Mat Hotho sits down with Jacob Peterson, an adaptive powerlifter from Alabama living with mild cerebral palsy. Released during Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month, Jacob talks about the surgeries that helped him move more freely as a kid, the loneliness of being different without being able to fully explain why, and years of competing in Ultimate Frisbee while managing CP-related arm lockups mid-game.
When a foot injury in 2023 took running off the table, he found his way into the weight room and eventually into competitive powerlifting through the USAPL adaptive athlete division. What started as a goal to lose weight and get his confidence back turned into something he never planned for.
Jacob walks through how USAPL's adaptive classification works, what his training looks like with coach Gibby, and the mental shift that happened on a five-hour drive home from Savannah when he started asking himself a simple question: why not me?
Most recently, Jacob competed at the 2026 Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio, where he earned Best Lifter honors in the Adaptive Open — a significant marker in a competitive career that's really just getting started.
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @TheAdaptiveAthletePod
