Mica is redefining the boundaries of what a young powerlifter should be capable of.
At 10 years of age, many children probably do not think about picking up heavy objects and lifting them repeatedly. When not in the fifth grade classroom, they might be riding their bikes or watching anime while eating a “delicious” bowl of sugary cereal. Powerlifter Jordan Micah can do these things whenever he gets the chance, but he’s certainly rare in terms of pushing his strength in the gym at such a young age.
On January 17, 2023, a parent/administrator running a public Instagram account for Mica successfully shared footage of the youngster. Completing an 83.9-kilogram (185-pound) beltless deadlift. 10-year-old Micah gets his barbell into a completely raw lock-out position without a belt, but he makes the lift look effortless and shows no sign of struggle or hesitation. According to this Open PowerliftingThis pull easily surpassed Mica’s all-time crude competition best of 85 kilograms (187.4 pounds).
Micah’s massive deadlift is part of ongoing preparation for the 2023 USA Powerlifting (USAPL) Third Street Barbell Open. As the youngest competitor, he will appear in his regular youth division at a competition currently scheduled for February 4, 2023 at the Third Street Barbell Gym in Sacramento, CA. Mika competes in the 52-kilogram (114-pound) weight class. Notably, her competition category for the 2021 competition year was 47 kilograms (105 pounds) and she moved to the 52-kilogram category in 2022.
According to Micah’s Instagram parent/admin, he takes his time with his training and never goes full throttle at the risk of harming his long-term health. The young man is clearly a multi-sport athlete, focused on being a professional wrestler and usually takes about two to three months from lifting weights to fully recover his body. When he returns to strength training, he always starts at “square one” — a barbell with no extra weight — and gradually works his way back up to a stronger place.
“Jordan never tries to pick up where he left off. It’s the power trip of a lifetime.”
As a precursor to his upcoming competition, Mika’s competitive history is impressive at a glance, regardless of his youth. According to this Open Powerlifting, during the 2021 USAPL WARCATs Iron Initiative was one of the notable competitions of Mica’s career. He placed first in the youth 47-kilogram weight category. He followed that victory by repeating his first-place success at the 2021 USAPL California State Championship and did the same again at the 2021 USAPL Warcat Open.
The USAPL Third Street Barbell Open competition in early February 2023 will mark Micah’s first competition in 2023. This will be his first competition since the August 2022 USAPL California State Championships, where Micah set California state records for his squat (72.5 kilograms/160 pounds), bench press (37.5 kilograms/82.7 pounds), deadlift (85 kilograms/187 pounds), and total (195 kilograms/430 pounds).
It is clear that Micah is not like other children his age. As he continues an impressive early powerlifting career, his vast journey is just beginning.
Featured Image: @jordan_mica on Instagram
