A 9-year-old girl deadlifts twice her body weight and puts fellow adult gym fans to shame.
Stella Nelson has been working out since she was 3 years old and is now a professional weightlifter.
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“She’s in charge of classes for adults, which means she’s going to spend money on some adults,” Sherry, the proud mother, told the US Sun.
People at her gym said, according to her mother, “Man, Stella might teach us something.”
Weighing just 70 pounds, Stella can deadlift 135 pounds, almost half her body weight.
She can perform 25-pound weighted planks and squat 75-90 pounds.
A small but mighty weightlifter can do a 70 lb clean and jerk and a 55 lb snatch.
Sherry revealed that she took her then-3-year-old daughter to the gym when she worked out, giving her daughter an early start in fitness.
The busy mom, who started her weight loss journey at 350 pounds in 2016, said she’d bring Stella because she couldn’t find daycare.
But this young man soon discovered his own love of working out.
“At first, it was more fun,” Shelley told the US Sun EXCLUSIVELY.
“Oh my mom was like doing this. My mom’s friends are doing this. I want to be like them.”
Stella, who also loves softball, started doing cardio at the gym because she was “getting used to it.”
“She’s an athlete, so it was natural,” Shelley said.
It’s been slow progress, but now Stella trains with her CrossFit and weightlifting coach, Caleb Foxworth, for an hour each week and takes two lessons every other week.
Sherry said:
“I think it’s really big that she’s tied up with a CrossFit coach,” she added.
While Stella gained muscle mass, Shelley lost over 100 pounds and now weighs around 237 pounds.
As time goes on, Stella wants to keep pushing herself to do more at the gym and documents her progress on her Instagram account @thelittlebeast.Stella.
“She realized she got older, found something she wanted to do, and wouldn’t stop until she did it.
“[She] I really found my desire to be one of the best,” said Sherry.
Sherry is in awe of her daughter’s ambitions at the gym.
“I’m kind of overwhelmed many times, like what she can do, what she wants to be able to do,” she said.
“We don’t impose anything on her. She’s doing exactly what she wants,” Shelley said.
She added: “It’s just a wonderful journey to be with her.
Stella’s dream is to participate in CrossFit games and participate in Miami’s national CrossFit festival, Wodapalooza, when she turns 13.
Regarding growing up and becoming a professional bodybuilder, Shelly said:
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