California Strength is a strength and conditioning facility known for their impressive roster of weightlifting athletes. One of their seriously strong athletes is 26 year old 105kg weightlifter Wes Kitts. He’s only been in the Olympic lifting scene since 2014, but has consistently staked his claim and built his name in the sport as one of America’s top heavyweights.
In a recent video shared by California Strength’s Instagram page, Kitts nails a 215kg (474 lb) clean & jerk. The lift was smooth with no evident sign of missing or struggle. From what you can see in the video, it looks like Kitts definitely has more in the tank.
This clean & jerk is only 5kg off the current 220kg record, which was set by Wes Barnett in 1999 at the World Championships. From the video, it’s not unrealistic to consider Kitts in the running for breaking this record in the near future.
In December 2016, Kitts set the American snatch record for the 105kg weight class with his 174kg lift.
Last year, Kitts won the 2016 USAW National Championships and took bronze at the IWF Grand Prix in Kazan, Russia. To read BarBend’s interview with Kitts about his weightlifting career, check out this link.
In addition to his strong Olympic lifts, Kitts can also squat some serious weight. Yesterday, California Strength’s Instagram page shared a video featuring Kitts pause back squatting 260kg (572 lbs).
If Kitts can stay healthy and continue his training at the rate he is, then it may be entirely possible we see him eventually claim all of the 105kg weight class records.
Now the question is, when will we see him put up a 220kg+ clean & jerk in competition?
Feature image from @cal_strength Instagram page.
