"I've always had to try harder than anybody else - than an able bodied person," said Steve Alexy, who is gearing up for his sixth competition in February.
There's no excuse for missing a day at the gym — just ask this bodybuilder with cerebral palsy.
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Meet Steve Alexy, a 43-year-old from Suffolk, Virginia, who's gearing up for his sixth bodybuilding competition.
"It was something I wanted to do, and I just happened to be able to do it," Alexy told InsideEdition.com.
Because of his cerebral palsy, Alexy said, "I've always had to try harder than anybody else, than an able-bodied person."
He said he has frequented the gym in the past, but in 2011, he decided to commit to a regular workout routine.
"I was skinny and frail and I just wanted to look better," he said. "I just decided I wanted to try and see what happens, to improve my overall self."
That's when he met his trainer, Chris Lovelett, 38.
"To be honest, I didn't know what the hell I was going to do," Lovelett told InsideEdition.com. "As a trainer, most of the time people come here for weight loss. A lot of the times, [it's] a lot of simpler goals, simpler body structures with less conditions."
But he decided to give it a shot, starting with research on how to help someone with cerebral palsy improve their health and quality of life.
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"A lot of people will see a condition instead of a person. A lot of people might be intimidated taking on the task, but like I said, I accepted the challenge," Lovelett said.
He added: "If we break you, we're right next to the hospital."
Alexy began meeting his goals and thriving as he was pushed to work harder. Days before his 40th birthday, Lovelett suggested he give bodybuilding a shot.
"It was almost a midlife crisis, trying to decide what we were going to do," Lovelett joked.
Then, Alexy worked up to joining competitions.
"I was nervous, more so because I wanted to get my routine right," Alexy said of his five previous competitions. "I wasn't worried about being on stage. I was just worried about what I looked like."
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The pair is now working up to Alexy's next competition in February, and his trainers believe he'll do just fine.
"Steve has the motivation and drive," Lovelett said. "You don't really have to drag him to the gym."
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