When Jackson Powell was 16 years old, he squatted 297.1-kilogram (655-pound) triples and PR’d his squat at 328.9 kilograms (725 pounds). When he was 17, he pumped out a 306.2-kilogram (675-pound) front squat and furthered his back squat PR to 401.4 kilograms (885 pounds). Now that he is 18, the super heavyweight powerlifter has PR’d his squat not once, but twice — 410 kilograms (903.9 pounds) in December 2020, and his most recent PR, a titanic 419.6-kilograms (925-pound) double.
For those who have not yet had the opportunity to see Powell’s absurdly heavy squat double yet, you can do so via the video below, courtesy of his Instagram page. He wore a lifting belt, knee wraps, and lifting shoes for the squat.
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[Related: Powerlifter Leah Reichman Squats Equipped All-Time World Record of 399.1 Kilograms]
What a freaking morning.
According to Open Powerlifting, this double is just 5.9 kilograms (13 pounds) shy of matching Joseph Peña’s world record squat of 425.5 kilograms (938.1 pounds) in the Teen 18-19 division for Raw With Wraps.
In the caption of his Instagram post, Powell hinted that he “pulled something amazing” (referring to the deadlift) but did not disclose what that “amazing” weight was. A week before this massive squat double, Powell hit a 324.3-kilogram (715-pound) deadlift double, so likely safe to assume that his recent pull is heavier than that. His best competition deadlift is a 317.5-kilogram (699.9-pound) pull from the 2020 Southern Powerlifting Federation (SPF) Gritmas Classic.
Speaking of surpassing competition best lifts in just a handful of months, Powell secured his competition-best squat at that same event — 410 kilograms (903.9 pounds). That means in just four months, Powell not only added 9.6 kilograms (21.2 pounds) to his squat, he also added an extra rep.
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[Related: Powerlifter Vladimir Zhadenov Squats All-Time World Record 324 Kilograms at 75KG]
The Next Competition
BarBend reached out to Powell for comment about his next competition and what he plans to lift. Powell says that he will step on the competitive stage on May 8, 2021, at the World Powerlifting USA (WPUSA) Tennessee State Championship. He plans to squat 453.6 kilograms (1,000 pounds) and total 998 kilograms (2,200 pounds). If he is successful, he would be the first teen ever to hit either weight.
Featured image: @bigjpowell53 on Instagram