I'd like your assistance with a gym-device to help me work out better

Submitted by pigeononpolice t3_116gde5 in DIY

Hello everyone!

I have a very specific project that I'd like your input on. Here's the deal:

I'm 17(M), and have been hitting the gym for a while. It's sort of a safe space for me, and I really enjoy working out. However, I was born with something called Symbrachydactyly. For those of you not versed in medical lingo, it's when a child is born with a limb or body part that's not fully developed, and in my case, it's my left palm (pic). This has led to me being unable to do some exercises that I'd really like to do, such as pull-ups, dumbbell press etc. you get the point. I'd really like to make/buy/find something which would allow me to incorporate these exercises into my workout, but as you can see, there are some glaring issues:

  1. It would have to be strong enough to hold a lot of weight, yet not so heavy as to burden me
  2. It would somehow have to be attached to the rest of my arm, via something that would hold it firmly in place
  3. It would need to have a way to "close its fist", so that it can grab onto bars and whatnot

I don't have any issues when it comes to stuff like bench press, since I just hold the bar with my right hand and lay it flat on my left and it works, but for for stuff like dumbbells, I can't balance them on my hand. The problem with stuff like pull-ups is that the only way for me to hold onto something with my left hand is to sort of curl my wrist around it, which is not only impractical, but doesn't really help me here because my left elbow ends up being higher than my right elbow, meaning I'm basically doing the exercise wrong.

I'm curious as to what solutions Reddit can come up with, so give it a shot.

If you have any questions regarding all this as well, consider this an AMA.

​

https://preview.redd.it/9y7i473066ja1.jpg?width=3840&format=pjpg&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=53176676b51426be55014890e9dab1ea21b82075

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Comments

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miniZuben t1_j96puu8 wrote

Look up retired Seahawks linebacker Shaquem Griffin. He has a very similar condition and he had a special prosthetic to allow him to complete the NFL combine. Something similar might be what you'd benefit from most.

There are also many adaptive athletes in the Crossfit world with all sorts of physical disabilities. I've seen prosthetics like a shoulder strap with a hook to allow for deadlifting, as well as a similar setup that attaches to the elbow for pull ups.

Hopefully you can get some ideas from those!

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pigeononpolice OP t1_j97kcz1 wrote

Took your advice and searched for a bit... Some really creative solutions out there. What's interesting is a lot of these seem to be custom made... I wonder where they get them

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Wightly t1_j99zoqu wrote

I think the Seahawks organization is pretty good. Why don't you try sending them a letter asking what their equipment team did for him and if they could forward your letter to him. You are part of a small community and people want to help.

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dayglo_nightlight t1_j98z2gy wrote

I would go ahead and contact the people you see with similar adaptive solutions you're interested in and ask how they got theirs made!

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ChronicLateBloomer t1_j97b5ti wrote

If you haven’t already done it, I’d suggest working with a physical therapist who specializes in sports rehab. They might be able to recommend good adaptations that are customized for you. When I have had injuries in the past — including a broken wrist that caused me similar temporary limitations — my therapist was able to point out ways I was compensating that were leading to stress in other joints. You’ll want to make sure that you find a solution that doesn’t end up making you more prone to injury. (My trainer hates wrist straps because so many people use them to lift weights that are too heavy for them overall and end up hurting themselves - although in your case it seems like a pretty useful tool for pull exercises.)

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pigeononpolice OP t1_j97knx1 wrote

Probably should do that. I'm very careful in a sense that I only do exercises that I feel like I'm doing the right way, because not doing so can obviously lead to some unfortunate consequences

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Vegetative_State t1_j987evw wrote

As a PT I would refer you to a prosthetist. If you discuss this with your primary care doc they could refer you for evaluation. If you get a custom prosthetic a PT could certainly help with progression of use toward your desired fitness goals.

