Within the powerlifting ranks, Jalen Faulk could be considered one of the larger up-and-coming names to regulate. The 18-year-old athlete showed why with a recent phenomenal feat of leg strength.
On Oct. 1, 2022, Faulk posted a video on his Instagram where he accomplished a back squat of 300 kilograms (661.4 kilos) raw with wraps during a training session. Faulk also wore a lifting belt and knee sleeves. Per the caption of his post, the staggering squat is a latest personal record (PR).
While an unofficial feat, this training squat is nineteen.8 kilograms (43.7 kilos) greater than Faulk’s all-time raw competition better of 280 kilograms (617.3 kilos). The 100-kilogram athlete achieved that mark during a second-place performance within the Men’s Collegiate division on the 2022 USA Powerlifting (USAPL) Collegiate Nationals.
[Related: Back Squat Vs. Front Squat: Which, When, and Why]
Faulk’s lofty squat is connected to his preparation for an upcoming mid-October 2022 competition. The identical will be said for a 344.7-kilogram (760-pound) deadlift PR from late September 2022. The latter lift drew the eye of fellow 100-kilogram powerlifter and 2022 Mega Nationals champion Bobb Matthews, who wrote to Faulk within the comments of that post, telling him, “I believe you might be the subsequent guy.”
Notably, for an athlete who has only ever lifted under the USAPL umbrella, Faulk has not specified which contest he’ll soon feature in on the time of this writing. There are a lot of competitions on the USAPL calendar happening from Oct. 15-16, 2022 — the dates that line up with Faulk’s teasing caption of “14 days” and other recent social media posts.
In accordance with Open Powerlifting, Faulk has been a competitive powerlifter since February 2021. As a then-93-kilogram competitor, Faulk won his debut on the 2021 USAPL High School Barbell Bash while competing within the Men’s Teenage division. On the time of this text’s publication, he has only ever competed raw and has won six times while ending in second place in only one instance.
Here’s a rundown of Faulk’s complete profession results thus far:
Jalen Faulk | Complete Profession Results
- 2021 USAPL High School Barbell Bash (Teenage) — First place
- 2021 USAPL High School and Teen National Championships (Teenage/Varsity) — First place
- 2021 USAPL Warrior Collegiate Open (Collegiate) — First place
- 2021 USAPL Midwest Collegiate Regionals (Collegiate) — First place
- 2022 USAPL Collegiate Nationals (Collegiate) — Second place
- 2022 USAPL Nebraska State Powerlifting Championships (Teenage) — First place
Here’s an summary of Faulk’s all-time raw competition bests:
Jalen Faulk | All-Time Raw Competition Bests
- Squat — 280 kilograms (617.3 kilos)
- Bench Press — 185 kilograms (407.8 kilos)
- Deadlift — 328.2 kilograms (722 kilos)
- Total — 784.1 kilograms (1,725.1 kilos)
[Related: Workout Splits Explained — How They Work and Why You Need Them]
Whichever contest Faulk does find yourself competing on this October, if it’s consistent with his past performance, then this young powerlifter could turn some more heads across the sport.
Featured image: @jj.fau1k on Instagram