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Meet the 105-Pound, 13-Year-Old Girl Who Is a Record-Holding Powerlifter

Jan. 27, 2012 6:10pm Liz Klimas

13 Year Old Holds World and State Records in Powerlifting

Abbey Watson is 105.75 pounds. She can squat with 143.3 pounds. She can deadlift 176 pounds. And for these feats of strength, Watson has eight different world records and 23 U.S. and Colorado state records.

Here’s the kicker: Watson is only the eighth grade. Impressed? There’s more. Yahoo News reports, is that Watson, 13, only started weight training in this capacity three years ago.

Watch Watson in action in this local KUSA CBS report:

What is the key to Watson’s success? Perhaps, it’s that bacon is her favorite food, which her coach Jonathan Sabar said would be fine in a “well-rounded paleo diet”. But Sabar’s theory is more likely:

“I think the reason Abbey is lifting weight that surpasses adults is because she’s never been told she can’t do it.”

KUSA reports that Watson hopes to go to the Olympics for weightlifting someday.

Still, there is a long-standing debate that weightlifting could be detrimental to growing bodies. The Mayo Clinic states that strength training with light resistance is beneficial for growing bodies but lifting heavy weights can “put too much strain on young muscles, tendons and areas of cartilage that haven’t yet turned to bone (growth plates)”. It does note that proper technique is often key for lifting heavier weights, and Watson, with her coach, does have training on technique.

Related: Check out this Blaze article about the 10-year-old “workout kid” with 8-pack abs.

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Comments (53)

cyclops
Posted on January 28, 2012 at 11:48am
If ske keeps it up, being healthy and staying injury free, I can see a ” bacon commercial” in her future…….LOL!!!!!

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Fonz777
Posted on January 28, 2012 at 11:32am
Ah yes bacon is great – and you might suggest some habanero too!

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MOLLYPITCHER
Posted on January 28, 2012 at 9:01am
If I had to guess, I would say she’s not a vegan. Bet she eats lots of fatty animal protein, eggs, pork, beef and whole milk. The best kind of food for growing kids who don’t sit around on their @$$es.

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- Uranium Wedge
  Posted on January 28, 2012 at 10:02am
  She looks normal.
  
  Report this comment
- Matt
  Posted on January 28, 2012 at 11:28am
  You would GUESS she isnt a vegan? Did you watch the video. Bacon is her favorite food….sounds pretty conclusive that shes not a vegan.
  
  Besides, it is nearly impossible to become a champion weightlifter being a vegan and it is DEFINITELY not healthy. Being a vegan is, in fact, far less healthy than eating bacon.
  
  Report this comment
islamhater
Posted on January 28, 2012 at 8:49am
@ GRASS: Do you mean ”in” the eight grade?!?! Did you mean eighth ? shut the hell up.

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piper60
Posted on January 28, 2012 at 7:19am
As long as she is willing and had the proper coaching, let her do it. Make us proud, girl!

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lukerw
Posted on January 28, 2012 at 7:11am
I WILL BET: she has Micro Fractures in her Bones! STUPID!

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- Deepdiver58
  Posted on January 28, 2012 at 7:46am
  I WILL BET: you are not a doctor and you did not see any x-rays. But, you could have x-ray vision.
  
  Report this comment
- BehindBlueEyes
  Posted on January 28, 2012 at 9:40am
  I’m not a doctor either but when I read the article I had the same thought about stress on the bone structure of a developing child. It can’t be good at that age.
  
  Report this comment
- Matt
  Posted on January 28, 2012 at 11:31am
  That kind of stress is not good at ANY age….IF and thats a very big IF. you are not getting the proper supplements AND you are overtraining. If you train the proper amount and get the proper nutrients, which it seems like she does for the most part, your bones would actually be STONGER as a result of weightlifting at an early age. She only does it 3 times a week, that should give her enough time to recover IF she is taking the proper supplements and getting enough sleep. I worry though that she spends 2 hours in the gym though…..I don’t know what her trainer has her doing but she could easily cut that time in half and save her body some stress while still getting the same results.
  
  Report this comment
texasoysterman
Posted on January 28, 2012 at 6:26am
Bacon!
Breakfast (lunch and dinner) of champions!

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Grasshopper42
Posted on January 28, 2012 at 6:07am
“Here’s the kicker: Watson is only the eighth grade.” Do you mean “in” the eight grade?!?! This is what you get from a world of instant everything. Everybody is in a damn big hurry to get it done and can’t take the time to get it right. Mistakes happen, but this site is horrible when it comes to grammar.

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- BehindBlueEyes
  Posted on January 28, 2012 at 6:13am
  Another perfect person.
  Was there anything you didn’t understand as a result of the error?
  
