West Jordan High teacher Sheldon Russell is fueled by grit, redemption and purpose. 

The man who holds more than 80 state, national and world powerlifting records — and once deadlifted 700 pounds at age 47 to become the oldest Utahn ever to do it — was once told he’d never even graduate high school. 

“My second-grade teacher told my parents I wouldn’t graduate,” Russell said, who holds a doctorate degree. “I nearly died at age 16 in what was an attempt; my heart rate got down to 15.” 

From his lowest point to the top of the lifting platform, Russell’s journey is powered by the same force that drives him today — not the weight on the bar, but the weight he helps lift from others’ shoulders.

Sheldon Russell, a West Jordan High special education teacher, has more than 80 state, national and world powerlifting records. (Photo courtesy Sheldon Russell)

“I grew up in a very dysfunctional home,” he said. “I dropped out of school and I went and got LSD at Sugar House Park when I was 16 years old.” 

When he returned to school, administrators told him he couldn’t come back without meeting strict requirements. But one man, his high school counselor, Dean Collett, stepped in. 

“He said, ‘No, give him a chance.’ He was like a dad to me. He was even the best man at my wedding,” Russell said.

That second chance, combined with a new love for the weight room, sparked a new way of thinking. 

“I took weightlifting when I was in the ninth grade at Highland High,” he said. “I had five Fs and two As. The As were in basketball and weightlifting. I broke a record, deadlifting 530 pounds at 17, at a buck 80 (180 pounds). When I realized that, I thought, ‘If I can do this, why can’t I be a straight A student?”

 That realization of grit and drive became his driving force. 

“I suddenly made this connection in my mind — if I can lift this heavy weight up with hard work and determination, I could do that to succeed in school and life,” he said. “So, I stuck with that. I carried that mentality all the way to a doctorate degree in educational leadership.”

Married, working odd jobs and scraping through college — earning $4.90 an hour as an apartment maintenance worker — Russell stumbled into what would become his life’s calling. 

“Jordan Valley School needed a 17-hour (part-time) assistant,” he says. “I was going to major in criminal justice, be a police officer. It just didn’t feel right. Special ed is my passion.”

For 31 years, Russell has been a force in public education. He served in administration, but he chose to return to teaching special education and coaching unified sports at West Jordan High. His class focuses on life skills, helping students with intellectual disabilities learn to live independently. 

 With a collection of action figures, and Superman in particular, Sheldon Russell combines his passion with powerlifting, having deadlifted 700 pounds in one competition. (Photo courtesy Sheldon Russell)

“We teach them skills to become independent adults, to learn social skills, job skills and transportation skills,” he said, adding he takes his students out into the community every week. “We do a lot of community-based training with shopping and managing a budget. I’m proud of that, because I’m the one who got that ball rolling. Now all the high schools are doing it.”

Russell also coaches the school’s unified sports team which brings together students with and without disabilities to play side by side. One of his four soccer teams was runner-up at the state championship.

“This team has made monumental progress from their first game to now; they pass better and they’re more aggressive,” he said. “They’ve honed in on some drills, that’s helped a lot. They’ve understood the game more, which has helped them to get to this ability. Anytime they can improve is celebratory, for sure. It’s a win.”

Jordan Education Foundation Executive Director Mike Haynes has seen Russell on the sidelines, teaching and motivating his team, from tying a shoe to directing a play.

 “He’s good with them and his kids love him. He's about changing their lives,” Haynes said. 

When Russell isn’t at school, he often can be found at his home gym or with a tight crew of powerlifters who push and support each other like family. Haynes is one of them. 

“We both won the American Powerlifting Federation national championships in the summer of 2023,” Russell said. “I bulked up to the 308-pound class and did full power and won my division. Mike did bench and won his division at 165.”

Their friendship is built with the bar and bench. 

“There’s nothing better than the bond you create,” Russell said. “I’ve known Mike through social media, but we’ve only really known each other for three years. Mike’s one of my best friends now. There’s something about the physical struggle and encouraging each other through it that creates an incredible bond.”

Jordan Education Foundation Executive Director Mike Haynes, who regularly trains with Sheldon Russell, has become a close powerlifting buddy. (Photo courtesy Sheldon Russell)

That bond extends to Scott Mecham, who he lifts with on Tuesdays along with Haynes, as well as his Saturday crew.

To Russell, powerlifting isn’t about numbers; it’s about community. 

“This group is close, it’s more intimate. Whether you’re lifting 50 pounds or 700 pounds, they’re going to cheer for you because the competition is against yourself. It’s a very cool group,” he said.

His own records — 80 across federations, including the 700-pound deadlift — speak volumes, but he shrugs them off. 

“Records are cool, yeah, but they’re secondary. I’m more concerned with going in and at 50 years young, outlifting or lifting as much as the young guys, which I do on a regular basis,” he said.

Behind the strength, though, lies a quieter fight. 

“I struggle and battle with depression, and I have for years,” he said. “I can hide it pretty well, I can go to work and function and everything, but I get really depressed. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been down in the dumps and been in a weight room and hit some insane weight. It’s my medicine for mental health. If you can do hard things in a weight room, you can do hard things anywhere.”

Russell doesn’t do anything halfway – not weights, not reading, not collecting action figures. 

“I once set a goal to do 10,000 bench press reps in one year and I hit 20,000. I’ve read over 23,000 pages so far this year; I probably read at least a couple hundred books a year. I probably have more action figures than everyone in South Jordan combined. I set weird goals, but when I’m into something, I am all in,” he laughs.

From the smallest kid in his second-grade class to one of the strongest Utahns in his sport, Russell’s story is living proof of resilience. 

“As a troubled child, I thought I had no talent at all,” he said. “When I got in the weight room, I realized talent didn’t matter. It was how hard you worked and how determined you were.” 

That’s the lesson he passes on to his students every day. 

“If you can convince yourself you can do hard things, that carries over,” he said. “That’s the interesting thing about powerlifting, it teaches you about struggle, about doing hard things – that grind and the endorphin rush and the excitement of doing something you're good at and then celebrating that.”