At nine years old, most kids are figuring out long division or arguing with their parents about screen time. Lucy Milgrim is deadlifting 180 pounds.
The wild part is that Lucy only weighs around 60 pounds. She pulled three times her body weight in one clean lift at the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio, and the moment quickly made its way across the internet.
In the video, she looks like any other kid, sporting pigtails and bright sneakers. The grim look on her face as she bounces around to warm up, AC/DC blasting on the speakers, sets her apart a bit. Then she steps up, grips the bar, and lifts the equivalent of a grown man like it’s absolutely no big deal. It is, objectively, an impressive feat.
Lucy, who’s from New York, trains multiple times a week and has already set three U.S. records through USA Powerlifting, according to USA Today. She also wrestles competitively and spends a lot of time in the gym with her family. Her father, Brett Milgrim, told People that she has “always been this naturally strong kid,” adding that she started lifting after watching her parents train.
“My mom and dad, they were working out in the gym, and I saw them doing all this cool stuff, and I wanted to try it too,” Lucy said. She also explained how she got into wrestling, saying her dad, a coach, used to bring her to practices. The internet, predictably, hasn’t landed on a single reaction.
There’s a lot of praise, and understandably so. Watching a kid lift that kind of weight with control is unusual, and Lucy clearly takes pride in it. After the lift, she beams, throws her arms up, and celebrates with zero doubt about how big the moment was.
There’s also a wave of concern. As the clip circulated, people started wondering where the line is with a kid this young. Some raised concerns about growth plates and future injuries. Others argued that children shouldn’t be lifting heavy before puberty, no matter how strong they are. One commenter wrote, “While impressive, I’m not sure this is a good thing for a 9-year-old to be doing.”
On one hand, you have a kid who seems happy, supported, and genuinely into what she is doing. On the other hand, you have a sport that, even for adults, comes with serious physical demands. The conversation quickly moves from admiration to discomfort, then back again.
Lucy and her family have not publicly responded to the criticism.
For now, the 9-year-old has a viral video that people can’t stop talking about—whether for good or for bad. Regardless, you have to admit, it’s pretty damn impressive.
The post You Have to Watch This 9-Year-Old’s Massive Deadlift That Has the Internet Arguing appeared first on VICE.
