Author: G.Li, Megaphone Editor-in-chief

📍San Jose, CA

(Image taken from NBC Bay Area)

About a decade ago, Samuel Hinojosa stepped into a gym with a dream— to become a bodybuilder. Hinojosa was born with Down’s syndrome, a medical condition where a person is born with an extra copy of chromosome 21. This condition affects how a person’s body and brain develops, and can cause mental and physical challenges for those with the disease. 

Hinojosa had always admired bodybuilders, so when he noticed Mike Shmakov, a personal trainer and bodybuilder at the gym he attended, Hinojosa approached Shmakov for guidance. However, Shmakov was uncertain. He didn’t want to make any mistakes or give Hinojosa the wrong guidance; as he describes in an Instagram post (@shmockey), “I had just gone through a rough experience with someone on crutches and was not sufficiently capable of helping her despite my beliefs… so when they asked me if I want to take Samuel I feared the sense of failure more than anything”. Shmakov said he would give his response the next day, and so after work, he went home and researched and read books to learn more about working with fitness with people that have Down’s syndrome. His response to Hinojosa’s request the next day was “yes”.

From then onwards, they worked together, with Shmakov training Hinojosa, lifting weights and following a nutrition plan. Shmakov was amazed by Hinojosa’s consistent effort and progress, and made equal contributions himself in adapting and streamlining a teaching style great for Hinojosa’s learning style. 

Hinojosa’s progress was evident to Shmakov, so they decided it was time for Hinojosa to enter his first bodybuilding competition. Shmakov searched for a bodybuilding competition for those with special needs but was unable to find one — this did not deter the two. Instead, Hinojosa entered the competition run by the National Physique Committee, the very same competition Shmakov had once competed in and won. 

Despite nerves before getting on stage, Hinojosa’s performance in the competition was stellar. He hit all of his poses with confidence despite it being his first bodybuilding competition, and according to Shmakov, “he looked right at home”. 

However, this first competition is but a stepping stone in Hinojosa’s dream. 

In the future, Shmakov and Hinojosa plan on continuing to work together and enter in more bodybuilding competitions. Shmakov writes on an Instagram post (@shmockey): “For everyone who has followed my stories over the years know that Samuel is a jokester but he is a motivated individual and he works hard — we’ll be back to the stage!” Thanks to Shmakov’s adaptability and dedication for his clients, and Hinojosa’s immense effort, Hinojosa was able to overcome all challenges and obstacles, and can actively pursue his dream of becoming a bodybuilder.