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

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.