You have to see this 9-year-old’s massive deadlift that has the internet buzzing
By age nine, most kids are figuring out long division or arguing with their parents about screen time. Lucy Milgrim deadlifts 180 pounds.
The wild part is that Lucy only weighs about 60 pounds. She deadlifted three times her body weight at the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio, and the moment quickly found its way across the Internet.
In the video, she looks like any other kid, sporting pigtails and nice sneakers. The grim look on her face as she bounces around to warm up, AC/DC blasting on the speakers, sets her apart a bit. Then she steps up, grabs the pole and lifts the equivalent of a grown man like it’s absolutely no big deal. It is objectively an impressive feat.
Lucy, who is from New York, trains several times a week and has already set three American records through USA Powerlifting, according to USA today. She also fights competitively and spends a lot of time in the gym with her family. Her father, Brett Milgrim, told her People that she’s “always been this naturally strong kid,” adding that she started lifting after watching her parents train.
“My mum and dad, they worked out at the gym and I saw them doing all these cool things and I wanted to try it too,” said Lucy. She also explained how she started wrestling, saying that her father, a coach, used to bring her to practice. The internet has predictably not landed on a single reaction.
There is a lot of praise, and understandably so. To see a child lift that kind of weight with control is unusual and Lucy is clearly proud of it. After the lift, she’s beaming, throwing her arms up and no doubt celebrating how big the moment was.
There is also a wave of concern. As the clip circulated, people began to wonder where the line is with such a young child. Some raised concerns about growth plates and future damage. Others argued that children should not lift heavy before puberty, no matter how strong they are. One commenter wrote: “While impressive, I’m not sure this is a good thing for a 9-year-old to do.”
On the one hand, you have a child who seems happy, supportive and genuinely into what she is doing. On the other hand, you have a sport that, even for adults, comes with serious physical demands. The conversation quickly moves from admiration to discomfort and back again.
Lucy and her family have not publicly responded to the criticism.
So far, the 9-year-old has a viral video that people can’t stop talking about—for better or for worse. Either way, you have to admit it’s pretty impressive.
