Adapting Through The Fear…

I’m not sure exactly when, but suddenly, the penny dropped…EVERYBODY is in here to improve..

Despite entering the gym to improve my fitness 6 years ago, without a doubt, many thoughts wondered across my mind (as I’m sure many do) as I scanned the room… how on earth do you / can you do this?
What if I drop something and hurt my hand, what if I get trapped in that press, what if I look stupid, what if they think I shouldn’t be here. I’m not sure how removed from other people’s experiences that thought process was but I remember those moments from years back.

I’m not sure exactly when, but suddenly, the penny dropped…EVERYBODY is in here to improve…The gym “doesn’t know what they’re doing” memes seemed to have gone – or certainly replaced with words of encouragement, appreciation that if you see a beginner, people acknowledge & celebrate a start of a journey.

One of many aspects that I celebrate is the ability to feel comfortable to try new ways of working. With Cerebral Palsy, I have a natural curiosity to challenge & adapt throughout many areas and the gym is no different. THIS is why I celebrate training so much for the disabled community. Everyone has a unique, equal platform to work from, different goals and obstacles to overcome. The fitness community are as one to push themselves to new levels.


My personal adaptions currently include…

– Ankle Strap for Left sided cables

– Wrist support to hold my hand in a secure position

– Liquid chalk (The position my hand sits in results in a softer palm, after discovering the use of chalk for lifts, it assists grip)

Whilst there wasn’t a manual to set me on my course, a number of early PT sessions helped me to learn form and expertise as to discover getting through obstacles.

The development of my training has never really ceased. There is so much joy to be had from testing new techniques, seeing what works for you & changing the routine to make improvements and evolve.

What ignited this blog piece was a new technique I’ve tried (inspired by Emma Hyndman, The Posing Pro…Thanks Emma!), involved changing my grips (using ankle straps) for both left and right arms for a Lat variation using cables…

Check out the video below… 

​

​
The nature of my training programmes I have used encourage and almost demand rotation (suited to my ability and goals I’ve set) 

My message here to keep trying new adaptions to train, start with a low weight and try out what suits your movement structure, seek advice if you’re not sure, but remember, everyone is there to try and make improvements, to try and see how far they can take their ability. You too, have got this!!

Learning to celebrate my disability through bodybuilding…

Bodybuilding: Changing my mindset to my disability.

More than lifting…

10 years ago I disliked referring to myself as disabled. I cringe at that now, but, for me at the time it was about a fight for an equal platform, not to showcase with my ability but to prove that I could do things despite my disability.
A number of factors compounded over a number of years have helped me redefine my thinking & mindset with my disability.
I celebrate it now, it’s part of me (note to self that over time, it always has been) not something to hide in my sleeve (literally…I hated my left hand). 
Two turning points  provided the evolution of celebrating it…
1. connection with others in a similar position
2. My fitness Journey

Prior to this decade, I wasn’t fit, I didn’t really feel purposeful with it – I knew there was potential but it was tapping into it – the mindset that I’m not at a disadvantage, that I can put myself in the right frame to go training and adapt to fit a goal has changed everything.

Coupled with a desire to find out & learn from a number of people that have become friends in our disability category (you know who you are & I thank you so much) who helped me along the way, sharing their experiences, their goals and their own ways with adapting, which made me realise what I could with potential and then see that develop.

It started with mindset, it helped with the lifts…and continues to do so…

And I now celebrate my disability rather than hide it…

I owe it to them…

I love competing. The work, the discipline, the rewards, the health, the energy and the friendship.

A great place to start this would be to go WAY back and try to question & establish those drivers that set me & no doubt countless others up on that path.

I’ve toiled with the notion of the impact of my disability over a number of years with my training.

More to the point, yes something does drive me but from where? 

Well, there are aspects that have come into play over the years and a fusion of feelings and focus that have presented this path I’m on…BUT it tracks back to 3 people – A doctor, their assessment of life ahead with cerebral palsy and the discussions about what lay ahead for me with my Mum & Dad & what challenges my parents would face bringing me up after being told:

“He’ll walk with a limp, won’t run & won’t play sports…”

Adapting from something from birth is different from a change mid way through my life, I adapted around my environment – The challenge was for, prior to any possible previous expectation, my parents. It was they who instilled the equal platforms, the lookout for opportunities, the ones that steered the attitude of the inevitably frustrated youngster who may have thought of giving up when growing up. 

It would have been easier and understandable to wrap me in wool, to accept that things may prove too difficult. And yeah, I walk with a limp, but providing the platforms for me to play rugby my own way & finding a way to eventually swim did the trick. 

Looking back, it set the tone to keep going. Not unnecessarily attempting things without purpose, but to take a different, non traditional view of how things work and I will be forever thankful. It’s that mentality that I stay with me forever.

Thanks Mum. Thanks Dad

A Warm Welcome…


A warm welcome to my new website – Disabilitybodybuilding.com!

I’ve had a blog for some time, looking at different aspects of positive stories, tells of greats feats across the globe & some of my owns views on personal development, which I’ll keep on the site.

From this I’ve tried a number of different ways to engage and evolve it over the years & this transition of the site represents a body of work that I am so passionate about – Disability Bodybuilding.

I’m 34, with cerebral palsy & I’ve competed in mixed disability bodybuilding competitions for 3 years. I can tell you now that it has had such a positive impact on my life throughout that time. I want to provide a springboard to those thinking of or are competing to engage and to build awareness of the category.
Its aims will be to not just chart my own journey, but to promote the sport as whole, in the UK and across the globe. Social Media has provided the platform from which we can now connect & engage with athletes right around the world from all continents and I want to help bring awareness to this growing sport across all abilities.

