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VENGA BUS

Dyspraxia and the Gym [help needed]

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Hey all, as some you might know, I have the deepest privilege of sharing a condition with Quinn has as well, which is dyspraxia, aka developmental co-ordination disorder. Tldr I'm clumsy af with regard to fine motor function, so I find stuff like hand writing tedious/difficult, and when I -do- put pen to page, my script is often bordering on illegible.

 

But I'm actually here for some gym advice from the healthy BOIZ in Outbreak, so I was hoping I could get some help. I joined the gym recently, and I've been a few times, but due to my dyspraxia, and my poor fine motor function, individual muscles are often pretty weak, and my form is terrible with free weights, to the point where I'm better off just sticking with machines until I develop individual muscles and fine motor function better.

 

For those interested in learning generally about dyspraxia, click here. It's a fairly common condition, but I don't really talk about it because it's actually just not a big enough problem for me to chat about. It's not all bad, and it's definitely given me good as well as bad.

 

I was hoping that some of you could suggest some workout routines, focused around weight machines (or body weight), or anything that a clumsy person can do. I'm looking for strength endurance routines at the moment, as I need to develop my base before I could look at doing hypertrophic exercises.

 

I've had a look at this article so far, which I've found interesting, but there aren't isn't any specific plan to follow.

 

This is probably the first time I've been properly serious about the gym as something to incorporate into my lifestyle, rather than as a necessary evil to get into better shape to pull girls (I'm already clumsily banging most of your mums, so I don't need to worry about that). Any help would be appreciated. Cheers in advance lads

 

BIG VENG

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Depending on your schedule:
3 days - upper/lower/upper (swap to lower/upper/lower next week), rest at least one day to split it up.
4 days - upper/lower/rest/upper/lower/rest/rest

There's no need to overthink exercise selection or repetitions, just do 3x10, and progress the weight whenever you achieve your sets/reps.
For your upper day, do some form of: chest, back (row of some kind), shoulders, biceps, triceps, and if you're up to it, another chest variation, maybe some chin ups.
Lower day: quads, hamstrings, and if you want, glutes, another quads, another hamstrings.

You'll be able to do all of this on machines if your gyms properly equipped.
Pick whatever exercises you enjoy, long as you're hitting the desired muscles.
Eat some extra protein.
Do some cardio.

I imagine doing dumbell rows wouldn't be difficult for you despite technically being free weights.
If/when you feel up to it, try some more free weight stuff.

Edited by SonyTwan

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1 hour ago, SonyTwan said:

Depending on your schedule:
3 days - upper/lower/upper (swap to lower/upper/lower next week), rest at least one day to split it up.
4 days - upper/lower/rest/upper/lower/rest/rest

There's no need to overthink exercise selection or repetitions, just do 3x10, and progress the weight whenever you achieve your sets/reps.
For your upper day, do some form of: chest, back (row of some kind), shoulders, biceps, triceps, and if you're up to it, another chest variation, maybe some chin ups.
Lower day: quads, hamstrings, and if you want, glutes, another quads, another hamstrings.

You'll be able to do all of this on machines if your gyms properly equipped.
Pick whatever exercises you enjoy, long as you're hitting the desired muscles.
Eat some extra protein.
Do some cardio.

I imagine doing dumbell rows wouldn't be difficult for you despite technically being free weights.
If/when you feel up to it, try some more free weight stuff.

3x10? I've read that doing say 4 sets of 15-20 repetitions is better for strength endurance, which I think I need to build up before moving onto the heavier heights. 

Would you not break upper down into particular muscle groups though? Or would you just work the lot at the same time? Obviously separating upper/lower. Glutes are definitely my priority because I want to be able to wear yoga pants.

 

I'm eating some more protein already, but I really struggle finding the motivation to do cardio. I find it so fucking boring. Cheers tho Sony xo

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Since you've got dyspraxia, I would suggest especially focusing on movements that will help train your stabilizer muscles aka big compound lifts. And if glutes are your priority, you should most definitely include hip thrusts into your lower body split, hands down best glute building exercise. As for the cardio, I can suggest doing circuit training instead of the old boring treadmill and such. Makes cardio slightly less boring ?

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How are you on the machines with your dyspraxia? Have you tried any free weight stuff at at all to see how bad you'd be? Everyone has sloppy form when they first start.
As @Oldmike said, you're working your stabilising muscles most during free weights, as you actually have to balance the weight, perhaps you'd benefit from just starting free weights as light as you need to feel in control.

Don't overthink the sets, just because you do 4x15-20 isn't gonna make you any more prepared for free weights compared to 3x10.
Do that set and honor scheme if you want, as long as you're progressively increasing weight.

I'd work the lot at the same time, but it's just preference. If you want to split muscle groups go for it.
Like I've expressed before, as long as you're working the muscles you want to work, working them hard enough via progressive overload, and eating adequate protein, do whatever you like.

 

 

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How often would you increase the weight? Once a week? Two weeks? I don't want to jump the gun and try and lift something heavier next week, only to find my form has gone to shit.

 

I have done free weight stuff before, but I had rubbish form. It could well be that when I worked with a personal trainer last time, he didn't take into account how badly dyspraxia affected my hand-eye co-ordination, so he was putting me on weights I -could- lift, but not with good form. If I had better hand-eye co-ordination, I'd have been able to lift the weight pretty easily.

I'll look at some compound lifts with a PT actually soon, as I've got two free sessions to use. 

@Oldmike Get fucked. I've done circuits at uni when I was rowing during first year, and you could guarantee that someone would throw up after every session haha. If I could avoid it, I definitely would. I could look into it, but I have no real plan on running marathons. Are you suggested it more just for general health? This goes for @SonyTwan too. Perhaps relevant is that I was diagnosed with asthma in Australia (I think the absurdly high pollen count there caused it), but it's a type of asthma where I don't get attacks but I do have the build-up of mucus, so breathing has always been pretty shit, even before I wisely decided to take up smoking as an excuse to go outside away from an ex-girlfriend

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