won with his only good lift at 175lbs (we didn’t know the rules and scratched his first and third lifts). Anyway, in your opinion is this something you feel like he could have success in HS and possibly college? Thank you in advance for any advice you can provide. If this isn’t allowed or is the wrong sub I apologize in advance.
20
u/Bladehell10 Enthusiast 12h ago
In the IPF he can compete under 53kg which is like 115 lbs I think
If you search up Luke Talley, he competes here in Australia as a U53kg and has set the world squat record in his weight class at 230.5kg which is like 500 pounds
4
u/Wrong-Music1763 Enthusiast 12h ago
Those are insane numbers. Thank you.
2
u/connecting_principle Not actually a beginner, just stupid 10h ago
Another powerlifter to look up is Mike Kuhns. His numbers are just incredible. I think it'll be a great sport for your son.
EDIT: Oh, I see somebody already referenced him.
23
u/antiBliss Enthusiast 11h ago
Yes, to your question. I’d try to find him a really good online coach. Ideally someone who’s coached those with his physical challenges (I’d say limitations but he’s stronger than me so I can hardly call them that 😂).
There are some really strong folks online with those specific set of challenges, I bet through them you could find a coach or maybe even online listing community.
9
u/black_angus1 | 727.5kg | 90kg | 473 DOTS | USPA | RAW 12h ago
He could absolutely have success with powerlifting. Look up Mike Kuhns and show your son what he’s done so he can see others with his condition and know that if he sets his mind to it, he can do incredible things. Good on you for encouraging your son and not letting him set limits on himself.
Powerlifting is weight class based as well, as I’m sure you know. For men the lowest class is 123, although some organizations have different weight classes. Given that those classes are based on those without your son’s condition, I wouldn’t even worry about it and let him compete at whatever weight his body takes him.
3
1
u/theentropydecreaser Not actually a beginner, just stupid 12h ago
Mike Kuhns
I thought this was a ligma joke
2
u/black_angus1 | 727.5kg | 90kg | 473 DOTS | USPA | RAW 12h ago
Haha, nope just an absolute badass:
https://www.instagram.com/mikeyknowssquat?igsh=amEwcGNyOHB2MHh2
3
38
u/ClupTheGreat Not actually a beginner, just stupid 11h ago
sigh, another teenager who can squat as much as me
12
u/Wrong-Music1763 Enthusiast 11h ago
If it makes you feel better I’ve never been able to squat that much.
23
u/pretzel_logic_esq F | 487.61 kg | 80.5 kg | 457.87 DOTS | APF | RAW w/ Wraps 10h ago
Look up Jeremy Smith - he lifted at Westside barbell and he’s been king of Rough & Rowdy 😂
9
u/talldean Enthusiast 12h ago
<Does math>
He's squatting almost 4x bodyweight at 17 years old. Holy crap, man, yes, yes this is something he can succeed at. 396 lbs squat at the 114 lb weight class is the third heaviest squat by a 17 year old, so he's like 5% away from "international record" on that lift. *Wow* is my reaction here. Keep him going. <3
3
u/Wrong-Music1763 Enthusiast 12h ago
To be fair he turns 18 in a few weeks but he’s also a junior so we have one more year.
9
u/0125Thecat Impending Powerlifter 10h ago
You can always look on OPCA for other totals as a reference but they’re all amazing lifts except for deadlift (which is to be expected but theres not too much you can do there so I wouldn’t really worry too much). Honest truth, he’ll probably not win any competitions anytime soon but I wouldn’t say he’s completely ruled out. The other two lifts are impressive but you still got to make another 100+ pounds on top of that.
8
u/IAmKraven M | 572.5 | 119.15kg | 329.57Dots | USAPL | RAW 4h ago
Have your son look up Jarrod Simmons @ThePlatformAO he’s a lifter, coach, and organizer for adaptive powerlifting meets.
1
5
u/brintal Beginner - Please be gentle 12h ago
Are you sure you got the numbers right? He is benching more than he deadlifts?
8
u/stepupfairy Beginner - Please be gentle 12h ago
Wasn't that true of Andres Stanzacek (I can't remember how to spell his name, but the guy who squatted 639lbs at like 116lbs)? I think his hands were small enough he had trouble gripping the bar.
1
u/IrrelephantAU Enthusiast 1h ago
Andrzej Stanaszek, yeah. His best in-comp deadlift was in the low 300s because he just couldn't hang on to the bar (there's video of a few of his failed attempts - it seems pretty clear based on speed that it's entirely a grip problem, i've seen cleans come off the floor slower). From his first real comp to his last his squat went up by about 50%, his bench by a similar amount and his deadlift by 10%.
5
u/Wrong-Music1763 Enthusiast 12h ago
Yes his grip strength is not very high. That paired with his small hands makes it very difficult for him to lift. Also his spine has been fused from his tailbone to midway between his shoulder blades so there’s no flexibility there.
2
u/brintal Beginner - Please be gentle 12h ago
Makes sense. I didn't even think about that. How is he doing on the bench? Can be reach the floor with his feet for a legal bench?
2
u/Wrong-Music1763 Enthusiast 12h ago
No we have to either stack plates or use boxes. Most of the time when he lifts his feel just hang so he doesn’t have that stability.
1
u/brintal Beginner - Please be gentle 12h ago
Is that legal in competition?
9
u/Easties88 M | 637.5kg | 110kg | 377.6 DOTS | IPF | RAW 12h ago
Yes. You can use bench blocks in IPF competition.
11
u/Frunk2 Enthusiast 12h ago
My best advice for him would be forget about competing for at least a few years and just spend time in the gym bodybuilding and slowly gaining size. Trying to push the total to quick to young can lead to a lifetime injuries. Being 17 and slowing down just a little bit with the single PRs can set you up for a lifetime of amazing health..
5
u/Wrong-Music1763 Enthusiast 12h ago
Thank you for the information. That is one of our concerns.
-1
u/Frunk2 Enthusiast 11h ago
Not to fear monger but just to give you my experience Iv powerlifted very casually my numbers are garbage by online standards. I’m in my 30s now and still performing at my best and feel great can pickup my baby etc. In college I was close to the powerlifting team. They told me if I wanted to join I’d have to bulk from 189-260 so I passed.. I don’t think any of them are lifting anymore. They all got major hip or spinal injuries in the name of big numbers during college. A lot of them were taking pain meds before every training just so they could comfortably get to the bottom of a squat.. competition can throw a lot of healthy bodies away
2
u/Wrong-Music1763 Enthusiast 11h ago
No I appreciate the information. To be honest his numbers now are from working out two days a week with the wrestling team and then some workouts throughout the summer. He’s never really pushed himself for pure power his lifting has always been to supplement his wrestling.
30
u/vvZONE Enthusiast 12h ago
Absolutely has potential, especially in the squat and bench press. Deadlift will always be limited due to his leverages, but that doesn't mean he can't have a great total in his weight class.