Rory van Ulft is one of the most spectacular prospects in all of strength sports, having spent a large portion of her life training and accomplishing incredible feats of strength. Therefore, despite being just 12 years old, Rory is already a very experienced lifter, which allows her to continue achieving mind-blowing lifts. Most recently, Rory shared two posts on Instagram, showcasing a 100-kilogram (220.5-pound) overhead squat and a 125-kilogram (275.6-pound) Jerk Recovery from training.
Rory van Ulft’s Overhead Squat
Seeing that Rory van Ulft is pursuing a career in weightlifting, she specializes in a couple of distinct movements. However, in order to be successful, she pays close attention to both her upper and lower body strength. So, during her training session, Rory decided to go for a 100-kilogram (220.5-pound) squat but added a twist to it, making it significantly more difficult.
Rory van Ulft first picked up a bar in a locked-out overhead press position. She then took a few steps forward, all while holding the bar above her head. This was already insanely impressive, but the difficult part was still ahead of Rory. After setting up her stance, Rory squatted down to an impressive depth before starting her ascent back up. Within the next few moments, Rory found herself back at the starting point with a successful lift under her belt.
For reference, Rory van Ulft’s overhead squat was 2.2x heavier than her bodyweight at the time. Regardless, Rory did not show any signs of struggle, displaying great stability and strength that will certainly carry over to her Snatch and Clean & Jerk.
Watch the lift here:
Rory van Ulft’s Jerk Recovery
Shortly after posting her overhead squat, Rory van Ulft shared a video of another impressive lift — the Jerk Recovery. The exercise is made to improve the Clean & Jerk, especially the second part of the movement, which relies on getting the barbell above the head. The Jerk Recovery variant allowed Rory to complete a partial movement and overload the barbell, as the 125-kilogram (275.6-pound) barbell was set high, just short of full lockout.
So, Rory van Ulft used the exercise to build strength for the final portion of the lift, feel the weight that she would usually be unable to lift, and also learn how to stabilize such a massive load. She started off with a split-jerk stance and proceeded to bring her feet together as she lifted the weight.
Interestingly, the U48KG Senior Clean & Jerk World Record stands at 122 kilograms (269 pounds) and is held by Song Gum Ri. So, although Rory only completed the Jerk Recovery, a partial movement from the pins, the fact that she exceeded the senior record by 3 kilograms (6.6 pounds) at just 12 years old is insanely impressive.
“Over 2.75 times body weight and first time above the SENIOR women’s #cleanandjerk world record… 😳”
Watch the lift here:
Related: 11-YO Rory Van Ulft Smashes 121-kg (266.8-lb) Zercher Squat in Training; 3.15x Her Bodyweight
Rory van Ulft has shared countless achievements over the years, unofficially breaking multiple World Records, winning six National Youth Championships, becoming the youngest person to Clean & Jerk 2x her bodyweight, and locking out multiple incredible deadlifts. Her recent achievements also prove just how quickly she is improving, showing that her goal of competing at the Olympics is realistic.
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