If this title didn’t catch your attention, then I don’t know what it’s going to take. Dylan Cooper, 105kg weightlifter out of California Strength, just shared a video on his Instagram page that’s sure to turn your head.
In the video, as the title states, Cooper cleans 300 lbs, holds the bar on his shoulders, completes a Rubik’s Cube in 24-seconds, then finishes the lift with a strong jerk. Whenever you add a Rubik’s Cube to any lift I feel like it instantly becomes more intense.
Check out Cooper’s video below.
Talk about keeping focus when you’re feeling weight on your shoulders. We reached out to Cooper and asked what gave him the motivation to try out this Olympic lift, Rubik’s Cube combo.
1. What gave you the idea for the clean, to Rubik’s Cube, then jerk. Has this sequence ever been done before? We’ve never seen it.
Cooper: I saw Daniel Weierich (aka @armenian_strength) do the pause squat with a Rubik’s Cube solve during the paused bottom position of his squat, so I wanted to see if I could put an Olympic weightlifting spin on it.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BOGbgVVlBzj/
2. What’s the fastest you’ve ever finished a Rubik’s Cube? And when did you start fully completing them?
Cooper: The fastest time I’ve ever solved a Rubik’s Cube is roughly 9.5 seconds. I started solving them in the sixth grade, so I was around 11-12 at the time.
3. What goes through your head when you’re holding weight and solving the cube? Does fatigue ever pop in your head, and do you start to rush at any point?
Cooper: My only thought is, “Get the cube solved as fast as possible.” Fatigue didn’t really become a factor until the last couple seconds. To be honest, my lats and back were shot afterwards.
Now the question is, what’s more impressive? The paused back squat, or the clean & jerk? The jerk at the end of Rubik’s Cube sort of has us leaning towards Cooper’s lift.
Feature image screenshot from @dylancooper105k Instagram page.
