Autism and the gym??

[Petitewilson]

How many people in here are on the spectrum?? I’ve heard allot that autism and bodybuilding or just going to the gym in general are a good match I find that quite interesting. I have Asperger’s and absolutely love the gym but I want to hear from someone with the full blown Tism

 

[laclark89]

Dont give me any ideas, any of u guys wana go to vegas ? Lol

I have 2 freinds with autistic kids both are cool seem very normal except one is very quiet and the other one taps his fingers together like mr burns, that one is naturally very strong and is a judo champ.

 

[Amgiji]

autism has a high chance of a lot of comorbidities, frequently coming with ataxia, hypotonia and other motor control/neurological disorders.

autism is EXTREMELY negatively correlated with strength and coordination of any kind.

 

[OffendHand]

How many people in here are on the spectrum?? I’ve heard allot that autism and bodybuilding or just going to the gym in general are a good match I find that quite interesting. I have Asperger’s and absolutely love the gym but I want to hear from someone with the full blown Tism

Define "full blown".

I'm high functioning. But I'm def. on the spectrum. The people that think you can overcome being neurodivergent through discipline and will are the same people that think that anxiety disorders and major depression are "all just in your head, bro, think happy thoughts, go outside and touch grass...", e.g., idiots. (BTW - if that's what you believe, do a randomized double blind study and publish your results.)

What is it you want to hear about?

 

[readalot]

Define "full blown".

I'm high functioning. But I'm def. on the spectrum. The people that think you can overcome being neurodivergent through discipline and will are the same people that think that anxiety disorders and major depression are "all just in your head, bro, think happy thoughts, go outside and touch grass...", e.g., idiots. (BTW - if that's what you believe, do a randomized double blind study and publish your results.)

What is it you want to hear about?

amen. Well done.

 

[3Th3osis3]

I have ADHD and Autism. Diagnosed in two countries, I am champion in my country and will compete again in 2025 in the UK.

 

[fooba]

the winner of the worlds strongest man in 2021 and 2022 has autism

Tom Stoltman - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[fike]

I don't have autism but my 13 year old son does and is extremely high functioning. He would be considered to have Asperger's if that was a diagnosis here anymore. Unfortunately' his early life was a disaster due to a terribly abusive father and no male role model. He came into my life three years ago. I married his mother and because my son from that point forward. We don't say step-son or step-daughter when referring to each other.

He hates weight training now, because he has horrible coordination and his mind/muscle connection isn't wired properly to execute a thing heavy yet. He is not frail, but he is physically weak. He does participate in BJJ and loves it, but he is frustrated because his timing is always way off, his strength is lacking, and he gets tapped out a lot. It's heartbreaking for me to watch sometimes because I see how upset it makes him.

My wife and I made the decision to basically force him to get stronger piece by piece. Due to the piece of shit biological father, he never had insurance going and he didn't get the PT he needed. This is where he at now because I have amazing insurance: 1. Physical therapy twice weekly at the office 2. BJJ at least twice weekly. 3. At least 30 minutes of proper reps and sets 5 days per week to help build strength. We are starting with his fingers and grip and moving up a bit at the time. He is using bands in different exercises to address the address the atrophy and lack of strength and muscle firing in his traps. He thinks it's useless and doesn't make sense, but I feel that he will thank us for it one day.

I would love to lift with him one day, but he'll probably end up hating me. He's just like most kids, he doesn't like having to work to get the reward. He makes me proud though because he not giving up. He hasn't asked to quit not one time. That's something to be proud of. I know it's tough for you gents with autism, but maybe my boy will get there one day.

Any tips or tricks for more encouragement and getting him to care about himself more, especially if you have autism, will be greatly appreciated, because he's honestly in a state of depression and it upsets me and his mother very bad. I just want to pick him up.

 

[laclark89]

Ur doing a awsome job, that kid will always love u more than his biological father. It takes a real man with a big heart to do what ur doing. Hats off to u brother. God bless u.

Let the kid play video games some. Helps with hand eye coordination/ timing motor skills ect. Also a boxing speed bag set up, amazing for coordination and timing. Start with a big bag then move to a smaller one over time, mabe jump rope also.

I have 2 kids around that age i have to make them exersize, when I was that age u couldn't keep me from physical activity I usto get high off it. I still do. Kids are different these days. Try to make it fun for him and offer some type of reward for after he finishes, my kids look forward to a big glass of chocolate milk after a workout.

Focuse on Mind muscle connection it's hard to grow a muscle u cant feel. Ur spot on with the bands mabe get a set of light dumbells, 2, 3 , 5, 8 ,10, 12 and 15 pound dumbells. I would end the work outs " once hes a little sore" end with a round of fully flexing and extending every muscle in his body that he can feel the muscles working then followed by a light strech, u also mentioned grip strength get him some of those grippers or squeeze balls with different resistance.

U have him pretty active last thing have him on a good balanced diet , 3-4 meals a day with a good amount of protien. .8 per pound ish, So he has the building blocks to recover.

I'm no expert but this would be my approach.

