Affiliate & partner disclosure: This article contains links to products from which Simply Younger may earn a commission. As an authorised LifeWave Brand Partner, the author has a financial interest in promoting LifeWave products. Testimonial given by a LifeWave brand partner with financial interest in promoting the product. See full disclosure below.
At 17, Jason Fowler was paralysed from the waist down in a motocross accident. Most people would have accepted that as the end of athletic competition. Fowler treated it as the beginning. He found his way into a racing wheelchair, started training for marathons and triathlons, and went on to become a two-time Ironman Champion. In January 2022, LifeWave announced Fowler as an official company spokesperson — and his story became one of the most compelling in the phototherapy space.
I’m Dave, founder of Simply Younger, approaching 50. Fowler’s story resonates with me not because of the paralysis — I can’t pretend to understand that — but because of what it reveals about the mindset required to compete at the highest level regardless of obstacles. That mindset, combined with an openness to exploring every tool that might provide an edge, is exactly what this site is about.
Key takeaways
- Jason Fowler was paralysed at 17 in a motocross accident and returned to elite competition through wheelchair racing.
- He won the Ironman Championship twice — in 2009 and 2016 — competing from a racing wheelchair.
- In January 2022, LifeWave announced Fowler as an official spokesperson for the company.
- Fowler has described discovering X39 after a shoulder injury from cross-country skiing, and has stated publicly that he will not train or compete without it.
- His story illustrates a broader pattern: elite athletes at the edge of human performance are among the most willing to explore unconventional recovery and wellness tools.
How did Jason Fowler discover LifeWave?
According to LifeWave’s official announcement, Fowler first encountered the technology after pulling his shoulder while cross-country skiing. A follower on social media saw his post about the injury and reached out to suggest LifeWave’s X39 patches. Fowler has described the experience publicly: he applied a patch and noticed a significant reduction in soreness the following morning. That initial experience led to deeper engagement with the product and eventually to a formal spokesperson role with the company.
What makes Fowler’s story noteworthy isn’t that a single product changed his life — his life was already defined by extraordinary discipline and determination long before he encountered LifeWave. It’s that an athlete who has pushed his body through Ironman-level demands chose to make phototherapy part of his daily training and competition toolkit. When someone who knows their body at that level adopts a tool, it’s worth paying attention to.
What does an Ironman demand from the body?
An Ironman triathlon consists of a 3.86 km swim, a 180.25 km cycle, and a full 42.2 km marathon — completed consecutively. The physiological demands are extreme: sustained cardiovascular output for 8–17 hours, massive caloric expenditure, deep muscular fatigue, joint stress, inflammatory load, and a recovery period that can take weeks. For a wheelchair athlete, the upper-body demands are even more concentrated — every metre of the cycle and run is powered entirely by the arms and shoulders.
Recovery at this level isn’t optional — it’s the limiting factor. The athletes who compete at the top aren’t just the ones who train the hardest; they’re the ones who recover the best. That’s why elite endurance athletes are often early adopters of tools that support the body’s natural repair processes — from sleep optimisation to cold exposure to nutrition protocols to phototherapy.
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Fowler is far from the only elite athlete associated with LifeWave. Ronnie Coleman (7x Mr. Olympia), Wayne McCullough (Olympic silver medallist, WBC World Champion boxer), and professional athletes across golf, football, basketball, and strongman have been publicly associated with the technology.
The pattern is consistent: athletes operating at the edge of human performance, where margins are measured in fractions of a percent, are among the most willing to try unconventional tools. When you’ve already optimised training, nutrition, sleep, and conventional recovery, anything that might support the body’s natural processes gets serious consideration. Phototherapy — a non-transdermal, drug-free approach that doesn’t introduce any substances into the body — fits that profile.
In my own practice at nearly 50: resistance training every second day, 10,000+ steps, cold plunges year-round, tracked sleep, protein-forward nutrition with PerfectAmino, body composition tracking with the Hume Pod, and a LifeWave X39 patch daily.
What X39 is — and what it isn’t. LifeWave X39 is a non-transdermal, general-wellness phototherapy patch that gently stimulates the skin with light to support the body’s natural energy flow for strength and stamina. It contains no drugs and is not a treatment for paralysis, injury, or any medical condition. Jason Fowler’s achievements are the result of extraordinary personal determination and years of elite training. This article is editorial coverage of his public association with LifeWave.
As an authorised LifeWave Brand Partner I have a financial interest in promoting it. You can explore X39 and the Cellular Performance System at my store: lifewave.com/dcp.
Shop X39 & the Cellular Performance System →
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Frequently asked questions
Who is Jason Fowler?
Jason Fowler is a two-time Ironman Champion who competes from a racing wheelchair after being paralysed from the waist down at age 17 in a motocross accident. He became an official LifeWave spokesperson in January 2022.
How did Fowler discover LifeWave?
According to LifeWave’s announcement, Fowler was introduced to X39 patches by a social media follower after posting about a shoulder injury sustained while cross-country skiing. He has publicly stated that he will not train or compete without the patches.
What is an Ironman triathlon?
An Ironman consists of a 3.86 km swim, 180.25 km cycle, and 42.2 km marathon completed consecutively. It is one of the most demanding endurance events in sport.
Do other athletes use LifeWave?
Yes. Athletes publicly associated with LifeWave include Ronnie Coleman (7x Mr. Olympia), Wayne McCullough (Olympic boxer, WBC Champion), Phil Pfister (World’s Strongest Man), and athletes across golf, football, and swimming.
Is LifeWave X39 approved for sports use?
LifeWave patches are non-transdermal and contain no substances that enter the body. LifeWave has stated that the patches were tested by USADA at the US Olympic Trials and no issues or banned substances were found.
What is LifeWave X39?
It’s a non-transdermal, general-wellness phototherapy patch that gently stimulates the skin with light to support the body’s natural energy flow for strength and stamina. It is not a drug or treatment for any condition.
Related reading
William Shatner and LifeWave · Suzanne Somers and LifeWave · Ronnie Coleman and LifeWave · Exercise and Stem Cells · Satellite Cells
Full disclosure. This article is editorial coverage of a public figure’s known association with LifeWave and is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. LifeWave X39 is a non-transdermal, general-wellness phototherapy patch and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. As an authorised LifeWave Brand Partner, the author has a financial interest in promoting LifeWave products. Always consult a qualified professional about your individual health.
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