There are guys who lift heavy, there are guys who really lift heavy, and then there are 16-year-old high school students who lift heavier than you probably ever have or will.

C.J. Cummings, a South Carolina native who has been dubbed the “Michael Jordan of weighlifting,” is one such teenager.

On Friday, April 7, Cummings shattered American youth, junior and senior records for his weight class with a 185-kg clean and jerk at the 2017 IWF Youth World Championships in Bangkok, Thailand.

Cummings not only smashed the clean and jerk record (which he actually set last year at the 2016 Youth World Championships), but also defended his gold-medal title, taking first in the clean and jerk, second in the snatch (137kg), and first place overall with 322kg total.

At just 5’2″ and weighing in at approximately 150lbs—he competes in the 69kg weight class—Cummings is proof that you don’t need to stack on huge size to build incredible power. He’s also proof that certain exercises—like the clean and jerk—are often easier for shorter dudes. But, just because you’re six feet tall doesn’t mean you can’t lift heavy—check out these 10 alternative exercises for tall dudes to make gains and prevent injury. 

You can check out Cummings’ record-setting lift in the video below.  

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