Excercise ideas & help for person with slight disability?

[killahpl]

Hi everyone,

I've been looking to start taking care of myself physically a little bit more, but I'm in a kind of a dead end given that after an accident I had about 6 years ago I have a slight disability in my right hand that prevents me from being able to clench my fist. Obviously, that makes any kind of two-hand weightlifting difficult/impossible, and I've tried to go to the gym, but with this thing, I couldn't really do much around there.

So I've resigned myself to a daily excercise routine that includes squats, sit-ups and push-ups. I used to do a lot cardio - cycling, jogging - but now that is made more difficult by the fact that a) there is a ****load of snow outside b) time is a scarce resource when you work 7 days a week, 5 of which are 10-12 hours long.

So really, I would like to get the most of out of those squats, push-ups and sit-ups. With regard to squats, is there a wrong way to do those? Also, I've noticed (just from what different stuff feels like) that when you spread your legs far apart, it's the uppermost leg muscles that are working, whereas the narrower the stance, the more the lower muscles beneft.

Push-ups? I'm currently doing (or able to do) 3 sets of 15-20 reps, but that's cause I had stopped doing them for some time. Again, what's the right position? Sometimes doing those push-ups feels really good (in that I feel the burning sensation in my chest and the chest is what I REALLY need to work on - more on that in a moment), other times it just feels like the chest hasn't gotten the proper workout while the arms have.

The sit-ups I've more or less got covered.

Now, I've had some amount of extra weight all my life, at times it was worse than at others (though never as bad as the people you see on some of those weight-loss tv shows), but generally it's never been quite what I want it to be.

Now, the main three body parts I need to work on are the legs n' thighs and my ass, which is truely elephantine and makes buying pants a nightmare in that they're okay around the waistline but NOT ok lower, and the chest, which is a disaster area.

IAlso, as soon as this effin' snow disappears, I'm gonna start doing cardio again other than fast walking.

 

[CarlitosWay]

Fanatically Believe You Can

If you want to do anything of value, in or out of the gym, you must believe fanatically in your own ability to overcome and succeed. Here's one of the best examples I can think of, and it also stars Matt Kroczaleski.

Just a few weeks out from the Arnold Classic, Matt noticed that his knee was hurting. Hurting pretty badly, and it just kept getting worse.

"I think I need to take it light today," he said on Monday. "My knee is sore and bothers me."

"Man, something really feels funny inside my knee," he said on Tuesday, "it almost feels swollen."

On Wednesday it was no better. "You guys aren't going to believe this," he said, "but I had to sit down at work today and talk to patients from a chair. My knee hurts so bad I can't put pressure on it. I haven't been able to train, and I'm starting to get a bit concerned. I have no idea what's wrong."

By Thursday it was even worse. "This is unbelievable," he grimaced. "I can't walk today and had to go get crutches. My knee is swollen and hurts to the touch. I can hardly bend it. I'm very concerned I might have some sort of infection or something. I can't train and the pain is unbearable."

That Friday, he was practically beside himself. "I went to the doctor today and they don't know what's wrong," he told us, still hobbling on crutches. The Arnold was only two weeks away, and to say he was frustrated would be an understatement. "I've trained my ass off for this," he growled. "All the work's done. I can't believe I'm dealing with this right now. And I don't even know what the hell's wrong!"

Then he answered the question none of us had the heart to ask him. "You bet your ass I'm still gonna compete, though" he said, the fire building in him. "I'm going to will this knee better, and convince myself that it's healed. I won't let this defeat me, and I'm going to do everything humanly possibly to step onto the platform and win."
Weight liftingMatt "Kroc" Kroczaleski

The winner has already won before he even steps onto the platform.

At the Arnold, despite the fact that he literally was unable to walk only two weeks earlier, Matt ended up squatting 970, and won his first World Championship. That, friends, is the power of belief.


8. Stay Focused

This is the most important secret of the bunch. Lock yourself onto your destination and eliminate any possibility of not getting there. Make your goal the core essence of your existence. Fix your focus 100% onto your desired outcome and the process of achieving it.

Let nothing stop you from training toward your goal, short of a crippling injury or major life trauma. And as you'll see below, not even that is enough to stop some highly motivated individuals.

Okay, here's a story that ought to illustrate my point. It's a little harsh in places, so if you're a pansy, maybe you should leave the room for a while.

