Who is KC Mitchell?
KC Mitchell, often known as “That 1 Leg Monster,” began his fitness quest when he was very young.
To enjoy his active lifestyle, he turned to competitive sports like American football, cage fighting, and wrestling. But later on in his life, things started to go south.
Short Career of KC Mitchell
In 2010, while serving in the US army, KC Mitchell suffered grave wounds that required the amputation of his left leg.
KC was devastated by this, and to cope with his melancholy and anxiety, he went into a life of drug use and alcohol.
Nevertheless, KC eventually overcame his worst moments with the help of his sheer willpower and hard effort. After rediscovering his passion for fitness, he went on to succeed in powerlifting.
Body Measurements of KC Mitchell
| Full Name: | KC Mitchell |
| YEAR OF BIRTH: | 1986 |
| ERA: | 2010 |
| PROFESSION: | Powerlifter, Sponsored Athlete, US Army Veteran, Influencer, Motivational Speaker |
| NATIONALITY: | American |
| ALIAS: | That 1 Leg Monster |
| HEIGHT: | 6′ (183cm) |
| WEIGHT: | 235 to 245 pounds (106.6 to 111.1 kg) |
Accomplishments
Career Accomplishments
- Powerlifter
- Sponsored Athlete
- US Army Veteran
- Motivational Speaker
- Influencer
Powerlifting Career Stats
- American Cup Powerlifting, Los Angeles Fit Expo: 435 lb Squat, 424 lb Bench Press, and 600 lb Deadlift
Biography
Fitness Begins at a Young Age
Throughout his childhood, KC Mitchell developed a passion for fitness and started playing competitive sports including American football, track, and wrestling. This helped lay the groundwork for his fitness career.
However, KC emphasized that his favorite sport was wrestling. This occurred as a result of the crucial life lessons he used as motivation to keep moving forward.
This involved retaining mental fortitude while being committed to one’s development.
KC claims that his father had a significant impact on him throughout his high school years. He was the only one who kept him inspired to work harder to improve his fitness. Concerning this, KC said:
“My Dad was like a stay at home coach. That’s who built the way I am, the structure that I have. He always pushed me, always there to give me that drive”.
Arming Oneself
Since he admired his grandfather, a World War II veteran, so much, KC knew from an early age that he wanted to join the military.
Because of this, KC decided he wanted to become a soldier like his grandfather and follow in his footsteps.
Eventually, KC started making preparations to enlist in the Army. His military career soon saw him rising through the ranks.
As a result, KC was sent to an infantryman deployment in Iraq for a year. KC had only been in the army for six months at this point, underscoring his commitment to life as a soldier.
KC Mitchell didn’t want to abandon his days of participating in competitive sports, though. He started engaging in cage fighting at this point. In addition to his army responsibilities, this allowed him to continue his fitness career.
Over time, KC became a strong cage fighter. KC developed his fighting techniques as a wrestler in high school and used them to maintain an undefeated record in seven amateur cage battles.
After Serving in the Military
KC reenlisted right away after his mission in Iraq was finished. He was eager to advance in his military career since he was sure that this was the kind of life he wanted:
“I was planning to use it as my career. I would never have managed to leave.
Moving on to 2010, KC was sent to Afghanistan. He was now a member of the first striker team, which served as a reminder of how far he had gone in the Army.
KC’s time in the service was, however, cut short when he went through an experience that would permanently alter his life.
The Moment His Life Changed
When things started to go wrong, KC was in the Afghan province of Kandahar on a mission. KC suffered serious injuries when the vehicle he was driving collided with an IED.
But soon after the weapon exploded, the full amount of the destruction the detonation had wreaked became clear. KC sustained second and third-degree burns, a shattered right forearm, and several shrapnel wounds as a result of the explosion.
KC was forced to leave the service as a result of his wounds. This rapidly started to take a toll, and he started to spiral downward. According to KC, this was one of the most trying times of his life:
“I was suffering from severe despair and anxiety because I had nothing going for me—I was out of the service, and I didn’t have a job. I believed that my injuries were the worst condition I could be in, but then my addiction and everything else entered the picture.
Engaging in Surgery
KC had no feeling in his left leg at this point due to the severity of his wounds. As a result, KC was faced with a difficult decision: whether or not to have his wounded leg amputated.
Then, KC took some time to consider the choice he would make. He wasn’t sure what to do because there was no certainty that he would ever regain full use of his left leg.
However, KC quickly decided that he would have his leg removed. Doctors were able to complete the treatment only after extensive surgery. KC had to get used to living with just one leg. He first had trouble with this because of his self-confidence problems.
KC eventually became frustrated with the way he was spending his life and was determined to make a change. Soon enough, he was back in shape.