  Report this comment
- truelife
  Posted on January 28, 2012 at 7:15am
  are you kidding me? your correcting the blazes grammar? go back to university yah bum.
  
  Report this comment
- Deepdiver58
  Posted on January 28, 2012 at 7:50am
  You’re a frustrated English teacher, aren’t you?
  
  This is the limit on the comment on the story? Really?
  
  As for the news: Good for her. She should do what she wants as long as her parents’ consent and she is properly coached. (notice the parental consent)
  
  Report this comment
greysnake
Posted on January 28, 2012 at 4:17am
I used to coach 13-15 year old girls.I stressed if they believed they could or could not do something,they were right.Abbey refuses to let others put limitations on her.Kick some **** Abbey.We are damn proud of you.

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vtxphantom
Posted on January 28, 2012 at 12:33am
As long as she has the fire in her belly, let her go!

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hogtrashhd
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 9:31pm
she’s too young to be lifting like this.. her body is going to become misshapen.. and look awful in a few short years.. seen it before… poor thing

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- Matt
  Posted on January 28, 2012 at 11:37am
  her body will only become misformed if she does not have proper nutrition. The reason that many bodybuilding girls look so manly is a multifaceted issue. 1.) They eat the same diet that men do. Women need to eat a LOT more fat than men in order to maintain a normal physique. 2.) they take steroids. When you take steroids it messes with your estrogen and causes your breast tissue growth to slow or fail, and you can even have them get smaller on the juice. 3.) they overtrain. There is no need to train more than 1 or 2 hours a day 3 days a week.
  
  If she avoids all of the pitfalls and gets proper nutrition she will be a smoking fox someday. Every single model out there lifts weights because that is the only way to get and maintain a smoking hot body as a girl…you just do cardio and your **** will become flat and your thighs will be soft. Furthermore, PROPER NUTRITION with very active physical activity stimulates breast growth. most athletic girls fail to develop large breasts because of malnutrition.
  
  Report this comment
Lesbian Packing Hollow Points
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 8:11pm
This kid is so (&*+^ COOL!

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- elihu
  Posted on January 27, 2012 at 8:39pm
  Yeah, I’ll just bet you like her!
  
  Report this comment
- Lesbian Packing Hollow Points
  Posted on January 27, 2012 at 10:19pm
  I do. She’s a strong female role model for her classmates.
  
  Oh… oh no… you meant like her in a sexual way? If so, then you’re twice as sick as the evangelicals on The Blaze claim I am.
  
  Report this comment
- spikebu
  Posted on January 28, 2012 at 2:30am
  @elihu…Judge much? @Lesbian…I don’t think anybody but the likes of the judgmental Elihu think you are sick.
  
  Report this comment
- spikebu
  Posted on January 28, 2012 at 3:42am
  @Elihu…You have committed at least two willful sins in this post alone. Anger and judgement. Haven’t you already committed murder by being angry? What makes your sin less than Lesbian? The wages of sin are death. Regardless of the sin, without forgiveness, results are the same. Why do you work to put people off God?
  
  Report this comment
- robert
  Posted on January 28, 2012 at 6:46am
  “I think the reason Abbey is lifting weight that surpasses adults is because she‘s never been told she can’t do it.”
  
  Squat at 143 pounds and deadlift 176 pounds and that is claimed surpasses adults?
  
  I hate to be a male chauvinist, but I don’t know any small men at my gym who can’t lift far more than that in a squat and deadlift.
  
  If the blaze is referring to women in her weight class, when it says she can lift more than adults, they could be right, I guess, but they didn’t say “women,” just ” adults.” Those weights for small males considered “adults” are hardly noteworthy. They’re not noreworthy for small teen males either.
  
  I’m just wondering if the trend now is to flim flam people into believing there’s no differences in the sexes regarding power lifting.
  
  It looks like it is. The age of deceit is in full swing.
  
  Report this comment
- drago
  Posted on January 28, 2012 at 7:19am
  @LPHP
  elihu is just encinom, ignore that puke.
  @Robert, she is lifting more that her own body weight, my question to you sir is this, can you?I doubt it, if you are unimpressed with her, so be it, but if you are a man, make a video of yourself lifting your own body weight, or more, and post a link to it on here, then i may be impressed with you, until then……not so much…..
  
  Report this comment
- SCHEXbp
  Posted on January 28, 2012 at 8:11am
  Robert is totally right. This is not impressive at all. Only a little significant because of her age. Nearly any decent guy who works out a good bit squats 130% of his body weight, if not more. Looks like a hyped article by someone who knows little about weightlifting, much less powerlifting. Deadlifts are even easier….
  
