Born six months premature and with a congenital heart defect, Kyle Landi was diagnosed with Down syndrome as a baby. From that moment, his mother made it her mission to provide opportunity for Kyle to discover what he loved.
Now, at 25, Canadian bodybuilder Landi has become one of the most recognisable new faces in the fitness world — and not just because of his sculpted physique. With more than 1,300,000 followers across TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram and the backing of bodybuilding legend Arnold Schwarzenegger, Landi is proving that the gym is for everyone, regardless of ability.
“Whether it was dance, or gymnastics, or swimming, or weightlifting. We tried a little bit of everything,” Kyle’s mum, Kimberly Murphy, told Global News. “Just because they have a disability doesn’t mean they don’t have an ability in something.”
That philosophy shaped Kyle’s childhood — and eventually, his calling.
It all started during a family trip to Las Vegas. Kyle’s stepfather, Joseph Dominie, recalled how the two stopped by the Olympia Fitness & Performance Expo, one of the world’s biggest bodybuilding events.
“They were doing a chin-up contest,” he said. “He said ‘Should I?’ and I said, ‘Should you what?’ (He said) ‘You know, go there and whoop some butt.’ I said, ‘Sure, but only if you rip your shirt off.’”
Before Dominie knew it, his stepson was hanging from the bar — and cranking out chin-ups for over a minute straight.
Dominie filmed it, intending only to show his wife. But when Kyle launched his TikTok account, that video became his very first post — and it took off.
Since then, Kyle has been sharing his training, motivation, and milestones online. His sessions at PURE Muscle + Fitness in Burlington, Ontario, can last up to six hours a day. He’s also now stepped onto the competitive stage, entering his first bodybuilding show in 2023.
Coach Antwane Hamlett, who regularly trains with him at PURE, said Kyle’s commitment sets a standard for everyone in the gym.
“He comes in, headphones on and says ‘Hi! Hi!’ and then he’s straight to the gym,” Hamlett told Global News. “He loves it. And for me, there should be no excuse for anyone not to go for what they want in life, no matter what it is.”
Finding Strength With Schwarzenegger
That mindset caught the attention of one of bodybuilding’s biggest icons — Arnold Schwarzenegger himself, and the two have been seen training together in viral social media videos.
In his Arnold’s Pump Club newsletter, Schwarzenegger reflected on training with Landi and how his story embodied what fitness should be about: inclusion, resilience, and self-belief.
“Young, old, rich, poor, black, white, straight, gay, man, woman, ‘disabled,’ able-bodied — and anything in between; no matter who you are and what your situation might be, fitness is for you,” he wrote, via Men’s Health.
Schwarzenegger said he’s seen firsthand how fitness can be the “great equaliser.”
“If you saw them outside of the fitness setting, you might feel bad for them. They don’t want that,” he explained. “Fitness gives each of them, and all of us, a way to overcome whatever challenges we face. It’s the great equaliser. Two hundred pounds is 200lbs whether you live in a mansion or are struggling to put food on the table.”
Schwarzenegger has appeared in several videos with Kyle, and even hailed him as the “Champion of the Champions” in one clip.
That attitude has shaped his Arnold Sports Festival, which celebrates athletes of all abilities — including those with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and limb differences.
But Schwarzenegger also had a challenge for gym owners and fitness communities everywhere: make inclusion non-negotiable.
“You have to be inclusive. You can’t turn people away because of who they are, and you must be willing to help people with different issues find their way into the gym,” he wrote. “Lift them up — don’t put them down.”
Kyle’s daily grind is simple but unshakeable: eat right, train hard, stay consistent. Speaking on The Mike O’Hearn Show, he opened up about his love of cookies and carb-heavy snacks, but also about how balance and nutrition keep him on track.
His parents joined the conversation to share how fitness became the centre of family life — and how Kyle’s story has touched people around the world.
Kyle’s mother recalled being handed a startling medical booklet after his birth. Doctors listed his “defects” and gave her a manual on raising a child with Down syndrome. Instead, she wrote her own.
“I don’t think he’s different from any other kid out there,” Kyle’s mum said.
She chose to raise him with the same expectations as any other child, giving him the space to find out what he could do — and how far he could go. O’Hearn said that this “foundation” – established by his mum – has resulted in Kyle being able to not only out-perform most people in the gym, but also build the following he has.
Kyle’s father said what makes his son special isn’t his condition, but his consistency. Even on days when motivation runs low, he’s at the gym, working.
And that’s exactly what impressed Schwarzenegger during their training sessions together.
Kyle remembered how Arnold would tell him to stop after a set — and how he’d keep going anyway. Schwarzenegger, ever the perfectionist, was blown away. It wasn’t pity or novelty; it was respect.
More Than Muscle
Today, Kyle Landi is part of a growing movement that’s reshaping how people think about fitness and ability. His message is simple: there’s no secret formula — just focus, discipline, and heart.
As Mike O’Hearn put it, most people who step into a gym every week never see real change because they don’t stick with the basics. Kyle does.
Schwarzenegger summed it up best: “That’s why fitness is for everyone. No matter what we face, it gives us the power to change something in our lives: our strength. And when you learn that you aren’t powerless in that one part of your life, you gain the strength to deal with the challenges outside of the gym.”
For Kyl, that lesson isn’t theoretical. It’s every rep, every early morning, and every smile when he walks through the gym door — headphones on, ready to work. What an inspiration!
Featured image credit: Instagram/@greenrangerkyle
