Mariusz Kupczak is a Polish bodybuilder. His nickname is Mario. Mario was born on July 17th, 1980 in Bielsko Biala, Poland where he currently resides. He was born with cerebral palsy with muscular dystrophy and paresis in his legs and the right side of his body accompanying the disease. Cerebral palsy is a neurological disorder that affects movement, motor skills, and muscles that happens in the womb or at birth. Muscular dystrophy is a progressive muscle disease that causes weakness and degeneration. Paresis is partial paralysis causing muscle weakness.
Mario started training at the age of 14 in 1994 to build his physical strength and stamina to be able to use crutches or a wheelchair. He had no strength to do these things on his own and he wanted to change that. He was also bullied as a younger child by other kids. But when those kids saw his bodybuilding father, they left him alone. He knew if he looked strong enough, the other children would stop picking on him.
Mario is inspired by Arnold Schwarzenegger and in particular, his role in the Conan the Barbarian movie. His inspiration of Arnold Schwarzenegger led him to decide that he wanted to fight and live the best life possible for himself.
Mario’s weight during contest season is between 132-143 lbs (71 kg), and during the off season, he’s around 154 lbs (77 kg). His favorite exercise is the dumbbell press. His favorite body part to train is his chest.
I was born in 1980 with cerebral palsy. Along with cerebral palsy, I also have muscular dystrophy and paresis in my legs and the right side of my body. Walking on crutches or using a wheelchair requires stamina and physical strength that I did not have. I started rehabilitation to give me the strength I needed to use a wheelchair. I became inspired by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the movie Conan the Barbarian.
My father was also a weight lifter and a body builder. When I was younger, other kids made fun of me and physically beat me. When they saw my father, they stopped picking on me. They were afraid of him. I knew if I looked as strong as my father, the kids would no longer try to bully me mentally or physically. As mentioned previously, I also needed to build strength to be able to use a wheelchair.
I wanted to be like Arnold Schwarzenegger. At some point, I met Polish bodybuilder Radoslaw Slodkiewicz. He also motivated me to become a wheelchair bodybuilder. He helped me immensely in training me and he even prepared me for my first contest. I am very grateful for all the help he gave me to be successful as a wheelchair bodybuilder.
I have my own gym at home now. The equipment I use is special equipment designed and made by my father. Olymp is the company that manufactured it for me as they are a company that makes bodybuilding machines. My favorite exercise is the dumbbell press and my favorite body part to train is my chest. But I do like to train everything!
My first motivation and inspiration to because a wheelchair bodybuilder came from Arnold Schwarzenegger, particularly from his movie Conan the Barbarian. Another person who now motivates and inspires me is Victor Konovalov. Victor Konovalov is another wheelchair bodybuilder after he sustained a spinal injury doing motocross. He started training 10 years before me, so he has been a source of inspiration as a fellow wheelchair bodybuilder. Another person who inspires me is Lee Priest. He is a IFBB professional bodybuilder.
If you have a dream, do all that you can to achieve that dream. I am a firm believer that you can make your dream come true if you work at it. I was able to make my dreams come true, so I believe everyone can achieve their dreams. It is important to create the best life possible for yourself. Do it for yourself to make yourself happy in life.
• Amateur Contest History
2009 Polish Bodybuilding Coup : 1st Place
2008 Polish Bodybuilding Championships : 1st Place
2006 World Bodybuilding Championships : 1st Place
2006 Polish and International Cup : 1st Place
2006 Polish Bodybuilding Coup : 1st Place
2005 Polish Bodybuilding Championships : 1st Place
2005 Polish Bodybuilding Coup : 1st Place
2003 Polish Bodybuilding Championships : 1st Place
2003 Polish Bodybuilding Coup : 1st Place
2002 Polish Bodybuilding Coup : 1st Place
