Mick Mauldin
Thu, January 18th, 2007, 01:35 PM
I've been thinking a lot lately about how crazy it is that I am even working out. You see, I have partial paralysis on my right side. I have the typical atrophy associated with this condition. My right arm and leg are right at an inch smaller than my left arm and leg. This all is due to a head injury I sustained when I was 6 weeks old. It was some type of blunt force trauma as I've been told. Anyway, I have limited use of my right hand due to the paralysis affecting my hand.
When I first started working out, I thought I would have to use a lot of cables and so I bought a crossbow. That didn't satisfy me by any means. So I bought a power rack and dumbbells. All the time, I am making discoveries and breakthroughs. Recently, I figured out that I could EFFECTIVELY do dumbbell curls with my right hand. I just have to keep the dumbbell horizontal with my left hand. Now, I can work each arm independently! Now, my left arm has the chance to grow! This is huge stuff! For flys, I put the utility bench inside the power rack side-ways and use the lower pulley for my right pec and I use a dumbbell on the left. For deads, upright rows, and shrugs, I use a hook for my right hand, therefore eliminating the problem of loosing my grip on the barbell during these exercises. I also recently found that I can do hammer curls on my right side by just keeping the dumbbell vertical with my left hand. I have a set of ab slings because I kept loosing my grip in my right arm during hanging leg lifts. So, the whole thing here is improvising. I am nothing special and there are countless others who overcome their disability all the time. The purpose of my posting this is to show that if you have a disability and want to WEIGHT TRAIN bad enough, you will find ways around your disability.. Ask the guy who has no arms but does flys!...or the guy or has one leg but snow skis! It is all about pure grit and determination. Heart and discipline. All of the things John talks about in his daily updates regularly!
Good luck and knock down all of the walls that stand in your way! The human spirit is the strongest thing we all possess. Reach down deep inside of you. It's there. :tu:
Mick
When I first started working out, I thought I would have to use a lot of cables and so I bought a crossbow. That didn't satisfy me by any means. So I bought a power rack and dumbbells. All the time, I am making discoveries and breakthroughs. Recently, I figured out that I could EFFECTIVELY do dumbbell curls with my right hand. I just have to keep the dumbbell horizontal with my left hand. Now, I can work each arm independently! Now, my left arm has the chance to grow! This is huge stuff! For flys, I put the utility bench inside the power rack side-ways and use the lower pulley for my right pec and I use a dumbbell on the left. For deads, upright rows, and shrugs, I use a hook for my right hand, therefore eliminating the problem of loosing my grip on the barbell during these exercises. I also recently found that I can do hammer curls on my right side by just keeping the dumbbell vertical with my left hand. I have a set of ab slings because I kept loosing my grip in my right arm during hanging leg lifts. So, the whole thing here is improvising. I am nothing special and there are countless others who overcome their disability all the time. The purpose of my posting this is to show that if you have a disability and want to WEIGHT TRAIN bad enough, you will find ways around your disability.. Ask the guy who has no arms but does flys!...or the guy or has one leg but snow skis! It is all about pure grit and determination. Heart and discipline. All of the things John talks about in his daily updates regularly!
Good luck and knock down all of the walls that stand in your way! The human spirit is the strongest thing we all possess. Reach down deep inside of you. It's there. :tu:
Mick