When student-athletes choose to play on a sports team in college, they not only have high expectations of themselves, but also of their teammates. In addition to competing on the field, on the court, or on the ice, student-athletes are expected to develop a regimented exercise program. What stands out the most with student-athletes is their dedication to the sport that they play, even after their game is done. Student-athletes always strive to perform better, pushing through the hardest and most stressful times in order to come out on top. As the saying goes, “No pain, no gain!”

I may not appear to be the athletic type; however, similar to student-athletes, I have the determination and motivation to strengthen my physical abilities so that I can feel empowered to go the extra mile. Pushing beyond my limits is what I force myself to do because I no longer wish to use a wheelchair for 99% of my daily life.

In the summer of 2014, I started training at the UFC Gym in Springfield, PA, thanks to my older sister who had already been training there for a year. My sister went out of her way to ask her trainer if he would meet with me to see if he could help me in any way. Prior to going to the UFC Gym, I lifted weights and used therabands at home, but I wanted something more intense. Working out with a trainer is much more vigorous than most exercise programs that are done at home, so I was pumped to take personalized lessons. I am very thankful to my sister who has always been a huge protector and who has always wished that I was not faced with so many challenges due to having cerebral palsy. She thought that taking one-on-one lessons would assist with my overall strength as well as boost my self-esteem. She hit the nail on the head!

The first couple of months that I attended the UFC Gym was an adjustment period for my trainer and myself because we had to figure out what exercises I was capable of doing from my power wheelchair. Not familiar with working with clients in my circumstance, my trainer was not fazed by throwing vigorous exercises at me; my disability did not matter to him in terms of exercise routines. I recently learned that my trainer was in fact a little hesitant when we first met because he was concerned that he would be unable to help me. Well, it certainly did not take long before my trainer learned that I wanted to be pushed hard like any of his other clients.

As we continued working together and became more comfortable with each other, I requested to throw some punches and lift weights from the mat. After realizing that I could get out of my wheelchair, my trainer and I worked on the mat for the majority of our one-hour sessions together. Doing exercises without the confines of my wheelchair was challenging at first, but it only enabled me to strengthen my core and my balance. I use a power wheelchair for the majority of my daily life, so having the opportunity to take my wheelchair out of the equation for a short period of time provides me freedom in my mobility.

Eventually I began to box with my trainer in the ring, which had been my wish for a while, but my wheelchair played a major factor. It was decided that I didn’t need my wheelchair in the ring; with the help of awesome coaches, I was lifted out of my wheelchair and into the ring. It was the best feeling to box in the ring like everyone else! Instead of standing, I box from a high-kneeling position, which really forces me to work on my balance, hip strength, and core strength while throwing mean punches.

My latest feat was standing at uneven bars and throwing punches with my left hand while stabilizing myself with my right hand; this accomplishment was the greatest one by far since I started working out at the UFC Gym in 2014. I thought that boxing on my knees in the ring was an amazing accomplishment, but standing while throwing punches empowered me to reach for higher heights, to test my limits even more. As for my next goal at the UFC Gym…it is to stand up unsupported while throwing punches with both hands. It will take a great amount of endurance to work up to this goal, but I am not one who shies away from a physical challenge.

Going to the UFC Gym is different from physical therapy. Sure, they both involve pushing your body, but trainers at the gym focus primarily on personal strengthening goals whereas physical therapists focus on goals to help patients function independently before discharging them. My UFC trainer understands that I don’t work with him to receive an extra therapy session; rather, I want to build muscle and overall strength just like every other able-bodied person.

I continue to work out with my trainer at the UFC Gym as well as with two other trainers from time to time. The satisfaction that I get when I enter the gym is like no other. I am surrounded by amazing trainers who all share a very important thing in common: training hard no matter your physical ability is a key to empowering ourselves to become happier, stronger, and healthier people. This is my belief as well, which is one reason why the trainers and I get along so well. I would assume that this belief is also held by the student-athletes at Neumann in order for them to keep achieving extraordinary things whether on the playing surface or in life in general!