Utah teen named one of America’s Strongest Teens

LAYTON, Utah (KSL.com) — Christy Livingston is one mother who does not have to worry about carrying anything heavy to her car, in the house, to the yard, or anywhere.

She has the recently named America’s Strongest Teen — her 17-year-old son Jack — living in her house and she has no problem putting him to work.

“He’s always been really strong,” Livingston said. “I remember we needed to carry bags and they were super heavy, like it took me forever to get one and I’m trying as hard as I can. I turn around and Jack has three on his shoulder and he’s texting. So, he’s very helpful to have around the house.”

Mom is not the only person to see Jack’s strength in action. Earlier this month, the 6-foot-6 senior at the Northern Utah Academy for Math, Engineering and Science Early College High School earned first place in the 15- to 17-year-old category in his weight class during the annual America’s Strongest Teen competition held in Sacramento, California.

The competition is managed by the Strongman Corporation, the same folks who put on the Strongman and Strongwoman competitions.

Participants for the America’s Strongest Teen competition must complete five rounds, which include things like duck walks, where, according to the competition website, teens mimic a duck walking while holding an incredibly heavy weight, usually in a deadlift position. In other words, these rounds do not encompass lifting a dumbbell or barbell.

Jack’s strength journey began a couple of years ago when he was just a regular teenager wanting to get bigger. He started lifting weights and realized he wanted to discover some state records to break.

Jack met some like-minded teenagers who were also into lifting and overall fitness. They encourage each other to keep trying when things get hard and to try to get bigger and stronger.

In the midst of eating his 4,000 calories a day, Jack also helps his younger brother, Tyler, 13, get bigger and stronger. Besides drinking two gallons of milk a day, according to their mother, the two carry the large boulders in their backyard back and forth — for fun — and are also excited for each other’s progress.

Progress is the whole point of this fitness lifestyle.

“It’s really cool to see yourself do things that you didn’t think you could,” Jack said. “Something you used to think was crazy hard? It’s now something kind of light. And it’s great to get to new levels because the only people I know stronger than me are dedicated strength athletes. It’s all really cool.”

When he began squatting two to three years ago, squatting 315 pounds was his major goal. He eventually got there and also increased his bench press weight to 375 pounds when he last checked, but he expects he can lift 395 pounds now.

He continues to increase the weight as his competition days aren’t complete this year. As an America’s Strongest Teen winner, he automatically qualified for the 2025 Cerberus Official Strongman Games held in November in Arlington, Texas.

He will continue to compete against boys his own age, but they will be from all around the world. The Strongman Corporation says on its website that people from 40 different countries have agreed to participate in the games.

He is also living life as a senior in high school.

At 6 feet 6 inches, 275 pounds, he has been on the radar of football coaches, who, he says, have stopped to chat with him about the sport. Jack has been speaking to a coach at his district school about maybe playing this year. He has never played football or many other sports, but football and wrestling have piqued his interest this year.

His focus has been and continues to be getting bigger, stronger, enjoying the challenges and showing his little brother what he needs to know, which includes winning major competitions.

“He’s really been coaching me, trying to get me to bend more. It’s really cool,” Tyler said. “In competitions, it’s really fun to see my older brother do that stuff. It makes me want to work out more.”