It is difficult to believe that he has broken almost every type of bone in his body, apart from his skull which does bear the hidden scars of many an attempt! He has been involved in all manner of sports at a competitive level from an early age. He continued to follow this sporting prowess during his military career whilst attached to the elite Royal Air Force Regiment.

Steve Rules has spent much of his life recovering from all manner of sports related injuries, which have allowed him great insight into the practice of sports rehabilitation. To see him and thus being made aware as to the extent of his injuries would surely put disbelief into the minds of many. You probably wouldn’t even discern that he had so much as ever worn a band aid; such has been his close to miraculous recoveries.

He is probably the only tandem skydiving instructor, to survive a double parachute malfunction where both parties survived. His student walked away (albeit injured) after spending overnight in hospital. During his sporting exploits he has broken his arms, legs, spinal vertebrae, pelvis, ribs, shoulders, fingers and toes competing in all manner of sports which include skydiving, football, rugby, climbing, biking, judo, karate as well as hang gliding. He has also been in numerous car wrecks so it could be fair to say that his nine lives are all but gone.

Having been asked the questions over and over again on many occasions at seminars and fitness events relating to his accidents and recovery he has answered a few questions below and included a brief insight into some of these questions as well as an insight into the formation of Personal Trainers Ltd.

The Parachuting story.

Whilst on my regular annual summer vacation in Utah I encountered a double parachute malfunction. I had a student strapped to my chest on a tandem skydive. The reserve parachute entangled my main one after a malfunction at opening; this was complicated with the inability to release or cut away the main parachute.

As a result I broke my back in 4 places, shattered my pelvis, and had to under go reconstructive surgery to my back, pelvis and legs. I was given nice new right knee by unsurpassed American surgeons and now boast numerous scars. I hit the ground so hard that the pads of my feet still hurt during my daily run and there are ongoing issues which I address with approved exercise routines.

Hang gliding saga

I also hit a cliff, head first on a hang glider in Wales, that time I dislocated my shoulders, elbows and broke my arm. In hindsight it was amusing being ‘bounce driven’ across country in the back of a military land rover by two paratroopers to the nearest rural Welsh hospital, where I was immediately sedated. I think this injury hurt the most to date so far, this was due mainly to the delay in obtaining medical attention and the unconventional trip to the hospital.

Why?

Some people would say I like to live on the edge, that I am an adrenaline junkie, I don’t think this way at all. It isn’t about the attraction of danger; it is more about living life to the fullest. I feel therefore I am sort of thing.
The experience of what we feel throughout our lives is all that we can ever possibly hope to carry with us through our lives and who knows, maybe even ‘there after’.

I just can’t envisage ever giving up this form of lifestyle, below is my own personal insight as to why.

When I left my ‘real job’ working for a highly regarded television company I questioned long and hard what I had done. I turned up in the middle of the Arizona desert at Skydive Eloy with my parachute, a rucksack of clothes and my meager life savings.

I gave up quite a lot to live in a beat up, tiny 2 berth caravan in a desert trailer park. The truth was that I had never been so ‘alive’ I felt that I had literally ‘found myself’ at last. Life was never about the money, more about living in such a way that made me feel at ease within myself.

A week or so after I arrived I was still in some form of denial pertaining to my other life and what I had given up. Then a revelation occurred which presented my own personal solution to life’s enigma.

There was a POPs (Parachutists Over Phorty) and an SOS (skydivers Over Sixty) combined meeting being held at the drop zone at Eloy. In reality this was a collection of ‘old fogies’ having a fart fest. The ‘elderly’ were a section of society to whom I previously never even given a second glance. What I witnessed touched me greater than any other experience that life had ever thrown at me, and there have been many.

Here were a group of grandparents, some over 80 years of age, going absolutely crackers. After a leisurely day of skydiving here they were doing the can-can, chugging beer, banging tequila, having a real good old time ball, then in no uncertain terms it dawned on me. For the first time in my life I honestly thought, and meant… When I grow up I want to be just like you!

For the first time in my life I had found peers that I actually respected and admired for no other reason than ‘they never gave up on living’. I had done the right thing! And I have never looked back.

Life does have a funny way of panning out. I have spent a life time in rehab from many many sporting injuries, who would have guessed that these injuries would be the architect of my future.

I founded Personal Trainers Ltd after discussions with a long time friend and sports graduate, who helped me back to fitness and well being after my skydiving injuries. I realized the extremely under valued service that health and fitness professionals provide within society.

I found it disparaging that their services were, and to some extent still are, reserved for the wealthy. I also found it disheartening at how many fitness professionals are unable to survive within the industry due to the inability to market themselves in what is a relatively small section of the rapidly expanding health and fitness industry.

It is the aim of Personal Trainers Ltd to assist these undervalued professionals in their marketing and help them to survive within the fitness industry. We feel that it would be a serious loss to the public if the services of these professionals were to diminish when realistically they should do more than prosper.

Well-being and lifestyle consultancy is to the overall benefit to every member of the community. For this reason it is at forefront of today’s politics for the realistic reason that access to these facilities should not be the preserve of the wealthy.

Preventative maintenance and longevity are no longer fantasy stories. It is a proven fact that you can stave off illness, add years to your life and retain a youthful appearance through correct life style management.

With the professional advice and assistance of a certified personal trainer or lifestyle consultant you will benefit in the long term.

Personal Trainers Ltd is one of the fastest growing international health and fitness online referral companies on the internet and currently controls the following fitness related domains.