New Rogue Athlete – CJ Cummings

At just 17 years of age, weightlifting phenom C.J. Cummings is the youngest member of the Rogue Athlete family, but his resume of accomplishments is already as long as a seasoned pro’s. At 11, he became the youngest lifter ever to complete a clean & jerk of twice his body weight (200 LBS). Two years later, USA Weightlifting called him the “strongest 13 year-old in the world.” And by the age of 16, he was completely dominating the 69KG weight class with five 1st Overall finishes at major youth and junior competitions. In 2017, Cummings defended his Youth World Championship in Thailand, breaking his own Youth World Record clean & jerk with 185KG.

All the gaudy numbers aside, C.J. is an otherwise normal high schooler—with an admittedly well above-average work ethic. He originally picked up weightlifting by watching his sister Crystal in the gym, and it quickly emerged as a passion (almost on par with his love of video games). Today, he owns 25 USAW National Records and 7 IWF Gold Medals, but scary as it might seem, he’s just getting started.

C.J. currently trains with his coach Rayford Jones at his hometown gym, CrossFit Beaufort, in South Carolina.

Watch CJ’s Road To The Arnold journey here: