Although most men would jump for joy -- and maybe even rip their shirts off -- if they could bench press twice their body weight, Caleb Williams has bigger goals in mind. The 148-pounder is hoping to hoist more than three times his weight -- 473 pounds -- at this weekend's Quest American Invitational Powerlifting Championships.
Not enough weight for ya? On top of that, he's set a goal of squatting 718 pounds and dead-lifting 606 pounds. With that total of 1,797 pounds, Williams, a Duluth resident, would set the junior world record.
"You've got to know what you've got to do," said Williams, who already owns the American records in the bench, squat and total weight.
Williams, 21, is one of several lifters who has a legitimate shot at setting a world or American record, according to Sherman Ledford, owner and president of Quest, a gym in Duluth, and the meet promoter. The USA Powerlifting meet for drug-free lifters runs 10 a.m. Saturday through the afternoon and resumes at 10 a.m. Sunday at Duluth High School. Daily admission is $5.
"We're going to have a good time," Ledford said. "There will be a lot of good competition, and I really think we'll probably break between five and eight world records and 15 American records."
Williams got into powerlifting at age 12, very early for the sport. Before he was a teenager, he squatted 335 pounds, benched 300 and dead-lifted 355 pounds.
"One of my football coaches was a powerlifter, and I was working out with him some in the gym and decided I had a shot to do alright," Williams said. "From then, I was hooked."
Williams trains at Quest along with fellow competitor Damarrio "Doc" Holloway. Both also work at the gym as personal trainers. Holloway, who owns 12 American, junior and collegiate records, also is looking to add one more. "I'm just trying to have the best meet I can have," the 123-pound Holloway said. "With the meet being here, I can relax a little more. I should be a lot more comfortable with it being in my hometown."
At 5 feet tall, Holloway played basketball and ran track but started lifting as a freshman at Louisiana Tech.
"I kind of just jumped in it. I never did weightlifting in high school," the 25-year old said. "My [resident adviser] was on the team and asked me to come work out. I didn't have anything else to do. I just walked into practice, and it went from there."
Other competitors include world-record-holders Wade Hooper, an energetic high school teacher from Louisiana, and Brian Siders, a gentle-natured psychologist from West Virginia who is "a totally different person on the lifting platform," according to a press release.
Fans should come out to see some of the strongest men in the world and support the lifters, Holloway said. The sport is gaining popularity, and there's a push to make powerlifting an Olympic event.
"We're trying to get as much exposure as possible," Holloway said. "It's very exciting. There are a lot of charismatic competitors, so it's a real fun event."

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Damarrio "Doc" Holloway currently owns 12 American, junior and collegiate powerlifting records.
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Caleb Williams (right) trains for the Quest American Invitational Powerlifting Championships. At 148 pounds, the 21-year-old already holds American records in bench, squat and total weight.