Mica is redefining the boundaries of what a young powerlifter should be capable of.
Written by Robert Zeglinski
At 10 years old, many children probably aren’t thinking about picking up heavy objects and lifting them repeatedly. When not in a fifth-grade classroom, they might be outside riding their bikes or watching anime while eating a “delicious” bowl of sugary cereal. Powerlifter Jordan Mica might still do these things whenever he gets a chance, but he’s certainly rare in the respect of pushing his strength in the gym at his young age.
On Jan. 17, 2023, the parent/manager who runs a public Instagram account for Mica shared footage of the young man successfully completing a 83.9-kilogram (185-pound) beltless deadlift. Not only does the 10-year-old Mica get his barbell into a locked-out position completely raw, without a belt, but he makes the lift look rather easy and shows no sign of struggle or hesitation. According to Open Powerlifting, this pull nearly surpassed Mica’s all-time raw competition best of 85 kilograms (187.4 pounds) with ease.
Mica’s massive deadlift is part of his ongoing preparation for the 2023 USA Powerlifting (USAPL) Third Street Barbell Open. As a younger competitor, he will feature in his usual Youth Division in the contest currently scheduled for Feb. 4, 2023, at the Third Street Barbell gym in Sacramento, CA. Mica will compete in the 52-kilogram (114-pound) weight class. Notably, his competition category throughout the 2021 competitive year was 47 kilograms (105 pounds) and he moved up to the 52-kilogram class in 2022.
Per the parent/manager of Mica’s Instagram, he takes his time with his training and never goes full throttle at the risk of harming his long-term health. The young man is apparently a multi-sport athlete, also focusing on being an adept wrestler, and usually takes off roughly two to three months from lifting weights to let his body fully recuperate. When he returns to strength training, he always starts from “square one” — a barbell with no added weight — and progressively works his way back up to a strong place.
“Jordan never attempts to pick up from where he left off. This is a life-long strength journey.”
In a precursor to his upcoming contest, Mica’s competitive history is rather impressive from a glance, regardless of his youth. According to Open Powerlifting, one of the notable contests from Mica’s career came during the 2021 USAPL WARCATs Iron Initiative. He took first place in the Youth 47-kilogram weight class. He followed up that victory by replicating his first-place success at the 2021 USAPL California State Championships, and again did the same during the 2021 USAPL Warcat Open.
The upcoming USAPL Third Street Barbell Open contest in early February 2023 will mark Mica’s first contest appearance in 2023. It will also be his first competition since the August 2022 USAPL California State Championships, where Mica set California state records for his squat (72.5 kilograms/160 pounds), bench press (37.5 kilograms/82.7 pounds), deadlift (85 kilograms/187 pounds), and total (195 kilograms/430 pounds).
It’s abundantly clear Mica is not like other children his age. As he continues to carve out an impressive early powerlifting career, his wide-spanning journey is only just beginning.
Featured image: @jordan_mica on Instagram
About Robert Zeglinski
Robert is a seasoned and adept editor and writer with a keen, passionate penchant for the writing craft. He’s been a leader in newsrooms such as SB Nation, USA TODAY, and WBBM Newsradio, with various other content and art production teams, and first made a name for himself in his hometown of Chicago. When not knee-deep in research or lost in a stream of consciousness for a thorough piece, you can find Robert inhaling yet another novel, journaling his heart out, or playing with his Shiba Inu, Maximus (Max, for short).