“I have CP. CP doesn’t have me," says Miles Taylor, a 24-year-old athlete born with cerebral palsy. Despite that, he's still determined to become a Strongman, even though his condition affects muscle tone and movement. And he's doing more than dreaming, he's doing: at just 99 pounds, Taylor reached a new personal record by deadlifting more than double his body weight at 200 pounds.
The Finksburgh, MD native has been training three times a week for nearly two years at the NEVERsate Gym in nearby Westminster, MD and never showed signs of slowing down. "He came in, and we handed him a medicine ball and were like 'ehh' and he took to it like a fish to water," says Nicolai Myers, Miles's coach and grade-school friend, who has competed in North American Strongman National Championships and OSG World's Strongest Man.
In 2018, just a year into training, Taylor gained five pounds of muscle and set a U.S. record for his weight class by deadlifting 156 pounds. After the first video of Taylor lifting went viral on Instagram—and got messages from people around the world—it pushed him even harder to show everyone that he’s not defined by CP. "It was amazing. I pulled it up like it was nothing," says Taylor. "To know that somebody just like me is inspired by me, that's just great."
Taylor has since partnered with The Loyal Brand, an athletic clothing and accessories company, to help share his story worldwide. The company will donate a percentage of the proceeds of its sales to the River Valley Ranch, where Taylor also works as a summer counselor. "Miles will fail 2,000 times, continually get up until he gets it," says Brian Alsruhe, owner of NEVERsate Gym. "And when he gets it, the world changes."
We’re excited to follow Miles on his journey to become a Strongman.
Follow him on Instagram @smiles_taylor
No
Continue reading...