Regaining Fitness
KC started making the preparations needed to relaunch his fitness profession. Powerlifting was the ideal activity for him to pursue because he wanted to increase his strength and ability to lift large objects.
KC was embarrassed by his severed leg, though. He wore sweatpants at first because he was afraid of people staring at him when he started working out in the gym.
He eventually overcame body issues and came to terms with his identity. KC was now more driven than ever and had found his love for exercise. About this, KC stated:
“I increased my training even more and posted the videos on social media.
The responses from people who were merely inspired, surprised, and encouraged by what I was doing made me flourish and want to do, even more, to get bigger and stronger.”
He was soon able to begin steadily increasing the amount of weight he was lifting. KC wanted to advance his motion after making significant success, so he resorted to the powerlifting stage.
Beginning to Compete
At the American Cup, Los Angeles Fitness Expo in January 2017, KC competed in his first powerlifting event. It was a fantastic accomplishment for KC to become the first amputee to participate in a full powerlifting tournament.
But KC’s path to victory in the contest wasn’t simple. KC had difficulty getting ready for the contest. He had a hip injury and a serious infection on the limb he lost.
This made him quite uncomfortable. He was in such much discomfort that he could have had to give up the race. But KC didn’t let that stop him from going to the contest.
KC was able to win the competition by persevering despite the discomfort.
He could squat, bench press, and deadlift the following weights: 435 pounds, 424 pounds, and 600 pounds. KC considered this to be a tremendous accomplishment and used it as motivation to keep moving forward.
Present Day
After participating in his first competition at the beginning of 2017, KC kept up his training to advance his powerlifting career.
After working out diligently for several months, KC was sponsored, giving him the platform to keep pushing himself to achieve big things.
Along the road, KC experienced setbacks that made his life negative. However, when he was able to overcome each one of them, it showed how strong of a character he was.
After achieving his fitness objectives, KC is now focused on assisting others in achieving similar success.
Training
Mitchell trains mostly with big weights and few repetitions to become a powerlifter. This enables him to gain weight more frequently while yet allowing him to grow quickly.
The following is a list of two exercises that KC does:
Mitchell Workouts
Chest and Shoulders
- Bench Press with Reverse Bands – 385 lbs x 3, 405 lbs x 3, 425 lbs x 3, 435 lbs x 3
- Military Press Against Resistance Bands – 185 lbs x 5, 195 lbs x 5, 225 lbs x 5, 235 lbs x 5
- Incline Dumbbell Press 120 lbs x 5, 130 lbs x 5, 140 lbs x 5
- Dumbbell Lateral Side Raises – 40 reps super-set with Dumbbell Front Raises – 40, 30, 20, 10 reps
- Cable Chest Flyes super-set with Close Grip Cable Press – 4 sets of 20 reps
Legs
- Barbell Squats – 405 lbs x 3, 415 lbs x 3, 425 lbs x 3, 435 lbs x 3
- Belt Squats – 4 sets of 15 reps
- Leg Press
Nutrition
To consistently gain muscle mass and lift higher weights, Mitchell consumes a lot of calories. To keep on track with his fitness goals, he plans his meals at the beginning of the week.
So that he is less likely to be tempted to overindulge in unhealthy meals, KC keeps the majority of his eating alternatives clean.
Instead, he occasionally indulges in a cheat meal as an added incentive to accomplish his objectives. The following foods make up the majority of his diet:
Common Foods by Mitchell
- Protein – Chicken, Fish, Steak, Eggs, and Whey Protein
- Complex Carbohydrates – Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Rice, Pasta
- Healthy Fats – Avocado, Peanut Butter
- Fresh Fruit
- Fresh Vegetables
Influences and Idols
Throughout his time in high school, KC led an active lifestyle, competing in sports including American football and wrestling. These activities taught KC to keep a positive outlook and to always strive to improve.
KC admired his grandfather from a young age. He was the one person KC looked up to, which motivated him to enlist in the army as soon as he graduated from high school.
KC eventually started his powerlifting career, but at first, he was self-conscious about his appearance. Due to this, he might not have been able to reach his full potential in the fitness industry.
However, it was at this time when KC first encountered Gracie Davis and Ed Coan, two personal trainers. Powerlifting figures like these two have succeeded in their lives and inspired KC to follow suit.
How Can KC Mitchell Teach Us Something?
Due to the wounds he received while serving in the army, Mitchell started to spiral downward. KC Mitchell struggled with anxiety and sadness, which had a terrible effect on his life.
When he changed his life, he, nonetheless, became an inspiration to many others all around the world.
As the first amputee to take part in a powerlifting competition, KC made history. This was a perfect illustration of the resolute mindset he had developed as a child.
What we can learn from Mitchell is that fitness enables you to live your life positively, just like Mitchell was able to. Fitness allows you to achieve things you never imagined you could.