When you type "CrossFit" into a Google image search you get photo after photo of men, and a few women, with rippling muscles lifting a weight so large it almost looks fake.
They're (almost) all white, and thin, and have no visible disabilities. This is the type of body most people likely associate with CrossFit. But CrossFit athlete Lindsay Hilton, who was born with no legs and no arms, wants everyone to know that people with physical disabilities can also be successful in an intense workout programme like CrossFit. (So can fat bodies, btw.)
Hilton is the subject of a new video from 60 Second Docs, in which she tells her story about living, and working out, with no limbs.
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"I'm not an inspiration," she said in the video. "I'm just a regular person."
Although many people assume she needs a lot of special gadgets for everyday tasks, Hilton explained in the video that the only "special" thing she needs in her home is a step stool. At the gym, Hilton uses prosthetics to help her grip things like pull-up bars and gymnastics rings, but otherwise uses the same equipment as everyone else.
"I think the reason why I like CrossFit so much is because it's challenging for me," she said in the video. "Mainly with the movements and 'how am I going to do this?'"
Which is noteworthy for how un-noteworthy it is: The vast majority of CrossFitters love the sport for the challenge, and the feeling that they're about to accomplish something that seems impossible. Having no limbs doesn't make Hilton any different from other athletes who need to figure out how CrossFit will work for their bodies.
Still, Hilton hopes that anyone who sees her in the gym is inspired to at least try challenging themselves.
"Just try, take a risk, and see what happens," she said. "You never know. It could become your new favourite thing."
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