Ambivalid–you a male or female bodybuilder?
As I grew more knowledgeable about my new body, how to adapt my training to my paralyzed body and how it responded to that training, my self-confidence grew. In that way I believe it has helped me with “all things woman”. But it is more of an indirect influence. I’m not sure who the average woman is who finds me attractive.
First of all, I have a less common form of spinal-cord injury which spared the sensation in my lower body; so I can still feel everything everywhere. And I am not into super heavy lifting; I never do one-rep max lifts or even rarely any sets below six reps. My typical rep range is anywhere from 6-10 reps. With my rotator cuff injuries I am also somewhat limited in the amount of heavy weight I can handle with certain exercises.
Male.
You ever have friends give you shit about how the look you’re going for is gross? If so, does it ever bother you?
No, if anything it’s been quite the opposite; most of my guy friends are a bit envious (playfully so) and my friends who are girls (most, at least) consider the look (the natural one at least) attractive. The veins; the veins, however, not everyone digs the veins. That is more of an “acquired taste”, I guess. 
I like my veins, though. 
I will say, this is an issue that probably plays differently for female bodybuilders that it does for their male counterparts. The whole obstacle (for lack of a better term) that is the social-stigma of sorts surrounding female bodybuilding is something I can’t comment on.
Any women competitors? How independent are you in the gym?in life in general?
Sorry, just read the end of the thread, few female bb.
If you’d read the thread, you’d see that I’ve already answered the first question a couple times; but yes, women compete and have their own division.
I do depend on the assistance and help of others for a lot of what I do in the gym. With that being said, I am extremely independent and I have always worked out solo in the gym. However, some of my solutions and problem-solving techniques for overcoming training pitfalls related to my disability require outside help.
The wheelchair-pullups are probably the easiest example; I have a guy on each side of my chair grab it and lift me up to the pull up bar, where I grab it and perform a set of pullups (I am strapped into my chair with a heavy duty velcro strap). When I’m done, I simply drop to the ground as I’m just a few inches above it when fully extended. I need those guys.
Another example is the help with the setup for my version of incline dumbbell rows. In order for me to be able to have enough room for a full range of motion when lying chest down on the bench, I must raise the bench higher up off the ground. To do this, I have to stack four 45lb plate-weights on top of each other under each end of the bench and have someone else lift up the bench and place it on top of the plates. I need this help as well.
In life? Well, a bit sweeping for this thread but I am fairly independent in life in general as well, I suppose. I own my own home and I live by myself (well, me and my attack dog that is ;)) and everything that entails…
Sorry this is not totally on topic in this thread … but I did want to ask you a couple of things:
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Was that you I just heard on CBC’s Definitely Not The Opera (DNTO) being interviewed by Sook-Yin Lee?
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Assuming it was (if it isn’t they were stealing your old userid & your story previously told here), do you do a lot of interviews or was that a one off?
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How did they get in contact with you (or you with them)?
Very cool hearing someone who previously was only printed words on screen.
I thought you interviewed very well.
Ha! Yes! That was me. You are the first person I’ve heard from that has heard it. I havent even heard it myself. Taj, the production man from the CBC station, hasn’t gotten back in touch with me as to when it will be available online.
I don’t do many interviews at all. Actually, other than the couple of local news stories done on this event, this interview was my only one.
The way I was contacted was a bit strange, or at least funny. This man, Taj Hasserlis (or something close), initially found me on Facebook after finding my story after googling “parking lot stories” for his radio show. However, that wasn’t the way I first heard about him trying to reach me. I wasn’t at home when he sent the FB message, and when I got to my gym that day to work out (which is Planet Fitness), the staff stopped me at the front desk to tell me a man named Taj Hasserlis wanted to interview me about my parking lot story at my old gym for a CBC radio show. He would like me to call him. Um, ok, how did this man find me at my gym?? Well, it turns out that in the article he found on my story, they mention the new gym I am at (Planet Fitness) and how much better things are there compared to my old gym.
And thank you! 
I appreciate that, I really do. I felt like I kinda bombed it. :smack: