It’s not every day you walk into a gym and see someone benching 300 lbs. with perfect form, much less someone missing an arm and a leg. Yet for Paul de Gelder such a seemingly impossible feat is reality, thanks to a positive mindset and inspiring fearlessness, when it comes to new life challenges and the shark that took two of his four limbs.
“Fitness was always a huge part of my life,” says de Gelder. He was an exceptional athlete and a competitive swimmer growing up, but it wasn’t until his experience with the military that de Gelder was able to hone his talents and find the focus, determination and willpower that makes him the fighter he is today.
“Before the military I had a really tough time,” says de Gelder. “I fought and clawed my way through the army paratroopers and onto the navy clearance swimmers, and I created an amazing fulfilling life. So when I got attacked by the shark I realized I had two options: I could either roll over and die or make a choice to fight and have a great life.”
“I was lying in my hospital bed after the leg surgery thinking, 'Well what do I do now?'” He chose to fight, to get his life back and decided that the only way to do it would be to keep to his regular routine. As a soldier and clearance diver, his days began with workout. “So I thought, 'Well I have nothing to do, so I’m going to start right now,'” says de Gelder. Two days after having his leg amputated, de Gelder was doing one-arm chin-ups on the bar above his bed. “That was the start and it hasn’t stopped.”
Thanks to incredible advances in prosthetic technology, de Gelder is able to hit the gym as hard as the most dedicated of gym rats. Although he can’t do front squats with his right prosthetic leg, and he has to rotate though different prosthetic arms to be able to fully extend at his elbow for specific upper body workouts, de Gelder has found creative ways to train to evenly rebuild his muscles and physique and gain back his former strength. Today, he's back in the water, training new recruits as they rise through the ranks of the Australian Navy.
“Everyone wants a great life, so that’s what I chose.”
Source: muscleandfitness.com
Photo Courtesy of : muscleandfitness.com
