Powerlifting is a tough sport built around maximizing weight on the squat, bench press, and deadlift. But last month, Idaho-based teenager Colter Rammell made breaking a world record in the sport look effortless. He was invited to lift for the USA powerlifting team at the World Powerlifting Championship in Durban, South Africa. With 14 other powerlifters on the team, the 15-year-old was the youngest. Still, that didn’t stop him from setting a world record in the lift he excels at the most: the bench press.
“We were looking at the record book, and there was a kid years ago from England, and he was a stud. He set like every weightlifting record there was. But we were looking and noticed that there was one weight he didn’t get for whatever reason,” Colter’s father, Greg Rammell, told KSL. “We saw that it was achievable.”
Colter went on to set a world record in the equipped single-ply bench press at 90 kilograms (198 pounds). He also broke his own national raw bench record, pressing 100 kilograms (220 pounds) after previously hitting 95 kilograms (209 pounds).
He typically benches raw, meaning he lifts without a supportive shirt and relies solely on his strength and technique. In a single-ply bench press, the lifter uses a tight, supportive shirt, similar to a compression top, to help move more weight than they could on their own. This is part of what’s known as “equipped” powerlifting.
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Colter certainly seems to have a bright future in the sport. At just 15, he’s already competed in multiple bodybuilding competitions and has been training in the gym with his dad since middle school.
“I didn’t really enjoy playing football, but I had to do something, so I began really using calisthenics to get stronger. Just pushups and squats,” Colter said. “I got to the point where I was so strong, I was being told to start doing powerlifting.”
We have a feeling this won’t be the last world record he breaks.