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hazpat t1_j97ztbw wrote

The great thing about physical therapists now is they are doctors and can prescribe a custom prosthetic. If you have insurance it's worth a look.

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TheBeardedObesity t1_j96czm4 wrote

Look into weight lifting hooks, they wrap around your wrist and should be able to easily hold your weight. Amazon carries tons of options and they are relatively inexpensive.

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pigeononpolice OP t1_j96fcyz wrote

Damn, I haven't seen those before. They look really cool!

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thirdstone_ t1_j9813j6 wrote

I would absolutely look into lifting hooks, there are different kinds and some have more padding around the wrist than others

If the wrist wrap / cuff is uncomfortable around the wrist, I would consider somehow modifying one to have a longer cuff around the forearm to make it more comfortable and not slip. Jus throwing around ideas here.

It's very cool that you can bench. I can see dumbells being tricky. Have you incorporated cable flies etc in their place? I could see some kind of a wrist strap being utilized with cables as well and it'd be safer than dumbell presses

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pigeononpolice OP t1_j989aag wrote

I'm doing cable flies, and honestly they're my favourite exercise. This whole ordeal isn't as much about me being unable to exercise body parts as much as it is about being creative in finding ways to do things I normally wouldn't be able to. It kind of sucks ass when my friends want to do dumbbell press but I have to stick to the bench press you know

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Dr_Wh00ves t1_j9aa819 wrote

Yeah, I get tendonitis and use these to help alleviate the symptoms. They tend to work out pretty well, although I don't know if that experience would change if you didn't have a full hand.

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FatCobraX t1_j9emkmj wrote

Maybe the hook's wrist strap could be lengthened with some leather glove and additional straps to distribute the weight away from the wrist and use more of the available arm's surface.

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TheKingOfWSB t1_j96cyt3 wrote

I’ve seen people on Instagram deadlift with a similar condition. If I can remember properly they were either using regular lifting straps or they had special ones that wrapped around your wrist and had a hook on the other end. You could probably use these for most heavy things you want to do.

If you find these straps you could also use them for pull-ups but I would definitely bring something to stand on so worst case scenario you don’t get stuck. You could also use the assisted pull-up machine and mess with the weights to increase difficulty.

Not really sure about a safe work around for dumbbell press with out someone spotting. (If there isn’t something already, there’s a chance you could invent something, or make a better version)

If you haven’t already, I would try the seated dip machine, you can hit parts of your chest you would normally have to decline press for. Also you can work your triceps without needing to pull anything since it’s a push machine.

Hopefully something from this is helpful, it’s great you’re getting in the gym and figuring shit out. This could also leave the door open for you to try and invent something.

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pigeononpolice OP t1_j96eur2 wrote

I have used regular lifting straps to deadlift before, but there are some issues there.
Using the straps, you lift literally only using the strap. What that means is when I deadlift 100kg, the strap rubs against/pushes into my skin with so much force that it really hurts, especially for reps.

Using them for pullups is something that I've also tried, but the issue is that even though the strap is hanging from a lower height than the bar so that when i catch it my elbows are aligned, once I start doing a pullup, I get to a point where I have reached the height of the strap, but not the height of the bar. To go further up, the only thing I can do is just pull with my right hand that's on the bar. In a nutshell, my left arm does the whole motion, but my right arm is just half way there, if that makes sense.

Thanks for your answer though! I can 99% of things with no difficulty. Dips, rowing, bench and most of the other stuff are of no concern and I have found a way to do them, but admittedly there are some exercises that are really good for certain muscles and that I haven't found a workaround for.

I'll look into inventing something myself for sure lol. If someone comes up with a genius idea down here, I'll put you on my patent.

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--Ty-- t1_j96d0ut wrote

You can get wrist straps on the internet fairly easily. Whether or not you have enough of a thumb base to stop the strap from slipping off your wrist, I can't really tell, but since these kinds of straps are the easiest solution, they're worth trying first.

