Wheelchair Bodybuilders Muscle Their Way to the Top

3 minute read

When he was 16, Nick Scott was in a near-fatal car accident. He was left paralyzed from the waist down. Nonetheless, Scott, now 30, is also known in certain circles—namely, the wheelchair bodybuilding world, a universe in which his is perhaps the most recognizable face—as “The Beast.” The Beast isn’t sure of his bench press limit, only because he hasn’t yet stopped reaching for more weight. The metaphor’s an obvious one, but true: “If you want something bad enough, nothings gonna stop you from not getting it,” he has said.

And The Beast wants to spread the word: he was instrumental in the creation of the first-ever competition for certified International Federation of BodyBuilders (IFBB) Pro Wheelchair Bodybuilders, which was held last fall. The 2012 IFBB Pro Wheelchair championships took place Oct. 13 in Houston, an event open only to Scott and the dozen other men who have qualified as pros. Harold Kelley was named the winner in 2011 and 2012.

Photographer Lauren Fleishman has been documenting the sport for over a year, including that first competition. She first heard about wheelchair bodybuilding via a phone call from her cousin, who works in a hotel where a bodybuilding event took place. “I got so excited that I hung up the phone and began researching the sport,” she says.

Fleishman says that when she first began exploring the topic, she noticed that almost all of the photographs of bodybuilders, at least the ones that she could find, portrayed the participants in an almost grotesque manner. She wanted to avoid that look. “In showing a different side to it, it’s a way of connecting people, a way of changing their perceptions about the sport.”

Wheelchair bodybuilding competitions date back about 15 years, and both amateurs and professionals compete in worldwide events throughout the year. After following the participants for months, Fleishman says that, besides the normal suspense that comes with any competitive event, there’s another layer to it. “Seeing what being on stage does for them, they really, really shine,” she says. “You have a whole range of reasons why they compete, but the dedication and perseverance is really inspiring.” And it’s not just on stage: last May, in a Wal-mart in Texas, Fleishman accompanied Scott—the de facto spokesman for the sport—when he went to purchase batteries for his wheelchair, which is rigged to light up when he performs. Outside the store, a teenage boy, also in a wheelchair, approached Scott to say that he hoped one day to be like him. “You can obviously see that Nick has muscles,” says Fleishman. “The kid was impressed. It was a really nice moment to see that.”

But there has been one drawback to immersion in the wheelchair bodybuilding community during her year of photographing the project—and, as the work continues, it may only get worse. “It’s really hard,” Fleishman says, “because you want them all to win.”

Lauren Fleishman is an award-winning photographer based in New York City and Paris. See more of her work here and or on LightBox here.

Nick Scott practices his poses backstage at the first ever Wheelchair Pro Show in Houston. Lauren Fleishman for TIME
Bodybuilding trophies inside Nick Scott's hotel room.Lauren Fleishman for TIME
Nick Scott preps his skin before The Texas Shredder. Most bodybuilding competitions do not have a wheelchair division, including this one, but Scott was invited to guest pose. Lauren Fleishman for TIME
British wheelchair bodybuilder Dan Smith gets a spray tan before the wheelchair bodybuilding pro show in Houston. Lauren Fleishman for TIME
Wheelchair athletes wait their turn to take the stage at the wheelchair bodybuilding pro show in Houston. Lauren Fleishman for TIME
Nick Scott waits backstage at The Texas Shredder, a competition in Austin where he has been invited to guest pose. Lauren Fleishman for TIME
A bodybuilder performs on stage at The Texas Shredder. Competitors are allowed to choreograph their routines and choose their own music. Lauren Fleishman for TIME
Nick Scott talks to a fan outside of a Walmart in Austin. Scott was shopping for a battery to power his light-up wheelchair when the young man expressed an interest in getting involved with the sport. Lauren Fleishman for TIME
Nick Scott signs autographs at The Texas Shredder in Austin. Lauren Fleishman for TIME
Antoni Khadraoui backstage at the first ever Wheelchair Pro Show in Houston. Khadraoui was injured while in the Algerian army. Lauren Fleishman for TIME
Bodybuilders backstage at a competiton in Metairie, La. Lauren Fleishman for TIME
Fallon Turner gets her spray tan touched up in Metairie, La. As one of the few active female competitors, she was the only woman to compete in this show. Lauren Fleishman for TIME
Fallon Turner on stage at the 2011 NPC Wheelchair Championships. As one of the few active female wheelchair competitors, Turner did not have any competition at this show. Lauren Fleishman for TIME
Competitor Harold Kelley is assisted on to a stage in Metairie, La. Wheelchair competitors compete on the same stage and in the same shows as other bodybuilders. A temporary entrance and exit ramp was installed to accomodate the wheelchair athletes. Lauren Fleishman for TIME
Harold Kelley and Brian Simmons pose for judges at a competition in Metairie, La. Athletes are judged by eight mandatory poses. Lauren Fleishman for TIME
Competitor Dan Smith on stage during his routine in Houston. Smith would compete against seven other professional wheelchair athletes from around the world for a chance to win the overall title.Lauren Fleishman for TIME
Roger Espina removes his shirt backstage in Metairie, La. Espina credits his interest in bodybuilding to a family friend who gave him a book about Arnold Schwarzenegger. Lauren Fleishman for TIME
Professional wheelchair body builder Neil Picone lifts at a gym in Jersey City, N.J. Picone received his pro status after winning first place at the NPC Wheelchair Nationals on March 17, 2012. Picone starts his cardio before breakfast and trains four to seven days a week. Lauren Fleishman for TIME
Harold Kelley holds up his trophy after winning first place at the NPC Wheelchair Nationals in Metairie, La. Lauren Fleishman for TIME
Professional wheelchair bodybuilders backstage before a pro show in Houston on Oct. 15, 2011. Lauren Fleishman for TIME

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Write to Lily Rothman at lily.rothman@time.com