Ben’s story

Hello, my name is Ben and I am the owner and founder of Adapt to Perform. Back in 2010, I broke my neck at C7 level from diving into shallow water and I’ve been a full-time wheelchair user since. Despite this, I live a very active lifestyle. I love to go to the gym and travel the world with my wife Alice who I married in 2022.

My fitness journey started way before my spinal cord injury as I used to be a professional swimmer as a teenager with aim of going to the London Olympics in 2012. My injury put a stop to this dream. However, I continued my swimming career after my injury and became national champion in three separate events. I also dabbled in a bit of wheelchair rugby, both competing as an athlete and as a coach. My Coaching journey also extended to coaching swimming at my childhood club as the strength and conditioning coach helping some of the athletes become Olympic swimmers.

“My fitness journey has allowed me to become more resilient. So when the downs do come I’m way more prepared for them.”

I started Adapt to Perform because there was a distinct lack of fitness options for wheelchair users and I found I was adapting able-bodied YouTuber workouts combining my knowledge of fitness from my swimming and coaching. This led me to start my own channel on YouTube showcasing what was possible as a wheelchair user to help get fit and healthy. I had no real plans for this to begin with but just wanted to get the information out to help people. Little did I know this would explode into a channel that would help over a million people to succeed in making their life just a little bit better through fitness. As it grew I gained my qualifications in strength and conditioning to further bolster my knowledge.

Since embarking on this journey, my own fitness has progressed massively. This has made a huge impact on my life, especially on my mental health. Before my injury. I was a very social person and had lots of friends but after the accident, I was spending a lot of time by myself and I became very lonely. This is mainly because I didn’t have the confidence to be independent outside of my own home as I relied on others. However, fitness allows me to be stronger and more efficient with my energy levels to the point where I can independently go out and enjoy the life that I want to live.

“I continued my swimming career after my injury and became a national champion in three separate events. I also dabbled in a bit of wheelchair rugby, both competing as an athlete and as a coach.”

Once I started doing that I gained additional benefits, gaining more friends, going on more adventures and living life to a fuller degree. This confidence and a new outlook on life also attracted my wife Alice. I constantly look for new ways to push my comfort zone and find new limits to my ability. Having a good fitness foundation supports this and has now led me to some fantastic opportunities in life.

The physical changes are not to be understated though, when I first had my spinal injury I relied on nurses and carers for toileting, showering, dressing and getting about. But now due to the strength and endurance that I have gained, I’m not only fully independent with daily activities but I’m able to take them around the world on our adventures.

“Fitness allows me to be stronger and more efficient with my energy levels to the point where I could independently go out and enjoy the life that I want to live.”

The journey hasn’t been simple or linear. I’ve had many ups and downs along the way, including having to have seven bladder operations over the course of 18 months. But my fitness journey has allowed me to become more resilient. So when the downs do come I’m way more prepared for them.

My future fitness goal is to continue on the journey I’m already on. I have a very good fitness routine set in place that is all about maintaining what I already have. For me, it’s all about longevity and being able to live the life that I currently live for as long as possible.

“Little did I know this would explode into a channel that would help over a million people to succeed in making their life just a little bit better through fitness.”

My advice to others is to find what works for you and make fitness a priority in your life. It takes time and effort to fit in your life, but I find that is a worthwhile investment as I spend less time physically and mentally unwell and therefore actually gain time in the long run.

Through Adapt to Perform, I aim to make your fitness journey as easy as possible by taking all of the guesswork out of it so all you have to do is follow along with me and the results will come naturally.