  Report this comment
- robert
  Posted on January 28, 2012 at 7:23pm
  drago
  “@Robert, she is lifting more that her own body weight, my question to you sir is this, can you?I doubt it, ”
  
  Oh, come one, old guy. What is so difficult about lifting one’s own body weight? Do you even know what power lifts they’re referring to? I doubt that you do.
  
  A dead lift is just lifting the barbells off the floor to a standing position. A squat is a deep klnee bend with the barbell on your shoulders.
  
  Secondly, how on earth did you misunderstand my post so greatly as to conclude I was trying to impress someone? I wasn’t even referring to myself. I could lift 173 pounds off the floor with one hand and twice that much with both, but comparing her to me isn’t exactly fair since I’m about a 100 pounds heavier than she is and probably about a foot taller. But comparing her to teen age boys and very small men is legitimate, which is what I did, and I did so to point out the nonsense of the story’s claim that her lifts were greater than those of many adults. They’re not and they’re less than what a boy her size could do who is active in weightlifting.
  
  As they say, “Don’t p*** down my back and tell me it’s raining outside.”
  
  Because you need video verification of such an ordinary thing tells me you’re some kind of inactive guy who hasn’t a clue about sports or physical activity if you think the claim of lifting one’s own body weight is somehow remarkable and hard to believe.
  
  It’s time for you to get up off the couch.
  
  Report this comment
DividedWeFail
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 7:23pm
I hope she isn’t taking steroids.

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- Common.Cents
  Posted on January 28, 2012 at 11:17am
  Bacon is her steroids.
  
  BEGGIN!
  
  Report this comment
jand777
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 7:08pm
BACON, BACON, BACON YEAH. Keep up the hard work, stay on your goals and do not listen to anybody but yourself. Listen to your heart …and your gut.

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disenlightened
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 7:00pm
Yes, but can she cook?

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- jb.kibs
  Posted on January 27, 2012 at 9:16pm
  nice ;)
  
  Report this comment
larrylarrylarry
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 6:53pm
Here’s another Abby Watson. I wonder if it’s her mom?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRkTxvd8bCQ

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larrylarrylarry
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 6:48pm
Here is a video of a young 21 year old boy attempting a 1008lb. squat. I laugh hard every time I watch this.
Some of these ladies get amazing mass, google Tina Lockwood, huge but not all masculine like some of them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c99fKwte_-4

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- burnteye86
  Posted on January 28, 2012 at 4:12am
  That was funny. He looked like a human pressure washer.
  
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- Matt
  Posted on January 28, 2012 at 11:41am
  Lol i have seen that one before. Pity that it adds to the stereotype of big dudes being stupid meatheads…..Not every big guy is dumb people, just that guy hahaha
  
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Truth Wins Every Time
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 6:38pm
Cudos for this kid.

BUT…..she is lifting with her back. Not good. The back will give out on her. Use your legs kid.

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- M13
  Posted on January 27, 2012 at 7:16pm
  She is going to need all that strenght to lift the crushing weight of debt that Obama has put on her generations shoulders.
  
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- Guttersmack
  Posted on January 27, 2012 at 8:26pm
  Your comment is the reason why people get hurt. Of course you lift with your back, and ****, and hamstrings…it’s the posterior chain and the strongest part of your body. If she and you and everyone else just uses good form, flat back, keep a tight core, etc etc, they will never suffer significant damage. Your comment comes from a lack of understanding and due to that fact, it is understandable.
  
  Report this comment
- C. Schwehr
  Posted on January 27, 2012 at 11:28pm
  Lifting with her back? Not seeing it. She has good form and is using her legs properly…..Go for it and hope you get to the Olympics!
  
  Report this comment
PimpleJuice
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 6:37pm
shhhhh she’s a wimp. I’d kick her ****.

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PimpleJuice
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 6:36pm
I’d still whoop her arse.

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DesertDave54
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 6:29pm
So proud of her! Love and prayers!

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jimmiedoss
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 6:23pm
This is a young lady with her head in the right place with great goals in mind! This should be a role model for all youth not rubbish like the jersey shore! I hope she keeps going and dominates with her skills!

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- Zoe
  Posted on January 27, 2012 at 7:26pm
  Got that right!
  
  Report this comment
RightThinking1
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 6:21pm
“What is the key to Watson’s success? Perhaps, it’s that bacon is her favorite food..”
Uh, oh. She won’t be getting any congrats from Michelle.

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- mccracken
  Posted on January 27, 2012 at 6:48pm
  Her diet and exercise is probably exactly what Michele would approve.
  She didn’t get to be a champion sitting around eating McDonald’s and drinking soda.
  
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- mccracken
  Posted on January 27, 2012 at 7:43pm
  Ah!
  
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flatdaddio
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 6:19pm
good for her…

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tmplarnite
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 6:18pm
ATTAGIRL…Abbey…You GO Girl!

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