Jason Pegg is an aspiring powerlifter, and a until a few years ago he was a sergeant in the 82nd Airborne, out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina. On Memorial Day, 2005, in a little ****hole town about 10 kilometers southwest of Khowst, in eastern Afghanistan, Sgt. Jason Pegg and other members of his team were hit by a roadside bomb. Fragments from the exploding 107 mm rockets ripped through Jason's elbow, tearing away a good part of his forearm.
Jason Pegg's left arm WARNING GRAPHIC: http://www.tmuscle.com/img/photos/2008/08-122-training/image008.jpg

An x-ray of Jason Pegg's left arm gives only a hint of the grave damage done.
Jason Pegg's left arm

Surgeons at Walter Reed do what they can to save Jason Pegg's mangled arm.

He spent the next year and a half at Walter Reed hospital, his bodyweight dropping from 310 down to 238 in only 45 days. When he was given leave, he didn't have the energy to walk 500 yards from the hospital to Fisher House, where his family was staying, without stopping to rest at least twice.

Even after several surgeries, his left arm was so weak, he couldn't keep his eight-month-old son from prying his fingers apart. It was unlikely he'd ever bench over 155, let alone compete again. Most people would accept this situation as an excuse to give up, but not Jason. Instead, he focused every remaining fiber of his body and mind to building up what he could still do: the squat and deadlift.

At first, Jason couldn't squat 315 with the safety bar, and didn't have the mobility to use a regular bar. But with one good arm and laser-like focus, he put all he had into attaining the biggest squat possible. Sure, there were plenty of people who told him all the reasons why he couldn't or shouldn't pursue his goals. Jason ignored them all.

Now two years later, this past weekend in one of the EliteFTS Underground Strength Sessions, Jason squatted 900 on two separate attempts. He can also pull over 700 pounds.

Here's a video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyzWoxmJDiAof Jason squatting at the Cincinnati ProAm last year. Not bad for a guy with one freaking arm, right?

So don't let me hear your lame-ass excuses for why you can't even make it to the gym. How you have crappy genetics, don't have time, bla, bla, bla. Just get your lazy ass away from your keyboard and remote, and start busting your ass the way Jason has for the past two years, savvy?

Listen, Jason has every reason to sit at home and make excuses, but decided to "ball up" and see just how far he could push himself. Think about him next time you make some ****bird excuse why you can't do something.

If you want to be successful, you will rearrange your priorities, and put your focus where it belongs: on the one thing you want to obtain. Results will follow.

So if this guy is doing it with a forearm that got mangled to ****...I think you can get by some how.

Look into these http://www.prowriststraps.com/weight_lifting_hook_straps

Also believe it or not fast speed walking burns more cals then jogging . Think about it you take bigger strides when you jog. Plus why do you have to be running on unforgiving surfaces such as pavement, asphalt. You're asking for knee/ankle issues later. Ask any marathon runner what hurts most on their body. Most likely it'll be those two. Running=Over rated.

Barbell complexs/db exercise complexes when in the gym. Supersets with exercises and short rest periods.

Fasted morning cardio with a real small meal or BCAA's (branch chain amino acids) is the way to go. Elliptical with intervals or treadmill with fast walking is enough. 30 mins - 60 mins a day should be fine.

Supplement with green tea every morning (thermogenic) Aides with fat loss as does fish oil and eating a **** load of protein throughout the day. Every meal you eat should have a nice portion of protein and should be the first thing you eat. Veggies second and any carbs last.

At least 1 gram XBW...Include many good fats in your diet avocados, olive oil/coconut oil, whole eggs, raw nuts like walnuts/almonds.

Carbs should be time around workouts only. Cut them off past 6 pm to. You'll have to do some trial and error to see how much you actually need versus not eating enough and feeling like **** with no energy.

 

[Ronaldo10]

I suggest you do some brisk walking. It may sound like a light exercise but it does do good and it still burns fat off. You can continue with your exercise even with your disability. Its not totally a hindrance if you want to burn some fat off. You can still move right? Its a challenge mate and I'm sure you'll overcome it.

 

[Cure]

at my gym, there is a guy who deadlifts a decent ammount of weight, Ive seen him do it.
This guy has one arm. The other ends at the elbow and he uses a prostetic with a chain attached to grip the bar.
Point is, stop making excuses!

You can do any kind of squat absolutly fine, gripping the bar is not required.

You can bench and OH Press with an open hand, just hold your thumb and fingers at a right angle and let the bar rest on the fleshy part of your hand, use your good hand to ensure stability.

for pulls ups, rows, deadlifts etc, get some kind of wrap that will go round the whole fore arm/elbow and round the bar, figure out a way to get the required grip.

Cure.