BURLINGTON, Ont. \u2013 As soon as Kyle Landi steps foot inside his gym, you know he\u2019s a man on a mission.<\/p>\n
Absolute focus \u2013 even if he\u2019s got a TV crew following him.<\/p>\n Landi is Canada\u2019s first competitive bodybuilder with Down syndrome. But he refuses to be defined by the condition he was born with.<\/p>\n In fact, it\u2019s become a not-so-secret superpower.<\/p>\n The 26-year-old Landi has more than one million followers on Instagram and TikTok, and has trained with some of the biggest names in bodybuilding \u2013 including Arnold Schwarzenegger \u2013 and is a certified personal trainer. He\u2019s also a budding businessman, developing an app to help others reach their fitness goals.<\/p>\n But no matter how high he soars, he still remembers to stay grounded and independent \u2013 values his mom, Kim Murphy, instilled in him from a young age.<\/p>\n \u201cI would put him in mainstream everything \u2013 mainstream dance, mainstream gymnastics, mainstream karate \u2013 because we all need to level up when you see other people,\u201d Murphy said from her home in Milton, Ont.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t ever pity him, because he is the happiest guy in the world,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a fierce, material determination, which Murphy says could be a response to the way hospital staff made her feel about her son when he entered the world.<\/p>\n On top of having Down syndrome, he was also six weeks premature, and years later, had open-heart surgery when he was just nine years old. <\/p>\n \u201cWhen he was born, they made it sound, instead of \u2018congratulations,\u2019 \u2026 it turned into a very mournful event,\u201d she explained. \u201cLike the kid wasn\u2019t dead or dying, but they made it sound like it.\u201d She adds that it took away from the joy of having a child come into the world.<\/p>\n Even as he keeps defying the odds, Landi is inspiring others to do the same, like his step-dad Joe Dominie, a former police officer who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression.<\/p>\n \u201cThis man has single-handedly helped save my life. Literally. Literally,\u201d Dominie said during a recent workout with Landi, adding that his positivity, optimism and will to break barriers is what keeps him going.<\/p>\n Landi\u2019s mom says the family has received many messages of support, including one from a young mother who was struggling after she had given birth to a child with Down syndrome, but then heard Kyle\u2019s story, showing her what was possible. <\/p>\n Currently, Landi is training for the Pittsburgh Pro Competition at the Pittsburgh Power & Fitness Festival in May, as well as the Muscle Beach Bodybuilding Contest in Venice, Calif., in June. <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.cp24.com\/resizer\/v2\/QWE4WMVGJJBXPN54CVWZ6KOEVQ.jpeg?auth=bc787ce6628c8e99cedba856fdecbf8763869d44a50e9414aec69eba21533389&width=800&height=464\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.cp24.com\/resizer\/v2\/G6MIF7WK3RBWDCTVARACTWHP2M.jpeg?auth=0cb1985e9d0017810ba84359f0fa9c3486b994863f522df2a6daee6049373718&width=800&height=446\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.cp24.com\/resizer\/v2\/RSZ6ZA6YC5HXHJENB67BSLOEXM.jpeg?auth=1d731e9f0d6bdcf437bfb2d5db42a2399be4910c556d2ae5b58d3168ea8852dd&width=800&height=447\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.cp24.com\/resizer\/v2\/AUY6NRY75VGI3K3B6HSLRZKO7I.jpeg?auth=8fd80d2adb2bd7e9ede943dd58092562594015bd9d099a4e207f7079f6186734&width=800&height=457\")