In the powerlifting ranks, Jalen Faulk might be one of the bigger up-and-coming names to keep an eye on. 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 completed a back squat of 300 kilograms (661.4 pounds) 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 new personal record (PR).
While an unofficial feat, this training squat is 19.8 kilograms (43.7 pounds) more than Faulk’s all-time raw competition best of 280 kilograms (617.3 pounds). The 100-kilogram athlete achieved that mark during a second-place performance in the Men’s Collegiate division at 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 same can be said for a 344.7-kilogram (760-pound) deadlift PR from late September 2022. The latter lift drew the attention of fellow 100-kilogram powerlifter and 2022 Mega Nationals champion Bobb Matthews, who wrote to Faulk in the comments of that post, telling him, “I think you are the next guy.”
Notably, for an athlete who has only ever lifted under the USAPL umbrella, Faulk has not specified which contest he will soon feature in at the time of this writing. There are a number 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.
According to Open Powerlifting, Faulk has been a competitive powerlifter since February 2021. As a then-93-kilogram competitor, Faulk won his debut at the 2021 USAPL High School Barbell Bash while competing in the Men’s Teenage division. At the time of this article’s publication, he has only ever competed raw and has won six times while finishing in second place in just one instance.
Here’s a rundown of Faulk’s complete career results to date:
Jalen Faulk | Complete Career 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 overview of Faulk’s all-time raw competition bests:
Jalen Faulk | All-Time Raw Competition Bests
- Squat — 280 kilograms (617.3 pounds)
- Bench Press — 185 kilograms (407.8 pounds)
- Deadlift — 328.2 kilograms (722 pounds)
- Total — 784.1 kilograms (1,725.1 pounds)
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Whichever contest Faulk does end up competing in this October, if it’s in line with his past performance, then this young powerlifter may well turn some more heads around the sport.
Featured image: @jj.fau1k on Instagram
