The strength standards for a woman in her twenties are about 140-pound deadlift, 100-pound squat and a 70-pound bench press. Meet Damiyah Smith. She is nine years old and she is in fourth grade. These weights are a walk in the park for her.
She is constantly breaking records
Damiyah has broken three records so far in her age and weight range while competing in the Junior Olympics. Oh, and by the way, her weight is 70 pounds!
Correct beginning
She started her training the same way many people do. When she first started going to the gym with her parents, she started doing pull-ups and push-ups and afterwards started walking on her hands. At the age of four, she started lifting weights accompanied by her father.
Time for family bonding
Damiyah likes to spend time at the gym and although she may not see it as such, her father and mother, who also lift weights, think it’s a great way to spend quality time together and bond. The daily routines are getting up early in the morning and then going to the gym together.
Training four days a week
This strong family is doing their workouts together four days per week. Demiyah says that it’s really cool because they get to hang out together for a large amount of time and it’s too much fun.
Patience, discipline and self-image
Her mom and dad think it was a good idea to get Damiyah into weightlifting since it instills from a young age discipline and teaches her patience and hard work in order to achieve something. The way weightlifting does this is by forcing you to improve your technique and your overall fitness in order to improve yourself. It is also tremendously helpful to her self-image. She will know she’ll be able to achieve anything she sets her mind to.
She is a keen participant
Her parents say that Demiyah is the type of girl that likes to try everything they do. So, when they first took her to the gym she said she wanted to lift too. So, at first, they taught her how to do basic stuff like pull-ups, push-ups and even started walking on her hands.
She wants to inspire other kids
Kristenee, her mother, says Demiyah is lifting a lot heaver weights than kids her age. She aspires to serve as an inspiration to all the other young kids who want to start exercising and start settings records like her.
Assembling a team
Her mother says they have been preparing to assemble a team of 10-20 kids that would be training for a local meet and if they do well there, they might become eligible to compete on a national or even on a world level.
Keeps moving forward
Her parents say she is constantly working to beat her own personal records. They say she is only focused on beating herself and not comparing with other people. It’s her versus her. Demiyah says she liked the feeling of always having to lift heavier weight than her previous workout and that it gave her a good feeling.
What are her plans for the future?
Damiyah is planning to become a professional powerlifter when she grows up. She has plans on competing in numerous meets in the near future and hopes that these will give her the experience she needs for her future victories.
