Blog: “Bodybuilding makes me feel like a superhero”
Activity Alliance features a blog post every Friday. This year we have been sharing experiences of disabled people involved in sport and exercise at all levels. Today, we continue this theme and hear from bodybuilder Shiraz Arif on how bodybuilding makes him feel powerful in both mind and body.
Hi, my name is Shiraz, I’m 25 years old, I live in Manchester and I’m a bodybuilder. I’m currently training for my next bodybuilding competitions, which will be next year.
I have cerebral palsy, learning difficulties, Dyslexia and I have mental health problems which include anxiety and depression.
Due to the nature of my activity I mainly train on my own but occasionally I train with family, friends and work colleagues. My training schedule is pretty full on. I train in the mornings, afternoons and sometimes evenings, it all depends what day it is but I generally train five or six times a week.
I first started training when I was 16 years old, straight after finishing school. I was 24 stone back then and I wanted to lose weight so I started to train on and off for two years. At 18 I went through a traumatic experience and was mugged. However, throughout my recovery I decided I wanted to take up martial arts, and I trained in this for five years, which was until the end of 2016. Then in May 2017 I decided I wanted to do something else and that’s when I took up bodybuilding.
September last year saw me compete in my first competition and I came in second place! I was really proud of this achievement because not only was it my first competition but I had ten weeks to prepare and get into shape. I was basically 16 stone of fat but lost three stone in ten weeks - I felt really strong.
I love being active – bodybuilding makes me feel amazing and powerful, like I’m some kind of superhero from Marvel or DC. It also has an important impact on my mental health as it helps me to become strong and positive, as well as stay focussed.
Because of my physical disability, being active definitely supports me in my daily life and makes my life a lot easier. The same goes for my mental health, without what I’m doing now I wouldn’t be as positive in life. I have no other words for it, I never even thought about exercising being so beneficial to me until I started to feel a difference within myself.
During my training I often feel quite tired and I ache but I love the feeling of completing a training session. Due to my type of training I also often feel quite hungry before and after training too!
The support of my family and friends is very important to me. Bodybuilding is hard work physically and emotionally, so I really need all the support I can get to help me stay positive throughout my training.
My bodybuilding journey sees me competing in two or three competitions next year. There is one in June and another one in September and I’m really excited and pumped about them.
My advice to other disabled people wanting to get active or get into a sport is simply – just do it and don’t wait for no-one. Equally, don’t let anybody get in your way too. Once you overcome your fears and barriers, your life will be limitless. No-one or nothing will stop you from achieving your goals. Take control over your body and disabilities, don’t let them control you and your life.
I also want to say, to any disabled person struggling to start their fitness journey feel free to contact me as I am a qualified personal trainer and can help you out!
You can contact and follow Shiraz’s bodybuilding journey on his Instagram page.
If you want to be more active but aren't sure how to start, visit our dedicated webpages for advice.
