After a horrific car accident, 4-year-old Edgard John Augustin woke up to see that both of his legs were missing from the knees down. Now, nearly 30 years later, he’s a champion bodybuilder.
His older brother who was seated next to him was also missing a leg, injuries caused from railing that pierced the back window after their mother lost control driving down the highway. All three members of the Augustin family survived the tragic accident.
According to Nitrocut, Edgard spent his first year after the accident at a center in Paris that specializes in rehabilitation for veterans and amputees. The 4-year-old spent a year there being taught to walk, first on crutches, then on his prostheses alone. Prosthetic legs and feet don’t provide the same kind of balance as normal rotating ankles, so he learned from a very young age how to use his upper body as his main source of balance due to the lack of stability in his legs.
After moving back home, Edgard suffered through years of teasing about his legs from classmates. His mother also suffered through guilt for most of her life after being the driver in an accident that left her both her sons handicapped, even though she wasn’t at fault.
Surviving the accident at such a young age enabled Edgard to view his handicaps as a way of life, not as a handicap holding him back. Edgard was fortunate to never go through depression as a result of his accident and handicap, but he did miss his love for running when returning home and to school.
After finishing high school, Edgard went to France to work on earning a BTS, a national French diploma for higher education, and it was there that he discovered a love for the gym.
Edgard had always preferred that his handicap be kept a private matter, wearing pants to cover his prostheses (even at the gym at first), so that only his close family and friends were aware of it. Several years after starting training he connected with a photographer, who had been looking for an athlete in top physique to shoot. The photographer was inspired to shoot a series of photos around Edgard’s handicap. The shoot included pictures of Edgard in…
…sprinting and standing positions, wearing shorts with nothing to cover his prosthetic legs. The photographer shared his photos of Edgard with the Facebook community, and Edgard was shocked by the overwhelming positivity and praise he received. He used the kind comments to inspire others struggling with similar physical handicaps and thought up the name “Bionic Body” to create his motivational brand, posting pictures of his daily life and workouts with his prosthetic legs on display.
Workouts continued and day by day, Edgard got stronger.
“With my prostheses, I am able to perform a variety of leg work,” he explains. “I love doing leg presses, hack squats, leg extensions, and leg curls, as I am able to safely control the weight on those exercises. Barbell squats and deadlifts can also be executed, though I tend to go lighter with these movements, since balance can become an issue if I go too heavy.”
In September 2014, upon the urging of friends and colleagues, Edgard hired a coach to prepare for his first competition. “To be honest, I had never considered competing,” he admits. “It just wasn’t something I thought I had in me, or that I had potential for. But since a lot of people I knew had been encouraging me to compete, I decided to try my hand at it.”
A year later, Edgard competed in France’s Grand Prix Des Pyrenees in April of 2015 and even though the contest didn’t accommodate wheelchair bodybuilding, the contest director arranged for Edgard to stand with alongside regular competitors without being judged in the competition. To Edgard, it was a priceless experience to walk with and stand next to non-handicapped athletes even though he belongs to a wheelchair bodybuilding division.
Following the competition, Edgard was asked to compete a few weeks later at a European Championship occurring in Spain. Edgard agreed, and three weeks later he became the European Wheelchair Bodybuilding Champion in May 2015. Edgard still competes today and continues to inspire men (and women) all over the world.
For more information on Edgard and his bionic body, click here.
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