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Bjornsson Deadlifted 1,026 pounds On The Elephant Bar To Win 2020 Arnold Classic
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This CrossFit Trainer Lost His Left Arm at 13—And Can Deadlift 220kg

"I love being the guy with one arm" - by Emily Abbate
  • 10 Jul 2018
This CrossFit Trainer Lost His Left Arm at 13—And Can Deadlift 220kg
Instagram/aldridgelogan

You don’t need to have both arms to live an outstanding life, and Logan Aldridge almost prefers it this way now. “I love being different,” says the 27-year-old. “I love being the guy with one arm.”

Life changed forever for Aldridge at age 13 after a day wakeboarding on Lake Gaston on the North Carolina-Virginia border. Helping his dad on the family boat, the duo was pushing off from a friend’s dock and heading back home when a rope he was coiling got tangled in the propeller. Within an instant, it severed through the skin and arteries in his left arm, right up to the bone. Blood was everywhere, he recalled. His Dad, springing into action, created a tourniquet of sorts that kept him from bleeding out until the emergency teams arrived. In the ambulance, Aldridge’s mother said something that would shape his perspective for years to come.

“I remember laying there and looking at my arm, looking at everyone around me, and asking my mom what if I lose my arm from this?” he told MensHealth.com. “Without skipping a beat, she said, 'Logan, it’s just an arm.' Some people think that’s a brutal parental response, but that was the most important thing to hear. It instilled the perception in me that at the end of the day, I’d still have my life. Whatever happens, we’re going to make it through this.”

aldridgelogan View Profile
445 likes - View Post on Instagram
Well, they were supposed to be "touch n' go power cleans" but things got outta 🖐. 205 for 5 and 215 for... 3. 🤦🏼‍♂️

Standing in the hospital bathroom, tears streamed down his face seeing the shape of his new body in the mirror. But that was the last time that the Raleigh native would grieve his loss, something wise beyond his years at such a young age.

“I knew I had to move forward,” he says. “I immediately went into problem solving mode, started to learn how to write with my right hand, make the best of a less-than-ideal situation, and embrace my situation.”

Today, Aldridge is an accomplished para-athlete and has fully embraced life with a handicap. As someone who is "in pursuit of more potential and maximizing [my] output," he craves comfort that allows him to push his personal and physical boundaries. To that end, he turns to the reliable ease and durability of cotton in and out of his WODs. "I'm training all the time and like to be comfortable."

Similarly, his go-to sweaty habit, CrossFit, continually pushes him to be better and prepares him for his other active passions, from mountain biking to Spartan Racing. “We learn so much about ourselves when we are challenged,” he says. “When I’m breathless and working hard and in an uncomfortable state, that’s when I grow.” Pressing on with determination and grit has led Aldridge to set some impressive weight-lifting PRs—like deadlifting 225kg and doing 110kg cleans.

aldridgelogan View Profile
564 likes - View Post on Instagram
Today's my Armiversary! Had to start it off with some early morning 🚴🏼‍♂️ intervals with @emjtysinger. The @concept2inc BikeErg is by far my favorite piece of torture. Also, here is some footage of the deadlift strap being a bit more useful outside of the gym too! I've lived 14 years with one arm now and am still constantly discovering new ways to do things. These #lifehacks keep things interesting and constantly present new challenges and obstacles. It is in those moments where I am most excited and determined to find a solution, adapt and overcome. Here's to another year of Lifehacking and living! 💪🤙 #itsjustanarm

When he’s not traveling for his full-time job as a sales manager or teaching CrossFit, Aldridge is speaking to large groups about the lessons he’s learned (and also: training to one day compete in the Paralympics).

“My life’s purpose now is to motivate others,” he says. “We hear inspiration a lot, especially in the case of active amputees. Inspiring is cool—and I’m grateful to do that—but motivation is different that inspiring. You can be inspired sitting on the coach, but when you’re motivated—you’re ready to take action and still change. Something has happened that’s made you ready to move. And I say hey, let’s move together.”

This article originally appeared on Men's Health.

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