I started strength training at the beginning of the pandemic after years of false commitments to running had left my knees rickety. We have long known the value of strength training using simultaneous group exercises. But he didn’t know what he could achieve until a virtual trainer introduced him to his fitness. Adaptive Fitness uses adaptive equipment to prioritize the functional fitness needs of disabled and injured athletes. This approach will eventually allow you to work out your remaining left arm. This is just past your elbow, allowing you to build muscle mass and achieve functional daily strength previously thought impossible.
Let’s get out of the way. I’m not an inspiration to work out with just one hand. Most disabled athletes (myself included) are just doing what they can to stay in shape. However, when it comes to exercising, they face some unique challenges and sometimes use slightly different tools.
Alec Zilkenbach, executive director of the Adaptive Training Academy, which educates personal trainers about adaptive fitness, said: The same applies to you. Here are some of my favorite adaptive exercise machines.
Versatile Strength Training: Resistance Bands
Resistance bands are often recommended for those looking for a simple, step-by-step strength training system that can be easily used at home. The 5-piece Bodylastics Stackable Tube Resistance Bands Set (our pick for his 4 years) includes a wide range of resistance grades and positioning options to help transform your doorway into an exercise station. These bands (claimed to weigh 96 pounds total) come with two handles and a pair of padded ankle straps. I did this with my left arm and performed columns and fly.
Grip aid: weightlifting hook
Weightlifting hooks are a specialty item for experienced lifters, but they are also great aids for athletes of all experience levels and abilities. It’s designed to reduce strain on your hands and wrists, so you can exercise beyond limiting factors like grip fatigue and slippage. (I caught an Instagram friend wrapping one of her hooks around her stump, so I had to try it myself.) DMoose Lifting Hooks are steel hooks with a non-slip coating. and nylon Velcro her straps to stabilize the weight in the front and back. Distributed throughout the extremities. This reduces the tension required in your hands, wrists, forearms, and elbows to grip the barbell. Due to the length of my stump, I actually found these hooks useful for my right hand when doing one-handed exercises such as one-handed kettlebell swings. CEO Emily Kramer Throckmorton recommends her Active Hands gear.
Comfortable, Loaded Holds: Medicine Balls
You might be surprised to learn that medicine balls that look intimidating in the gym are actually great adaptive fitness tools. Depending on the athlete’s grip strength, holding dumbbells and kettlebells can be difficult. But the medicine ball can easily be held between the arms (for squats and overhead his presses) or legs (for core his exercises like leg-his raises and Russian twists). Although roughly the same size, Rogue Medicine Balls weigh between 4 and 30 pounds. Unlike dumbbells or kettlebells, the flexible vinyl-coated shell is safe to hold and lean against comfortably. It can also provide balance and support to athletes with different limbs during exercises such as push-ups. Zirkenbach said. “It’s a great multi-tool, like Jim’s Swiss Army knife.
Ambidextrous Lift Help: Equip Products Aldridge Arm Harness & Straps
Equip Products stands out as one of the few manufacturers of truly adaptive fitness equipment for sedentary and low-vision athletes (including cardio-focused one-handed fitness ropes for sedentary athletes). We offer a variety of items for upper body athletes. hindrance. For strength training, those with upper body injuries or disabilities may find the Equip Products Aldridge Arm He Harness & Straps to be a game changer. The crossbody nylon harness is 2 inches thick with neoprene cushioning to distribute the weight across the athlete’s torso, allowing him to perform balanced dead he lifts, farmer’s carries, and other traditional two-handed lifts. (This video shows it in action.) His D-rings in the harness (rated at 10,000 lbs) are attached to his polyester straps and wrap around the weights you lift. Thanks to the Aldridge Arm, he can perform his balanced barbell deadlift with just one hand. However, the straps are tight for people with bust ups, so we are adjusting the fit. In the meantime, I joined the community of online lifters (shout out to the Beasties) and championed the most important exercise rule: consistency.
This article was edited by Ingrid Skjong and Tracy Vence.
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1. Emily Kramer Throckmorton, CEO and Founder of Kaizen Athletics, Email Interview, July 8, 2022
2. Alec Zilkenbach, executive director, Adaptive Training Academy, telephone interview, June 23, 2022
