It should come as no surprise that in order to be an elite speed skater, one must develop a ton of leg strength and stamina.
The best speed skaters in the world need balance and focus, but also the strength to drive their legs at high speeds on the ice. Jordan Stolz, the United States’ star speed skater who claimed two gold medals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, is no exception.
Photos of Stolz’s legs went viral thoughout his time in Milan, as he’s built unusually massive quads that have helped him become an Olympic medalist. And along the way, he’s even earned some comparisons to another star U.S. athlete known for his huge quads: Saquon “Saquads” Barkley of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Here’s a look at Stolz’s massive leg muscles and how his athletic frame compares to Barkley.
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Jordan Stolz leg muscles photo
Olympic speed skaters don’t exactly train like other athletes do. In their sport, the goal strength-wise is simple: massive legs lead to more speed, but a massive upper-body can hold a skater back.
Here’s a photo of Stolz’s quads:
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Jordan Stolz vs. Saquon Barkley
Comparing Jordan Stolz to Saquon Barkley in terms of weight and full athleticism isn’t apples-to-apples — they train very differently for very different sports. While Stolz is focused solely on leg strength, Barkley, also known for his massive legs while earning the “Saquads” nickname, trains his whole body for taking big hits every Sunday.
However, a recent comparison between Stolz and Barkley’s quad muscles went viral during the 2026 Winter Olympics, also offering insight into their respective weights.
While Stolz is around 180 pounds, Barkley is around 230.
Quite the tale of the tape. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/2RF5Cu8koy
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Jordan Stolz training routine details
With how much leg strength is a focus for speed skaters, training routines are dominated by squats and other leg-focused exercises.
In fact, Jordan Stolz told Men’s Health that he’s “done bench press once or twice in the last three years,” despite having huge muscles on his legs. Squats are a significant part of Stolz’s workouts, including single-leg squats for up to 50 reps, a lot of plyometric moves and riding a bike for up to five hours.
“I don’t do anything upper body, just because we want to be as light up top as we possibly can,” Stolz told Men’s Health.
While also aiming to stay at a lighter weight so he can skate quickly, Stolz heavily focuses on leg workouts.
Here’s a video of one of his squat workouts, where he is throwing around 352 pounds:
Stolz previously told NBC that he’s “not gonna say” what his max squat number is, but he was doing “rapid-fire” squats with 325 pounds. However, he also told Silent Sports Magazine that he squats “more than” 400 pounds, adding that he didn’t want his competition to know exact weights.
“My weight training program is mainly squats,” he said. “In October, I do weights twice a week. Later in the season, I’ll cut it back.”