I have this :

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B001JTDIEQ?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

Buy one and see if it'll slide off your wrist. If it will, then return it. If it stays on, though, then pick up two D-rings and a small carabiner, and sew them into the strap. You can toss the strap over a bar and clip it on, holding you onto it.

You can also just go with one like this, with a hook.

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0145V6ISM?pd_rd_i=B0145V6ISM&pf_rd_p=b38bd23b-8546-4497-84d6-2732733ebfe8&pf_rd_r=VD7R3D0TWVPYR7GVJR7N&pd_rd_wg=o46J3&pd_rd_w=nlrIF&pd_rd_r=a7bb1a18-a520-40b9-a110-bcb3ae70590f

That would help for pulling exercises.

For pushes, though, like dumbbell presses, you need a prosthetic. It doesn't need to be a fully motorized prosthetic hand, but it DOES need to be something that's custom-molded to your hand and forearm. The end of it could be as simple as a U-shaped bracket and a ratchet strap, and you just put a dumbbell in, and strap it down. If the prosthetic is a tight, secure fit, you'll be able to exercise with it no problem. You won't be able to if it's just a strap, though. That much play and looseness will be impossible to manage (not to mention dangerous) in a press

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pigeononpolice OP t1_j96g0kc wrote

I'll take a look at some of these straps for sure!

Yeah, some tend to fall off. The ones that don't and aren't really high quality tend to cause some trouble, because once I pull something with them, I'm basically only relying on them to pull it (if it bend down to try and catch the bar with my left hand, I'm out of balance and bent to the side since my right arm is longer than the left one due to the presence of a palm) and what ends up happening is the strap buries itself into my skin, causing nasty cuts

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thoughtihadanacct t1_j97z7jt wrote

With regard to pull ups specifically, look up false grip pull ups. It's a higher level skill than regular pull ups, but it's pretty much exactly what you described: curling your wrist over the bar. Do it with both hands/wrists and your elbows will be the same height.

You can also try using gymnastics rings for this as it might be easier.

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pigeononpolice OP t1_j980xzn wrote

Thanks for pointing those out to me! I've never heard of them before, but I'll definitely give them a shot; they look very difficult but I got'em :)

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thoughtihadanacct t1_j98eecy wrote

Yeah you do!

Read up more on gymnastics websites or the like before you attempt then though. Don't want to go straight in and get injuries. I believe there'll be progressions for you to work up to false grip. Like maybe you just do hangs for some number is seconds and build up the time slowly.

All the best

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charmbomb11 t1_j98ga62 wrote

You could find a Rehab Engineer or work with an Occupational or Recreation Therapist! This is part of their jobs and usually are great at coming up with creative solutions.

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FrankGrimesAKAGrimy t1_j99jobc wrote

There is lots of advice here, but I would highly suggest that you speak to a physical therapist, or maybe an occupational therapist before potentially hurting yourself.

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Initial_Sense_8043 t1_j99r9td wrote

I’ve seen adaptive athletes use a strap of sorts that attaches to the arm and to, say, the barbell. One is called the Aldridge Arm. They make similar ones for other types of needs for adaptive athletes.

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Toad32 t1_j9advta wrote

I would reccomdend getting some power lifting wrist straps. This would allow you to strap your left palm to a bar and pull it straight up. I would reccomend starting with lighter weights until you get use to it.

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pigeononpolice OP t1_j9bmd32 wrote

I already use them for a bunch of stuff, they're great, but admittedly have their limits

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134dsaw t1_j9av3q2 wrote

Have you tried using lifting straps? They loop over your wrist and wrap around the bar, you just have to press the strap against the bar in order to create enough friction to stop or from unraveling. The are used for pulling exercises only, but might be a cheap way to get you doing some of those movements.

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pigeononpolice OP t1_j9bmh1a wrote

Yeah, I'm using them already. They help me do a bunch of things but have their limitations unfortunately

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