Skyler Brandt graduated from Hastings High School in 2018, the son of Jana and Scott Brandt. Brother Chase, 14, is still at home; older sister Jenny Endsley, 30, and brother Kent, 27, are on their own and both live in Bellevue. Skyler works with his dad in Brandt Logging, the family business.
Pretty normal for a kid so far. But, Skyler is one of a kind in the world.
At the age of 19, following 14 weeks of training, he won the title of “Strongest Teen in the World” in an American Powerlifting Federation Illinois competition.
Skyler now says he “is in a good place,” but it didn’t come easy.
His interest in power lifting started at the end of his freshmen year in school. He tried the other sports, hurt his knees in football more than once and none of the other sports seemed to work for him; on top of that, his freshman year was tough for him.
He began lifting at 13, starting out on equipment in the family garage; moving on to buddy’s basement and now at The Other Body Shop here in Hastings. Weightlifting is a solitary sport, but it worked for him. He went “all in” in lifting at 15 and could deadlift 700 pounds in high school.
“That’s when I truly became happy with myself.”
Mom says Skyler is extremely dedicated to his workout schedule.
“We’re very proud of his dedication. He’s just a nice, sweet kid, very social. He always says “I love you mom,” when he leaves the house. Even in front of his buddies, he’s not afraid to give me hug.”
Skyler gives thanks to special friend, Kathy Dayus, his pal Jason’s mom, for putting up with the noise and banging around in her basement for years when the boys were starting out. “She put up with a lot; she’s great,” he said. His coach, Ernest Lillibridge, Sr. has been competing for 30 years and is still competing; his two sons also compete. “My coaches are sponsored athletes, they compete for a living,” he said.
On March 31 when he earned the title, “The Strongest Teenager in the World.” These are stats that won him the title: 380 kg/837.7 lbs in the Squat, 207.5 kg/457.5 lbs in the Bench Press, and 335 kg/738.5 lbs in Deadlift for a total of 922.5 kg/2,034 lbs. The numbers are the highest raw total of any teenage competitor in the world. In the records books, he is now fifth in all- time records.
“I wanted to be the best, so I reached out to the best. I can’t thank @ernielilliebridgesr and his sons for helping me so much along the way. They’ve been nothing but helpful and supportive of me since the start, and I’m proud to be a part of their team,” he said after his win.
He doesn’t care about crowd size at an event. His support team numbers just three, his girlfriend Jacqueline Pemberton, and best buddies Jason Dayus and Andrew Mart, who also lift.
To wind down after the competition, Skyler and Jackie ordered Chicago style deep-dish pizza in their hotel room. He credits her with keeping him on an even keel when he gets nervous before 
competitions, and he does get nervous.
But, when the lifting begins, there are no nerves. When he won the title, “everything came together perfectly.” His handle on his Instagram account is “The Michigan Monster,” and he’s happy with the name. At 340 pounds at 5 feet 11 inches, he’s used to the jokes about his job in logging, “Why don’t you just pick up the logs and carry them out.”?
His diet is the hardest part of his work; to maintain his weight where it is, he gets protein and lots of carbs in five meals a day. He makes sure he’s hydrated when working out and competing.
Next in a national competition June 16 in Grand Rapids; he figures he has about 10 weeks to train for that. His last competition, as a teen, is two days before his 20th birthday on Sept. 16 in South Carolina.
He knows his powerlifting takes away from family time. He’s going to take some time off, he plans to “go on vacations with my family and Jackie. I know how much they put up with by supporting me,” he said.
With the hard work, he has gained success in something as the best in the world but that’s just the start of Skyler’s story. He’ll be finding a sponsor and who knows, may match the accomplishments, or even surpass the success, of his mentor, coach and friend, Ernie Lillibridge Sr.
Photos: (upper left) Skyler Brandt shows emotion in winning the “Strongest Teen in the World” title.
(lower right) A more relaxed Skyler Brandt says he will take some time off from power lifting later this summer.
