If you want to feel inspired, just take a look at Logan Aldridge’s Bio – Having lost his arm in an accident at the age of 13, Aldridge has gone on to compete as a semi-athlete in CrossFit Games, 500-pound deadlift, and set up adaptive training academyAnd now, he’s the newest Peloton coach. He is also one of the most positive people I have ever met.
“I had such a very deep exposure to what fitness can do for people,” Aldridge told me when I asked him what exercise meant for him. His adaptive training classes are designed to make physical fitness accessible and accessible by offering personalized movements and exercises for those with different abilities.
The classes launched on the Peloton platform earlier in June, and are divided into two categories – sitting and standing and stretching across the HIIT, Cardio, Strength and Stretching types. It’s for all adaptive athletes, and it’s just the beginning of Aldridge’s journey as a Peloton trainer.
Aldridge is living proof that the secret to overcoming a challenge is adaptation. “I’m here, I think, for something much bigger than myself,” he says. Read on to find out what happened as we sat down to talk about his flight, training and plans for Peloton.
Logan, congratulations, you’re a Peloton coach! Can you summarize what this means to you?
Oh my gosh, this is the hardest question to answer, because I have so many unbelievably positive emotions! The word enthusiast does not do it justice. I’m here, I guess, for something much bigger than myself, so getting off as a coach feels really good. I still have to pressure myself – it was a great experience getting to know everyone and feeling welcome by the company as well as through the platform. I have never had so much gratitude and appreciation for this community, for their support as an individual, and my efforts to truly enhance accessibility on the platform. We show that people of varying abilities deserve and definitely have a place here. I think it’s just the beginning of a huge movement.
Can you talk about your training background and how you got into this space?
When I was 13, I lost my left arm in a boat accident. Being left-handed, I had this experience as an amputee straight away out of the hospital with a lot of expectations about what I might or might not do in the future. I was a very active little kid and refused to accept people’s opinion of my ability. I always wanted to find and learn for myself if I could or couldn’t do something.
Through that experience, I discovered that, as humans, we tend to be much more capable than we think. People who live with varying abilities and disabilities are placed in this social expectation which means that the disability is becoming less able.
When I went to college, studied business and as a business owner after high school I started implementing some technological solutions in the field of robotic prosthetics. At the time I had an epiphany – I thought my life goal could be showing people with traumatic injuries how productive their lives can be with this new normal. I’d meet people who put a lot of hope and expectations on a prosthesis – they had the mindset that it would bring them back to the way they were before the accident, and restore their confidence.
I always wanted to find and learn for myself if I could or couldn’t do something.
As I delved into the fitness space, I tried to better understand the issues that exist which mean that someone in a wheelchair, or someone who has lost an arm like me, does not feel comfortable entering the gym. That was the beginning of the journey about eight years ago, as I then set up the Adaptive Training Academy, an organization I set up with a friend of mine here in the States.
We started this organization as an educational organization to identify the real barrier to entry, which is the knowledge and experience of coaches and therapists. [had]. We created Adaptive Inclusive to help coaches and gym owners feel comfortable and have the knowledge to welcome anyone through their doors and give them a safe and effective training program. And that was sort of my role at Peloton – in addition to being a typical physically capable trainer in the strength class, I also lead the role of Adaptive Training Specialist and help develop this content on the platform.
What do you think are the biggest challenges or barriers when it comes to making training accessible?
Sometimes it literally reaches space. This is a real example – a wheelchair user who lives in a second or third floor apartment. Maybe there are stairs they have to figure out how to navigate down, maybe the parking lot can be hard to navigate, so does the gym have all the proper considerations that are really accessible for a wheelchair user? These are all physical barriers to entry that make it difficult. I’m not here to pity someone in a wheelchair, I’m here to realize that there are more physical barriers to entry.
In other circumstances, this is a psychological barrier. For some people, going to the gym is daunting. Most people with varying abilities or disabilities don’t want to be the center of attention—they don’t want people to look at them and say, “Stop, how are they going to do that? How are they going to do this movement? How does that work?” So I think that’s the purpose of this opportunity .
At Peloton, we create an adaptive training program designed to meet people wherever they are on their fitness journey and how they perceive their condition or themselves. We meet them in their own environment, when they feel safe and when they are ready. Download this app and get started – that’s all you need. We give people a place to start moving and show them that movement empowers them. The whole point is to remind all individuals of how capable they really are and to show that there are movements that are meant for them and that there are ways to accomplish and achieve their physical and health goals.
What can people expect from your adaptive classes?
You can expect two general classes – standing and sitting classes. We’ll focus on foundational movements, movements that are highly transparent, and transferable to real life – things like squats, things like weightlifting. It is important to remember that no two adaptive people are the same. We may be very similar and similar in many ways, but another left arm, above an elbow amputee, may look very similar to me, but we may have very different psychological and physical differences in how we manage the condition – sensitivity issues, range of motion, ability to carry load and resistance. So I’m showing a lot of really cool mods in my classes, as well as helping you find ways to keep moving forward.
How do you stay positive and how do you use health and fitness to take care of your mental health?
I remain very positive because I had such a very deep exposure to what fitness can do for people. Over the past seven to eight years, the amount of transformations I’ve seen in individuals, both psychologically and physically, has been remarkable. Movement can change someone’s mindset – the person who sees themselves as woe is me, and the world is out to take me, I have this accident and I’m in this state and it’s disgusting. Taking them through this journey of self-discovery through movement and fitness, finding purpose and understanding why this movement is so important to them has been incredibly empowering.
I have come to realize that people are much more than they know or think.
For people of varying abilities who live in environmental conditions that don’t usually suit them, when they are constantly reminded that they are different, giving them the space and strength to move around has been the most wonderful experience of my life. I have come to realize that people are much more than they know or think. And I believe that through movement, we train our bodies and sharpen our minds. Let’s pursue our potential together, and I think we’ll be surprised and empowered by how capable we really are.
Logan’s Adaptive Training Classes are now available on the Peloton app. Read our Peloton app review here, and if you’re considering adding a Peloton to your home gym, be sure to read our Peloton Bike review and Peloton Tread review first.
[ad_2]
