Bodybuilding Champion Was Crippled for Life by a 27,000 Volts Electric Shock: “They Frowned Upon My Disability”

In 1983, 11-year-old Shahid Iqbal was out with his brother. After spotting an electrical tower, Iqbal decided to climb the structure. However, unbeknownst to Iqbal, his decision to climb the electrical tower on Boxing Day 1983 would change his life forever. The 11-year-old began climbing the wall as his brother watched. After climbing the tower, Iqbal found a place to sit and relax. However, it was too late to do anything when Iqbal realized his mistake. The accident left Iqbal crippled for life, but bodybuilding gave him a second wind.

Shahid Iqbal didn’t realize the platform he sat down on was the generator of the electrical tower. Before he could react, the 11-year-old got blasted with 27,000 volts of electricity. He woke a week later in the hospital. However, four decades later, Shahid Iqbal, now a champion bodybuilder, said the accident “made him more than a man.”

The bodybuilding champion who overcame his disability

In 2022, Shahid Iqbal, whose friends call him Chad, narrated the incident. “I felt pain you could never imagine.” said Chad. “I was screaming and tried to grab my left wrist with my right hand but they both stuck together,” recounted the bodybuilding champion. According to Chad, the massive surge of electricity passing through his body melted his finger and burned the flesh on his arms.

“I just remember pain, smoke and flashes of blue,” said Chad. Chad’s brother watched helplessly as he lost consciousness and fell from the tower on his back. The fall fractured the bodybuilding champion’s T7 vertebra. The doctors also had to amputate the left arm and right arm. However, his father begged the doctors to save his right arm since it sustained slightly less damage.

READ MORE | Despite His Leg Amputation, Legend Flex Wheeler Didn’t Lose His Unwavering Optimism in 2019: “God Only Gives His Greatest Battles to Strongest Warriors”

So the doctors sewed Iqbal’s right arm to his body, and when the skin began to grow, they cut off the damaged part. Chad said people ridiculed him as he grew up. “People always looked down on me. They frowned upon my disability,” said Iqbal, according to a report by the Mirror. However, Chad turned to bodybuilding to boost his confidence and overcome his disability.

Shahid Iqbal’s journey to becoming a champion

According to the same report, the champion bodybuilder began working out after buying customized weights in 2015. While he faced difficulties at first, Iqbal soon felt healthier and more powerful. He stuck with his training and worked up to lifting heavier weights. In 2019, Chad won his first bodybuilding show in Manchester, England.

Shahid Iqbal has won three more shows since 2019. “I reached 5th place in the PCA British finals in 2021 and got invited to PCA Universe which is in May 2023,” said Iqbal. It’ll be interesting to see how he does during the 2023 season. Shahid Iqbal is among the many inspiring figures who turned their life around through bodybuilding.

Watch this story | How Are Ice Baths Important to Bodybuilders to Develop Muscles

What did you make of Shahid Iqbal’s story? Write your views in the comments.