DAN SMITH, IFBB
WHEELCHAIR PRO
“I first decided to compete in
2004 as a first timer,” begins Dan.
“I had always wanted to become
a bodybuilder. I’d been lifting and
showing an interest in the sport for
years, but had only really engaged
in it as a hobby. One day, I decided
I’d take that step and give competing
a shot.”
DAN SMITH IS AN IFBB PRO BODYBUILDER.
HE’S IN A WHEELCHAIR, BUT THAT HASN’T
STOPPED HIM LIVING HIS DREAM. DAN SHARED
HIS INSPIRATIONAL STORY WITH FLEX.
/// BY
DARREN NICHOLHURST
///
PHOTOGRAPHS BY FIVOS AVERKIOU
But just weeks after Dan took the
plunge towards his passion, he was
hit by a terrible accident.
“I fell through a skylight and
dropped 20 feet, smashing into the
floor,” he says. “I broke my back and
spent the following six months in
rehab at the National Spine Unit at
Stoke Mandeville. I suddenly had to
learn a new way of life, a life that
meant I’d be confined to a wheel-
chair. I was devastated. I can’t begin
to explain the pain I was in- not just
in my body, but also in my mind. Not
only was my life going to change
dramatically, but the lives of the
people around me would too.”
Dan eventually returned home
having lost 5 stone. He was certain
his bodybuilding days were over.
“I decided to build a gym in my
garden for rehab, but hardly used
it for the first 6 months,” he recalls.
“I was in a constant battle with my
mind and body. I was in a really
horrible place.”
Dan’s bodybuilding mentality was
pushing him not to give in, but his
physical state was working against
him.
“I built the gym, but just couldn’t
get my head around having to start
from scratch,” he says. “Not only
had I lost my lower body mobility,
but I’d also lost a huge amount of
muscle.”
In good time, a close friend came
knocking and insisted on training
with Dan.
APRIL 2018 | FLEX
31