The unlimited potential C.J. Cummings.

Competition forges champions. It’s what makes sports such a riveting pastime to experience. Without a posing stage for bodybuilders to ply their trade, the whole endeavor would seem a bit ridiculous. But the fact the participants are facing off to see who is the better competitor makes things much more compelling to watch. The same can be said of other sporting endeavors. Take Olympic lifting for example. It’s a sport that requires just as much dedication to craft as bodybuilding. Building strength is as paramount as building muscle in Olympic lifting, and though there’s less emphasis on hypertrophy it still requires a great deal of focus and sacrifice.

It’s been said time and again, besides building muscle and getting shredded, a bodybuilder should also focus on building strength. Olympic lifters are strength athletes that entirely focus their time on improving their lifts. Much like a bodybuilder has to make constant improvements on their physique year after year, in order to reach the pinnacle of such a sport you have to improve upon mechanics and techniques that you’ve already mastered.

Starting a career in Olympic lifting means starting from a young age and having the diligence to stick with it through your formative years. From middle school forward an Olympic lifter has to dedicate their time and effort to improving their skills in their chosen sport until they’re able to reach the top of the mountain, the Olympic Games. It’s an ambition that very few athletes are able to achieve, but it seems like CJ Cummings is a youth who’s looking forward to doing just that. He is already lifting some impressive amount of weight at only age 15 and according to his coach is looking like he’ll be a world beater just in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. Don’t believe us, then just take a look at his progress through the years.

Impressive stuff. He’s already shattered the World Record in his class at the USA National Championships in Dallas earlier this year with a clean and jerk of 386 lbs. We’ve got no doubt that if Cummings continues to improve at this rate then he’ll no doubt be able to medal in the Olympics one day.

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