Shelby Sullivan is a 19-year-old powerlifter from California who competes in the -72kg weight class. She started her competitive powerlifting career in 2017 at the age of 16 with a first place finish in the Teen 2 division at the United States Powerlifting (USAPL) Brand X Method Teen Junior Championship. Her total at that event was 265kg/584lb — an entire 77.5kg/171lb more than the runner-up.
Contrast that with her most recent appearance at the USAPL Blueprint Collegiate Classic this past January. She claimed the gold in the Teen 3 division hitting these stats:
- Squat — 170kg/375lb
- Bench Press — 75kg/165lb — competition best
- Deadlift — 162.5kg/358lb — competition best
- Total — 407.5kg/898lb — competition best
The only lift Sullivan did not perform a competition PR for at that event was the squat. She seems to be making up for that in training because she recently hit a massive 182kg/402lb squat that she shared on her Instagram page. If you have not seen it yet, check it out below:
View this post on Instagram
[Related: Assess high bar back squat form to benefit your gains]
This squat is a full 5kg/11lb heavier than her heaviest squat in competition — a 177.5kg/391lb at the USAPL 2018 Big 3 Open — and a full 2.5 times her competition bodyweight.
In the three years that Sullivan has been actively competing, she appeared in ten sanctioned events and stood atop the podium in seven of them.
In addition to her squat, Sullivan has been making strides improving her deadlift. Earlier this week she matched her all-time PR with a 170kg/374lb pull. That surpasses her competition best deadlift by 7.5kb/16.5lb. Check it out below courtesy of her Instagram page:
View this post on Instagram
We are excited to see how Sullivan does in her next competition and if she is able to successfully hit a 400+lb squat.
Feature image from Shelby Sullivan’s Instagram page: @strengthbysullivan
