Home/Bodybuilding

It’s not every day that you come across a prodigy who absolutely redefines how we view strength. However, 13-year-old Emily Ibanez has done just that after squatting 345 lbs with nothing but a belt and knee wraps. The Youth World Championship silver medalist broke the internet with her lift, and people couldn’t believe their eyes. However, Greg Doucette has chimed in to help people make sense of it.

The 48-year-old IFBB Pro generally doesn’t hold back when he finds something that seems too good to be true. Coach Greg regularly calls out young bodybuilding sensations like Sam Sulek and doesn’t hesitate to label them ste***d users. However, this time, the retired competitive powerlifter took a much more measured stance and made a claim some might find surprising.

Why Greg Doucette believes Ibanez is “100% natural”

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

A 13-year-old teenager squatting 345 lbs is an insane feat of strength regardless of gender. People had a hard time believing that a 13-year-old kid could squat so much weight while being natural. Greg Doucette said the internet thinks she is on st***ds. However, Coach Greg said that Ibanez is “100% natural,” in his opinion. He also believes that Ibanze is “still too young,” to be on PEDs, and her parent won’t make that mistake.

Why did the bodybuilding coach have such confidence in Emily Ibanez’s parents? “Both her parents are professional coaches,” revealed Doucette. The bodybuilder explained that there are multiple reasons why he believes the teen is not using ste***ds. Doucette said that the kid has “amazing genetics,” has been training for years with parents who are coaches, and was a gymnast.

Hence, Doucette believes that Emily Ibanez has built the sufficient base that’s required for her to grow so strong. The IFBB pro believes that the perfect storm of circumstances helped the teen become a prodigy among prodigies. Greg Doucette also believes that he won’t be surprised if she naturally grows up to be much stronger.

Watch this story | “Gripping Pain on My Ribs”: weeks After Heart Surgery, 55 Y.O. Elite Bodybuilder Unveils Terrifying Hospital Experience

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

The 58-year-old reason that puberty has just started for the youngster, and as she grows, she’ll get stronger. However, the bodybuilder also didn’t rule out the possibility of PED use completely.

When it really was too good to be true

Greg Doucette referenced another child prodigy who shocked the world after bending 240 lbs (raw) at 13. However, the Russian teen Maryana Naumova later came under scrutiny during sanctioned drug testing. The Canadian bodybuilding hoped that Emily Ibanez’s parents wouldn’t take similar risks.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

“I certainly don’t believe that her parents think that she needs to take performance enhancing drugs to succeed,” the formerly enhanced bodybuilder said in the video. Coach Greg had a harrowing experience with PEDs and hopes that Eimly Ibanez or her parents consent to ste***d use to break a few world records.

Read More | “He Is Doing It All Wrong”: Days After Trashing Sam Sulek’s Cardio Routine, IFBB Pro Coach Goes Berserk Over His Cut Phase