Bodybuilder with Down syndrome shattering records, stigmas

Kyle Landi is taking his passion for fitness and making history. In just seven months, the 23-year-old has become one of the only bodybuilders in the world with Down syndrome.

“I like to do cardio, abs, back,” the Milton, Ont., native says.

Landi has always loved to exercise, a passion he developed when he was just seven years old and used to follow his mother, Kimberly Murphy, to their basement gym. Murphy says she has always encouraged her son, who was born premature with a congenital heart defect and Down syndrome, to be active.

“He would come down and mimic what I was doing,” Murphy recalls. “So I got him his own little weights and he would mimic what I was doing. That was kind of our thing, working out in the morning.”

This past January, Landi and his stepfather Joe Dominie were in Las Vegas for the Mr. Olympia competition when they noticed a pull up booth at the fan expo. Dominie was about to suggest his stepson give it a try, but Landi beat him to it.

“I didn’t even have the words out of my mouth,” Dominie says, recalling the incident. “He has the shirt off and he’s doing chin ups.”

A few weeks later, Landi told his parents he wanted to take bodybuilding seriously. That same night, they started a TikTok account, uploaded the chin up video and went to bed, not expecting much. The next day, the video had more than one million views.

“We kind of clued in that we had something special with him,” Dominie says.

Landi and his family began sharing his journey to become one of the world’s first bodybuilders with Down syndrome. He began working with trainer Cody Amey in January and has won his first competition.

“He has a passion for lifting,” Amey says. “When you have that passion for lifting, it’s easy to help and put that person in the right direction because he just loves to train.”

Through bodybuilding, Landi’s parents say they have watched their son’s confidence soar.

“He used to walk in with his head down, shoulders slouched,” Dominie says. “Now you see him walking in with his chest up, shoulders back. His communication skills have improved. He’s a different young man than he was in January.”

With hundreds of thousands of followers on social media, Landi is using his growing platform to inspire people around the world.

“Even if you have a disability, do the best you can at whatever you can,” his mom says. “Whatever your ability is, get physical.”