KID’S TOUGH
New documentary spotlights pint-sized New Jersey powerlifter who can crush men twice her size at the gym
COMPETING with Team USA this summer at the Pan American Championships in Florida, 16-year-old Naomi Kutin dead-lifted an incredible 365 pounds.
The high-school junior from Fair Lawn, NJ, has been nicknamed “Supergirl” ever since she broke a world record in 2012 by squatting 215 pounds in the 97-pound weight class at the tender age of 9.
The record was previously held by a 44-year-old German woman.
Now Naomi, a modern Orthodox Jew who always competes wearing a T-shirt under her singlet for reasons of modesty, is the subject of the documentary “Supergirl,” airing Dec. 18 on PBS. The movie was filmed for three years, when she was between ages 11 and 14.
“I wanted to do [the film] because I thought it was a great opportunity to show people that you can be an Orthodox Jew and a world-class powerlifter and still be religious,” she tells The Post.
The teen, who trains with her father, Ed, in the family’s basement, points out that some stricter sects frown upon girls doing any type of sports at all.
“I wear long shorts when I train but my everyday skirts are below the knee,” she says.
Naomi’s success has drawn attention to the potential health risks of a developing girl performing intense powerlifts, with some critics speculating that the rigorous sport is more suited to adults and could potentially stunt growth.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and National Institutes of Health sanction powerlifting and bodybuilding only after adolescents have reached skeletal maturity — at 14 for most girls and 16 for boys.
“They are particularly concerned about rapid high lifts [lifting to the neck level], which could cause back injuries,” says Manhattan pediatrician Dr. Barry Stein, assistant clinical professor at Icahn School of Medicine Mount Sinai. He also warns that lifting can put “strain on the heart.”
Naomi’s parents, however, insist their daughter was never placed in harm’s way.
“Everything Naomi does takes place under close medical supervision of our doctor. We all know her limits,” says her mom, Neshama, 54, a certified health coach.
“Supergirl” also explores other health concerns that have affected Naomi during her competitive career. They include debilitating headaches, which her mother says she successfully treated with magnesium supplements. Then there was the obsessive weight-watching so that Naomi could remain in the 97-pound category — in the film, she doesn’t eat or drink for seven hours in order to drop a pound in 1 1/2 days.
Although she still watches her weight, Naomi’s outgrown the sub-100-pound weight class and can loosen up her regime.
A typical kosher meal for Naomi these days is a 3-ounce grilled steak, served with two cups of vegetables and a baked sweet potato. She has fruit for dessert, but occasionally splurges on chocolate ice cream.
“My family has a very healthy lifestyle and [doesn’t] eat junk food,” says Naomi. “I am conscious of my weight, but don’t go to extremes [of dieting]. I eat a lot of protein to keep up with all the muscles. My regular foods are beef, fruits and vegetables.”
“I always make sure she has the right nutrition, and she doesn’t eat sweets by choice,” says Neshama.
In the winter of 2014-2015, benign tumors were discovered in Naomi’s pituitary gland, sinus cavity and eardrum (the latter tumor was removed). While they are being monitored, doctors found them to be unrelated to her powerlifting, says Naomi.
“I was super-duper worried,” she says. “I was anxious to find out what was wrong.”
Now her days are consumed by SAT prep and training for the USA Powerlifting High School National Championship in March in Wisconsin, as well as running the Jerusalem Marathon that same month.
But Supergirl relishes the challenge — and living up to her nickname.
“I’ve really adopted the name as my own,” says Naomi. “It makes me think of strength, power and confidence. It’s good.”