Christian Cuspard's love for football led him into weightlifting, which in turn helped him set a world record for his age (17-19 years) and weight (177 pounds) when he deadlifted an amazing 541 pounds in late May at the Buckeye Hall of Fame Classic in Canton, Ohio.
He first lifted 450 pounds, then 500. Knowing the world record was 540, he asked for 541 on his final lift.
"There was a lot of adrenaline," Cuspard said. "I felt it all flow. The crowd was behind me and I just pulled it up. It has to reach just above your knees and you have to slowly lower it to the ground. It was pretty overwhelming – a very proud moment. I tried 550 (a bonus lift), but I was exhausted. I got it off the ground, but couldn’t lock it off at the top."
Christian Cuspard
Courtesy photo
His record lift would have beaten all the men who competed that day.
A rising senior running back at Blackhawk (Beaver Falls, Pa.), Cuspard stands just 5-foot-9 and in May weighed only 177 pounds.
"It’s insane and he made it look so easy," said Rick Daman, who trains Cuspard at his gym, Daman’s Strength Training in Monaca, Pa. "I don’t think he really knew what he did. I have it on video and put it on YouTube.
"He wasn’t into powerlifting when he first came here. We kind of cleaned up some of his lifts and worked on some small details. I like to think it’s training, but he’s got great genetics and a great work ethic. He could be great at it."
"I almost had tears in my eyes," Christian's father, Ron Cuspard Jr., said. "He was standing with all these huge guys. One was 6-7 and 390 pounds. They train for this all the time. I had people come up to me and (give the impression) that he was some sort of ringer.
"He’s a humble kid. They were taking pictures, but he just wanted to pack and go to Denny’s and eat."
Ron Jr. has been calling his son "Rock" practically since the day he was born. He wasn’t particularly big at nine pounds and 21 inches, but he already had a powerful body.
"He looked like a little man," Ron Jr. said. "He was so defined. He looked like a bodybuilder when he was three. He was always unbelievably muscular. At ages five and six when he'd take his shirt off it was holy cow."
Genetics play a big role in Christian's strength. Ron Jr. was 6-0 and 230 pounds in high school and won a youth weightlifting contest before a shoulder injury from football curtailed his career.
His father, Ron Sr., was a true pioneer in bodybuilding, having won many world and national honors and worked out with the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger. He was 5-11 and 220 pounds. He soon will turn 75, but still works out three days a week.
"He was always small. I used to carry him on my shoulder. He’s just naturally strong. I can't believe he can do all this without training," Ron Sr. said. "Full-time he could be a top powerlifter. He could do 600 pounds easily."
Though he won a "kiddie" bodybuilding contest (using poses taught by Ron Sr.) at age five, Christian concentrated on football, basketball, baseball and track until this year. He was an outstanding baseball player, in particular, with great power as a hitter.
He started lifting weights as a freshman for football. The middle of his junior year he added workouts at Rick Daman’s gym. In March Ron Sr. gave him a flyer about the Pittsburgh Monster Meet and he was urged to enter.
All he did was win his age group for the deadlift (500 pounds) and the bench press (275 pounds). His victory enabled him to compete at the Football Hall of Fame in Canton and set the world record.
Despite his recent success as a weightlifter, Christian remains on a mission to have a great senior year in football and earn a college scholarship. He appears to be Ivy League material as an "A" student with an 1,830 SAT score.
Christian, who won't turn 18 until February, was a back-up as a sophomore and his junior year was plagued by shoulder and ankle injuries.
Blackhawk coach Joe Hamilton is counting heavily on him – though he currently is hobbled by a groin pull – because he is the team's lone senior running back. Several key players have transferred, leaving him with just 10 seniors.
"He’s a breath of fresh air at our place because kids just do what they want to do," Hamilton said of Cuspard. "He puts the team before himself. Some kids just have that natural strength and he's one of them."
Christian has been invited to the World Association of Bench and Deadlifters championships Nov. 13 at the Hilton in Las Vegas, Nev. However, that's football playoff time in Pennsylvania and he promises that if his team still is alive he won’t be going to Las Vegas.
Regardless of which path he takes in November, Christian has yet to overcome at least one major flaw as a weightlifter.
"He still can’t pick up his socks and clothes off the floor in his bedroom," Ron Jr. complained.
