When Jorden Flowers, 24, tore his ACL, meniscus, and MCL playing college basketball, he was devastated and feared his days of being an athlete were over.
He spent time in a wheelchair, then on crutches, before eventually starting to nurse his knee back to health in hopes of returning to the court. Flowers started lifting again, prioritizing squats. In the process, he fell in love with lifting heavy weights.
A friend encouraged him to try powerlifting competitions. Skeptical at first, Flowers decided to give it a chance since basketball was no longer an option. Flowers’ first competition was in San Antonio in 2023, where he pushed through his nerves, surprising himself with a strong performance.
“As I continued to try and lift, I grew a real love for it,” Flowers says. He’s competed in several other states, most recently in New York, where he won the USA Powerlifting Open World Cup last summer.
Flowers is now a nationally ranked powerlifter competing in the 198 weight class. He is the number one ranked powerlifter in Tennessee and holds three records, including total lifting weight at 1700 pounds.
“Not being able to do basketball broke my heart, but powerlifting fixed it. I tore up everything in my knee, but now my knee is stronger than before the injury. Give me a bar and I can squat 600 pounds.”
Powerlifting consists of three lifts: squat — Flowers’ favorite, bench press — his least favorite, and deadlift — his strongest. Lifters get three attempts for each movement, with only the highest from each category counting toward their scores.
“The key to success in powerlifting is patiently building strength through discipline,” Flowers says. “You have to be willing to do the stuff that doesn’t necessarily feel good. It’s repetitive. Sometimes I work out with friends, and I want to do what they’re doing, but I can’t. I have to stay focused on my plan because there are some things I want to do.”
Flowers’ ultimate goal is to compete at the highest level in the IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships and the Sheffield Powerlifting Championships.
He says everything he’s doing now is preparing him for that stage. The next stop is the USA Powerlifting Southeast Regional Championships in South Carolina this fall. He’ll compete there with the hope of qualifying for the national championship.
“I want to be the best in Tennessee, and eventually, I want to be the best in the world at what I do,” Flowers says. “I’m pretty confident I can do it.”
Driven in part by his competitive mindset, Flowers enjoys sharing his love of powerlifting by coaching new lifters and is determined to be a role model for his family and community.
“Nobody in my family is an athlete,” he says. “From playing basketball, to doing this, I’m doing something nobody in my family has done. I have siblings, and I want to show them and other kids in Memphis that there are other sports for them, too. You don’t have to play basketball to be cool.”
By Maya Smith
Photo by Tindall Stephens