It will be a source to find events from where competitors can see where there are opportunities to compete and to showcase those where I can either be there in person or online.

We have seen massive growth in terms of numbers in the UK & abroad – breaking down barriers, overcoming challenges to reach the stage and continue to showcase the best in the sport in a number of ways.

There is more to come in 2020,but for now I shall say thank you for your time and I look forward to providing some exciting content about the category, progress and forthcoming events with opportunities for athletes…

All the best,

Matt

How to extend your bounce…

Everything is clicking into place, ideas are flowing & fast you’re picking up momentum. Wouldn’t this be great all day?

Have you got that one period of time when you get a run of creativity – what drives that? Is there is anything in that environment that allows or encourages that to happen – On the James Altucher Show, Sarah Blakely discusses the important of having the time to think “how much to you spend alone thinking”.

Through meditation, exercise and creating that space to allow the mind to wonder, I continue to examine how and why I feel more creative at particular points of the day. 

The very purpose of allowing time to think is to get the mind in readiness for the impending creativeness, but you cannot just flick a switch and command it. It seldom comes instantly, but I’ve found setting the surroundings to harvest the best atmosphere for creativity to flow is the biggest challenge in finding that golden idea(s). 

It has to be practiced, so be consistent. There may be more than one concept, it may not connect straight away, you may also be searching for it still, but never stop trying to find space to free your mind to provide the best opportunities 🙌

The day is long, but the ‘dream’ is BIG…

4.30 -The alarm goes off, no fancy fanfare, just the time that I’ve become accustomed to waking. The reason? Born from a desire to fit my physical training BEFORE work so I can see my family later in the day, making it the ideal time to get up. 

The difference in making time as opposed to ‘having time’ became abundantly clear when working out where to fit my training in. 

My ‘secret’ in making sense of the world at that time is mixture of meditation, reading a couple of paragraphs of something inspiring  together with two staples that are my go-to’s every morning…

1) A Green tea – wakes the senses up pretty much instantaneously 

2) Darren Hardy’s Darren Daily. A free mentoring resource that delivers a springboard every single weekday which is often direct, always thought provoking but also never fails to inspire EVERY episode.

The 10 minute investment in time to consume the above sets my day on the right course, empowering me to define what to focus on and most importantly – how I make the best out of what action I take in the hours ahead.

I highly recommend Darren Daily, it’s a supercharged start to the day!!

Finding more time, with ‘less of it…’

On the one hand, I’m ‘busier’ than ever…I’m a Daddy of 2 girls, Husband, Marketing Manager and in my ‘spare time’ I compete in disability bodybuilding competitions…

I also want to meditate & write daily – plus read a book a month. I had written these goals down a while back as a result of trying to put in place some incremental improvements. Have I got to a book a month yet? No – my vision was of 250 page blocks, my 1st of the batch was to tackle the great Tony Robbins texts…

If you’d ever read any of his books, you’d know that they have the potential to be life changing, they certainly aren’t passive reads! I find myself stopping often – measuring, reflecting and writing more. 

At this stage, the better practice would be to allocate time investment, rather than aiming for page numbers. If that means staying up later or waking just 20 mins earlier, I find that to be more valuable (making the time as oppose to not having the time)

Awaken the Giant Within is without a doubt, is one of most influential books I’ve read, I owe it to myself and my family, friends & colleagues to make time to digest every single page in a way which requires action to what I’ve read..

A Shaky start but you can end up winning friends…

I picked up the phone, I shook. Not just in my voice, but my hands & in my legs too.

Had something terrible happened? 

NO! QUITE THE OPPOSITE! I had just landed a great job –  which, I Knew, would provide the springboard I needed for my career.

The desire, at 22, to impress was so strong it emotionally challenged me – But no one else placed that pressure upon me. It was my perception of the world in front of me. 

My mistake was not the preparation that led to the quiet weed sound of my voice at the end of the line, the script, nor the support, which was there – It was my focus on the fear of getting things wrong as opposed to a focus on getting things right.

I got better with experience and practice as with everything in life, but that fear was quite apparent in the first few hours. 

But something amazing happened. I was given a recommendation to buy of a copy “How to Win Friends & Influence People” and suddenly, it all made sense and I began an incredible journey – which I’m still on today – (we’ll continue that train of thought in a later post) but IF you want to learn, develop and delight in making connections in any walk of life – invest £6.99 & the time to digest the 292 pages and ENJOY!

MME

What Next??? Remaining in the 5am Club Post Comp

Whilst I have a few training sessions left leading up to the PCA Finals in Birmingham, some have asked what next?

After effectively being in a competition prep stage for 6 months, the first thing to address is a rest. I have gladly put my body through a gruelling pattern of training and it does require a pause at some point! Secondly, having been very strict diet wise, I’m due a few treats! 🙂 (including the giant Easter Egg that has been saved and still in date!)

Other than making a list of foods that have remained ‘off limits’ for a while, my thoughts have started to turn to ‘what next’? Why is that so important? Well, for one the habits I’ve developed are so embedded in my daily routine, there is almost a sense of caution as to what would happen after the competitions? Certainly, my goal is to still compete in the sport of disability bodybuilding and to get better, my lean frame providing the impetus to push and add some size over a series of months, which, it must be said, I’m quite looking forward to consuming more carbs!!

On the other hand, some habits that supported the efforts throughout the last few months, such as the early get ups, meditation, reading, writing have really helped me on my journey and I’ve no intention of changing that. It has helped in more ways than just inside the gym. It’s shaped a framework that continues to grow & build in developing what I want, how to get better in many aspects of my life, both personally & professionally. The earlier I’ve done this, the more time I’ve created to develop these habits & I want to continue that. To get better, every day.

Have a great day folks 👍