How should I workout as a handicapped individual?

[massabni]

Hello! I am an Overweight 24 year old male. I am 6ft Tall , 294lbs of gross right now. My handicap is I suffered a complete dislocation of my left leg about 5 years ago. Tore the ACL, MCL, PCL, LCL, Meniscus, multiple evulsion fractures, and the peroneal nerve, on top of the complete joint dislocation and a minor rupture to my femoral artery. Needless to say.. extremely severe injury, wheelchair for a few years then crutches then cane. In the last year I have finally begun to walk around unassisted. The day I hurt myself I weighed 205, I was in reasonably good shape. I put on 130lbs. I made the decision to start eating healthy first about a year ago and have gone from 335lbs at 6' to the 294 figure. Good progress there. I seem to have run into a wall though. The weightloss from eating healthy has stopped. And I did the thing I have been dreading most for the last 5 years:

I signed up at Golds Gym. (excersise is painful for me ) about a month ago and am having a tough time figuring out what to do.

The problem is that CARIDO IS TORTURE on my leg. As far as lifting is concerned the only thing I really just can NOT do is leg extensions and leg curls. other than that I have been ok.

Im am trying to build a routine with minimal cardio, where the majority of sets are either prone, or seated. The questions

1) does a Handbike really give you the cardio you need?
2) is it really possible to lose weight through lifting without a lot of cardio thrown in.
and if so... what are the strategies for doing this?
3) any supplements I should invest in for Joint pain?

I lost that first 40lbs just eating healthy, but I have hit a plateua and not really lost any more wieght in the last month or so. I would assume that doing Any kind of workout would help there. But everyone keeps telling me I can't lose weight by lifting only and have to do cardio. Cardio is Downright painful. And truly not a good option for me. Maybe once I get my weight down a bit more I will be better able to hit a bike or eliptical, but for now. I need to figure out what to do.

I am now determined to do SOMETHING! ANYTHING! To get myself back to where I was the day I injured myself. And maybe even better. I have the motivation, I just do not have the tools.

[Rising_Phoenix]

Have you thought about other types of cardio besides anything involving your legs? For example, something like rows with a very low resistance band? Or any sort of upper body movement, probably using very low weight dumbbells for long periods of time?

I'm quite new at this and it's all I got, sorry. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable can chip in. Good luck!

[WeightGain_4000]

Eating healthy is best for loosing weight. Add in some lifting/cardio sessions and its even better. You don't have to run like you're running from a raging pitbull. Just do a light jog for about 30mins.

[patleb940]

Eating healthy is best for loosing weight. Add in some lifting/cardio sessions and its even better. You don't have to run like you're running from a raging pitbull. Just do a light jog for about 30mins.

You didn't really read his post, don't you?

[patleb940]

OP,

Since you are in very particular situation, I would really suggest you get advice from a physician and a professional trainer rather than some random guys on a discussion board.

[Hayeder]

try doing cardio that is low or non impact, like swimming or cycling, that tends to take stress off the knees in many individuals. Other than that your main goal should be to create a calorie deficit, this means burning more energy than you comsume - when you do this your body is forced to use up its reserves (fat) for energy. So do low-moderate intensity cardio and make sure you burn more calories than you take in. You will, however, stand to loose a lot of muscle if your protein intake isn't high. If you want to keep you muscle look into doing a diet that a bodybuilder might use for contest preparation, this should give you good results. I will have to break it to you that you can't gain muscle and loose fat, as you need excessive calories for the former and few calories for the latter.

Oh, and by the way, it is all about nutrition, I cannot stress this enough: If your nutrition isn't on point your gains/losses will be MASSIVELY hindered if not anhiliated.

I haven't read through this rigmarole so I hope it is of use to you, I am sure you will succeed if you eat and train smart and want it enough (please excuse the cliches but they are true)

Good Luck

[massabni]

OP,

Since you are in very particular situation, I would really suggest you get advice from a physician and a professional trainer rather than some random guys on a discussion board.

I am in the middle of a job-switch. My new health insurance will not kick in until august, so that is off the table. And I am not in a financial position to hire a professional trainer. The gym membership is being paid for by my parents. This is all they can do for me right now.

I was hoping that someone on here might have a few pointers on what kind of lifting I should focus on to burn fat WITHOUT and cardio. Or at least let me know if a handbike is worth it. I like the rowing Idea from a previous poster. I will try that!

[patleb940]

try doing cardio that is low or non impact, like swimming or cycling, that tends to take stress off the knees in many individuals. Other than that your main goal should be to create a calorie deficit, this means burning more energy than you comsume - when you do this your body is forced to use up its reserves (fat) for energy. So do low-moderate intensity cardio and make sure you burn more calories than you take in. You will, however, stand to loose a lot of muscle if your protein intake isn't high. If you want to keep you muscle look into doing a diet that a bodybuilder might use for contest preparation, this should give you good results. I will have to break it to you that you can't gain muscle and loose fat, as you need excessive calories for the former and few calories for the latter.

Oh, and by the way, it is all about nutrition, I cannot stress this enough: If your nutrition isn't on point your gains/losses will be MASSIVELY hindered if not anhiliated.

I haven't read through this rigmarole so I hope it is of use to you, I am sure you will succeed if you eat and train smart and want it enough (please excuse the cliches but they are true)

Good Luck

He already lost 40 pounds due to eating healthy, so that's not the problem. And no, it's not ALL about nutrition. You have to do cardio, too.

On the other hand, I think your suggestion to swim is a good one.

Next time, just try to read all the post before offering your help