In competition, Olympic weightlifters don’t have to worry about having a powerful squat. That didn’t stop Mattie Rogers from showing off some of her recent gains on the compound lift.
On June 8, 2022, the 26-year-old Rogers locked out a 190-kilogram (419-pound) squat for a new personal record (PR). Rogers wore a lifting belt and knee wraps for the impressive feat.
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In the caption of her post on social media, Rogers says she’s been on a long journey in trying to improve her squat. Her post compares her improved squat strength from June 2020 to June 2022, but even that doesn’t tell the whole story.
Before that 171-kilogram (370-pound) squat in 2020, Rogers maintains her top figure hadn’t noticeably changed much in almost half a decade.
“It’s been a long journey trying to get my eight-foot-long legs stronger,” Rogers writes. “I am a notoriously ‘bad’ squatter (or very efficient lifter), and prior to the 171-kilogram PR from 2020, I hadn’t improved my squat (from 170) in about four years (and just about [expletive] myself trying to do so).”
It seems Rogers’ efforts and struggles with her squat might have been worth any potential frustrations. Considering she says she also weighed more (undisclosed) on her previous top PR, the Olympian can hold her head high over her achievement.
“Back squats are still my absolute least favorite thing to do most days,” Rogers writes. “But an eight-kilogram PR on the day is nothing to be mad at.”
Rogers at a Glance
While Rogers has taken some time to improve her squat, she certainly hasn’t neglected the lifts she dedicates most of her attention to — the clean & jerk and snatch. Rogers is the current American Record holder for the snatch, clean & jerk, and total in the 81-kilogram competitive weight class. Rogers achieved each of those marks at the 2021 USA Weightlifting (USAW) National Championships.
Here are Rogers’ all-time best stats:
Mattie Rogers | Personal Best Stats
- Snatch — 112 kilograms (246 pounds) | American Record (81KG)
- Clean & Jerk — 143 kilograms (315.2 pounds) | American Record (81KG)
- Total — 255 kilograms (562.1 pounds) | American Record (81KG)
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In addition to her respective U.S. records, Rogers is a three-time silver medalist (2017, 2019, 2021) at the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Weightlifting Championships. She was also a member of the United States Olympic weightlifting team and teammates with Katherine Nye at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. Notably, that competition was her first time competing in the 87-kilogram weight class, which might explain her eventual sixth-place finish.
Rogers will next compete at the 2022 IWF World Weightlifting Championships, and she’ll be competing as a 76-kilogram athlete. At the time of this writing, those will take place in Bogotá, Colombia, sometime from November to December 2022. While Rogers’ new squat prowess won’t be necessary there, she can at least take solace in her improved leg strength and power.
Featured image: @mattiecakesssss on Instagram