Other Sport / disability
‘The aim is to get more disabled people interested in fitness’
“I’m from Poland originally, but have been living in Bristol for the last 11 years,” says 21-year-old Dawid Reszczynski, who lives in Henbury.
“I was born with cerebral palsy, which affects my movement and the coordination of my limbs. However, this does not stop me from participating in sports activities and being a valid member of my community.”
Dawid’s love for fitness began at the age of 14, when he started working out at his local gym, Henbury Leisure Centre. He found a natural home there, and while still a teenager was able to secure a work experience placement with the personal training team.
is needed now More than ever
“This was a great opportunity for me,” Dawid says. “I was planning on doing a Level 2 diploma in fitness instructing, so this laid the foundations of my knowledge and proved to me that I was able to do this as a potential career.”
‘Cerebral palsy does not stop me from participating in sport activities and being a valid member of the community’
Dawid became qualified as a fitness instructor in 2016 and began working at his local gym. But his ambition didn’t stop there. After gaining some experience, he knew he wanted to branch out on his own. “Recently, I have been in the process of setting up my own business in gym instructing,” he says.
“The aim is to get more disabled people interested in fitness and to provide a specifically tailored and carefully thought out programme for the individuals. Through my own experiences I have built up a good range of knowledge in this area.”
The business, D.R Fitness, is currently running at Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre.
“Sometimes I do struggle to explain how to perform the exercise to the client,” Dawid says of being a disabled fitness instructor. “There are times I wish I could get out of my chair to help my clients perform the exercise, which can be tricky, but I find ways around it – using videos and verbal explanations.”
Alongside running his business, Dawid is also planning to start up a powerchair football team in north Bristol. “This will be a great opportunity for disabled people who love sports to get involved in this area and to make some new friends along the way,” Dawid says.
As for next steps, Dawid has clear goals. “I am currently looking for some funding to take part in a Level 3 personal trainer course,” he says. “This will mean that I can take D.R Fitness to the next level, and hopefully start building up some regular paid clients too.” “I have just created a Just Giving page to help me fundraise, so any donations would be greatly appreciated, thanks!”
To find out more about booking one-to-one gym sessions with Dawid, or to find out more about his powerchair team, visit www.facebook.com/drfitness2018 .
To help out, the Link to Dawid’s Just Giving page is here : https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/dr-fitness
Or contact Dawid personally on: drfitness2018@gmail.com
Read more: Boxed into Bristol Half Marathon
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
