14-year-old weightlifter is fast making his mark on the sport - and can already lift more than twice his own weight. Jake Schellenschlager, from Glen Burnie, Maryland, has been setting world records for his weight class - under 123 pounds - after devoting himself to training for the last two-and-a-half years.
He started training at the age of 12 when he saw his father lifting weights in the garage. 'He told me he wanted to be the strongest kid in the world one day,' his father, Chris Schellenschlager, wrote on their website. The boy started joining his father at the gym, where he met his future trainer, Mike Sarni. Jake now trains daily and can now deadlift 300 pounds. 'My dad... is super strong,' Jake said. 'When I see him it gives me motivation.'
It is Jake's dream to continue competing and setting records in his weight class. In June, he broke the world record for the squat for his age and weight at the Powerliftng Bench Press Championships in York, Pennsylvania. Sarni said the teenager's physical feats are possible due to his mental strength. 'He doesn't feel he can be defeated,' Sarni told the Post. 'It is that inner strength that tells him, "I can do this." Usually, you only get that in older, more mature people.'
Jake and his dad Chris
USA Powerlifting says thousands of teens compete across the country and its youngest competitors are 14. There are also youth programs where children as young as eight lift weights for fun. But while the American Academy of Pediatrics supports strength training for teenage athletes, it warns youngsters against powerlifting while they are still growing, the Post reported. 'There is high risk to heavy maximal lifts or explosive lifts during their rapid growth phrase,' said Paul Stricker, a fellow at the American Academy of Pediatrics. 'That is our biggest caution. We just don’t recommend they do maximal lifts or explosive lifts until they have finished the majority of their growth spurt.'
Chris Schellenschlage, 42, said he is aware of the risks to his son's health but makes sure that Sarni is always supervising the boy.'Some don't believe it is good to have kids weight lifting too early,' he said. 'But Jake never complains about pain or hurting, and he gets regular check-ups.'His mother, Brandy, said that she was worried about him lifting weights but soon reasoned that it was like him playing any other sport. His father added: 'You don't want your kid to be sitting on a couch and playing video games.'
What do you guys think about Jake weightlifting, would you allow your kid lift weights?
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