This is a guest post from Carole Klein. She is the manager of social media and content for Unique Fitness Concepts located at their headquarters in Vernon Hills, IL. She has a B.S. in exercise physiology and is a fitness industry expert with more than 20 years of experience as a competitor and personal trainer.
It might be tempting to think that being born without arms or legs would pretty much make it impossible to become a fitness inspiration to the entire world. However, that’s exactly what incredible adaptive athlete Lindsay Hilton has done. Hilton first grabbed people’s attention when a video of her working out went positively viral in 2016. Since then, she’s become a CrossFit sensation and a serious inspiration to people all over the world.
She continues to influence athletes and fitness enthusiasts all over the world as she sets (and accomplishes) new goals, and we personally can’t wait to see what she does next. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Lindsay Hilton and her amazing journey as an athlete. We’ll touch on some of her most noteworthy achievements. We’ll go over a few useful lessons we can all learn by watching Lindsay set the fitness world on fire, as well.
Who Is Lindsay Hilton?
Lindsay Hilton is 31 years old, hails from Canada, and was born exactly as she is—without arms or legs. However, she’s hardly let that stop her or dampen her interest in fitness. In fact, Lindsay has been an active person and a lover of the outdoors her entire life. She played soccer throughout middle school and hockey in high school. She’s also been an accomplished rugby player since her high school days and still actively practices as part of a local team in Halifax where she lives.
Naturally, a spirit like Lindsay’s isn’t created in a vacuum. In fact, Lindsay herself has credited an amazing team of coaches, teachers, and supportive mentors with giving her exactly the support a young athlete needs to thrive. She had this to say about her childhood and her inspiring viral video in an interview with the Washington Post:
I had a great childhood, I had great coaches and teachers who were always willing to make things work for me and encouraged me to take risks. Adaptive athletes — especially young ones — need people who say, ‘Let’s figure it out!’ versus ‘No, it’s too scary.’ I’ve had more of the ‘let’s figure it out’ type people in my life and that video is proof.
Lindsay Hilton Conquers CrossFit
Lindsay discovered the benefits of CrossFit for herself after winning a burpee contest in September of 2015 by completing an astonishing 34 burpees in just under one minute. She won a free membership and has absolutely made the most of it since. Any fitness enthusiast already familiar with CrossFit will be familiar with its well-known philosophy in regards to its challenges. It actively encourages every member to take its suggested workouts and look for ways to customize them according to their individual capabilities.
Saying that Lindsay Hilton took that philosophy to heart is pretty much the understatement of the century! Her ingenuity led her to successfully adapt CrossFit’s trademark combination of bodyweight exercises, cardio challenges, and Olympic weightlifting to her unique body. Says Lindsay:
There is no blueprint. Basically, everything I have accomplished with CrossFit has been trial and error. I may not be able to do every movement, but my attitude is I’ll just figure out a way to make it all work.
Videos of Ms. Hilton working out and making the most of the CrossFit program have even been proudly shared on social media by CrossFit itself. One of the videos posted to Facebook managed to accumulate an incredible 6,480,000 views before it was even a month old. It’s also received many thousands of comments, almost all of them expressing complete amazement at Lindsay Hilton’s incredible prowess and creativity.
What Every Athlete Can Learn from Lindsay Hilton
There are inspiring stories, and then there are stories like Lindsay’s that really break the mold. She’s proof positive that there’s no such thing as a physical challenge that can’t be overcome with enough ingenuity, confidence, and determination. The following are just a few things we can learn by following her incredible example:
- A life well-lived can be the best example.
As inspiring as she is, that’s not exactly a word Lindsay would use to describe herself. Since she was born the way she is and has always lived within the same reality, she doesn’t necessarily see herself as being much different from anyone else. She says:
People have called me inspirational throughout my entire life. I just think, you know, I’m kind of doing everyday activities. Because I’ve been the same way my whole life, I don’t see myself as different (from) anybody else. I’m not setting out to be inspirational. I’m trying to do things that I enjoy and that challenge me.
Use what you’ve got, give it your all, and follow your bliss just like Lindsay did. You never know who you might manage to inspire in the process.
- Tenacity and ingenuity are among the best qualities an athlete can have.
Lindsay’s continuing success as an adaptive athlete naturally hasn’t been easy. She just makes it look that way because of how creative she is. She makes excellent use of tools like wrist wraps to make challenging moves like deadlifts and pull-ups look simple. She continues to look for even more unique ways to challenge her body and reach new heights when it comes to fitness.
- There’s no one right way to work out or stay fit.
We’ve all heard at one point or another that fitness is as simple as making sure you move as much as possible. We’ve also heard that the key to fitness success is finding something you absolutely love to do and letting the rest take care of itself. Lindsay Hilton is proof positive that there’s no one correct approach to fitness, especially when it comes to something like CrossFit. Find what moves you and stick with it no matter what.
At the end of the day, Lindsay Hilton herself may balk at the idea of being hailed as an inspiration, but can we really call her anything else? Thanks to her, thousands of current and aspiring athletes are not only setting amazing goals for themselves but smashing them. What new challenges has she inspired you to take on?
