Altai's Disabled Bodybuilder Becomes Champion, Opens Gym
The hero took up bodybuilding after a severe injury.
Artem Shilyaev, a 33-year-old resident of Novоaltaysk, has a second-group disability and finds walking difficult after a serious injury. However, this did not stop him from taking up bodybuilding and becoming a three-time Russian champion. In an interview with NGS22.RU, Artem shared why he got into sports and how it changed his life.
Accident in the Army
Artem«s health issues began in 2012 when he was doing compulsory military service in Aleysk. During a hand-to-hand combat training session, he landed badly on the back of his head and broke his seventh cervical vertebra.
«When it happened, no one realized how serious it was. I spent four days in the hospital, then they took an X-ray and sent me to a military hospital in Yekaterinburg for surgery. I underwent rehabilitation for four months and was then discharged. That was the end of my service,» he recalls.
Moreover, Artem did not immediately realize the severity of his injury, as he was initially told he had a simple concussion.
«I thought at the time that I would recover a bit and everything would be fine. Even when I returned home, I wanted to start playing hockey. But when I got on skates, I realized how much had changed. My legs just kept splaying out in different directions. I had to forget about football too, and I never got to running,» the hero said.
Artem is paralyzed below the chest and continues to recover.
«One leg functions a bit better, the other a bit worse, so I can walk short distances. Then I need to sit and rest, and then I can walk again. I try to walk as much as possible rather than use a wheelchair. It»s hard, but life goes on,« the athlete emphasized.
«You Get Used to the Emotions Over Time»
Artem had been involved in sports since he was six years old. However, after the injury, he had to give up some activities. The equipment at the fitness center saved him.
«I started going to the gym with a friend. He took me with him a couple of times, I went, and I liked it. No need to run or jump. You sit on a machine and train, working on your legs,» he shared.
Before opening his own gym, Artem trained extensively in the basement of his house.
However, constantly asking his friend to drive him to training was inconvenient for Artem, so he set up a gym in the basement of his parents« house, where he was living at the time.
«At first it was good, but then it got boring. The idea came to open my own gym in the city so that people could come to train and I could work out too. We approached the administration of Novоaltaysk. They provided us with a semi-basement space. In 2014, we rented it, did renovations, and in 2015 opened our own gym, which is still operating today,» the bodybuilder said.
The hero continued his training in his own gym, but at some point he caught himself thinking that he was starting to get bored because there was no progress.
«I thought about either quitting training and trying something else, and then I saw an ad on social media for enrollment in a school for coaches and instructors. I didn»t have any education in fitness at the time, so I applied,« he recalls.
Artem completed training at Alexander Barbashin«s bodybuilding school and then participated in »Siberian Transformation,« where he took third place in the »physique« category.
«The first time I went on stage, everything happened in such a fog that I didn»t even understand anything. Later, I rewatched everything on video. Over time, you get used to the emotions, and you don«t get as nervous about everything. You go on stage, you know what to do, and you only worry before the awards ceremony,» the athlete shared.
Competitions, according to the athlete, help him stay in shape.
Then there was another season of the project when he debuted in the category for athletes with musculoskeletal impairments. Artem also won three first places at the Russian championship.
«Competitions allow me to stay in shape. Responsibility doesn»t let me skip workouts or break the routine. Outside the gym, I have a sedentary lifestyle, and to train, I need motivation. There were times after the injury when I didn«t go to the gym, just lay around. I gained weight, and my mood was at zero. But when everything is laid out on shelves—when to eat, when to train, when to sleep—it becomes easier, that»s probably what keeps me going,« Artem noted.
Moreover, the stage itself doesn«t let him slack off. Artem emphasizes that when representing his region, federation, or country, he must show his best form. This doesn»t allow for compromises, as besides three to four workouts a week, he also needs to carefully monitor his diet.
The hero competes in the category for people with disabilities.
«The food is as simple as possible: chicken breast, fish, grains. Over time, you start to perceive food not as a meal but as a necessity. You just have to eat and that»s it. You take containers with you or, if you need to go somewhere for a long time, a slow cooker. You can«t just grab a snack at a cafe anymore; it»s better to cook with your own hands, it«s more reliable,» the hero said.
«The Goal is to Make the Top Three»
In December of this year, Artem went to his first world championship, which was held in Saudi Arabia. There he took fourth place.
«In terms of prizes, the tournament doesn»t compare to our Siberian and Russian competitions. Ours are more spectacular and colorful, but at the world championship, obviously, everyone goes for the status. And my goal for next year is to make the top three,« the bodybuilder emphasized.
By the way, abroad, bodybuilding for people with disabilities has been developing for over 10 years, while in Russia it started being included in competitions from 2021–2022. In this category, you can find athletes with amputations as well as nervous system disorders.
Artem has big plans for the next world championship.
«The former have no issues with the nervous system; the muscles respond and feel good, so the back, arms, shoulders are developed symmetrically, and the visual picture is good. But with a spinal injury, some muscles can»t be worked well because nerve impulses don«t reach the muscles properly,» the athlete explained.
As for himself, Artem hopes that someday his health problems will be minimized and he will be able to fully recover.
«Sometimes you sit and think, everything seems fine, it will all pass. For 13 years, the thought that you will recover hasn»t left, and against this background, apparently, there«s a normal psycho-emotional state,» Artem emphasized.
Besides the world championship, in the new year the hero will prepare for spring and autumn competitions. Moreover, Artem also plans to devote more time to coaching work.