 

[Flathead Fred]

Look I hate Crossfit but like the concept and have trained that way on and off for decades. What I’ve noticed through coaching kids( football and baseball) is that most of them enjoy that type of training especially sled work, farmers walk, rope work, etc. Make it fun but challenging and switch it up and he should enjoy it. Kudos to you man

 

[fike]

Ur doing a awsome job, that kid will always love u more than his biological father. It takes a real man with a big heart to do what ur doing. Hats off to u brother. God bless u.

Let the kid play video games some. Helps with hand eye coordination/ timing motor skills ect. Also a boxing speed bag set up, amazing for coordination and timing. Start with a big bag then move to a smaller one over time, mabe jump rope also.

I have 2 kids around that age i have to make them exersize, when I was that age u couldn't keep me from physical activity I usto get high off it. I still do. Kids are different these days. Try to make it fun for him and offer some type of reward for after he finishes, my kids look forward to a big glass of chocolate milk after a workout.

Focuse on Mind muscle connection it's hard to grow a muscle u cant feel. Ur spot on with the bands mabe get a set of light dumbells, 2, 3 , 5, 8 ,10, 12 and 15 pound dumbells. I would end the work outs " once hes a little sore" end with a round of fully flexing and extending every muscle in his body that he can feel the muscles working then followed by a light strech, u also mentioned grip strength get him some of those grippers or squeeze balls with different resistance.

U have him pretty active last thing have him on a good balanced diet , 3-4 meals a day with a good amount of protien. .8 per pound ish, So he has the building blocks to recover.

I'm no expert but this would be my approach.

@laclark89 , that was the most positive thing anybody has told me all week. Thank you. I'm truly trying my best with him. We've been going to actual PT together twice per week (I had a left pectoral reattachment surgery) then we are doing our stretches and working out together and I feel like he is actually enjoying what we are doing and our time spent together. It's ben hard for us to establish a strong bond, but it's getting better.

Establishing the mind/muscle connection to contract his traps and hand muscles is the biggest thing the therapist is focusing on with him right now. He gets a little bored, but I can tell he likes doing it with me, which makes me happy. He's a super good kid, but he's been having problems with depression because of issues with people at school right now, so any time I can tell he is enjoying something makes me happy.

 

[warlockandrogen]

@laclark89 , that was the most positive thing anybody has told me all week. Thank you. I'm truly trying my best with him. We've been going to actual PT together twice per week (I had a left pectoral reattachment surgery) then we are doing our stretches and working out together and I feel like he is actually enjoying what we are doing and our time spent together. It's ben hard for us to establish a strong bond, but it's getting better.

Establishing the mind/muscle connection to contract his traps and hand muscles is the biggest thing the therapist is focusing on with him right now. He gets a little bored, but I can tell he likes doing it with me, which makes me happy. He's a super good kid, but he's been having problems with depression because of issues with people at school right now, so any time I can tell he is enjoying something makes me happy.

autism is a neurological disease caused by heavy metals.

they can be detoxed, itll take a long time most and most likely never will be gone completely. if it can help improve his life and you care about him you'll research

 

[Amgiji]

1 no it's not and 2 why/how it an antivaxxer on a steroid form?

 

[TessaM]

Establishing the mind/muscle connection to contract his traps and hand muscles is the biggest thing the therapist is focusing on with him right now. He gets a little bored, but I can tell he likes doing it with me, which makes me happy.

My spouse is autistic, and also athletic -- course it helps that he consciously made his stim pacing; dude does 14k steps a day just from that. Drives me bonkers sometimes, but I can't argue with the results. But also:

1. He's hugely into cycling; it combines rhythm and acceleration in a way he says is super rewarding. Even in the worst weather he loves doing it.

2. He got swol last summer from breaking apart boulders with a hammer drill on our property to build rock walls for an outdoor model railway layout (because... trains lol).

He's still incredibly uncoordinated--I gave up buying nice dishes years ago, and he lasted 5 minutes into a beginner salsa lesson before bugging out. He free-lifts weights too, but still injures himself basically daily just by existing no matter how strong or focussed he manages to be for specific limited times. That's just something he's learned to accept (along with buying band-aids by the crate at Costco).

But even without much coordination he finds joy in moving his body.

So... see if you can find whatever special interest your son has, and build activity or fitness goals around that; every motion he makes may always be conscious, not "come natural," so some things may just be harder and remain harder for him regardless. But it can still be made fun.

 

[fike]

Thanks for the advice, brother. I will try to incorporate some without making it seem like too much of an actual workout. Haha. He’ll be open to it, though. That’s another great thing about him; he is at least open to trying some new things, even if challenging.

 

[fike]

My spouse is autistic, and also athletic -- course it helps that he consciously made his stim pacing; dude does 14k steps a day just from that. Drives me bonkers sometimes, but I can't argue with the results. But also:

1. He's hugely into cycling; it combines rhythm and acceleration in a way he says is super rewarding. Even in the worst weather he loves doing it.

2. He got swol last summer from breaking apart boulders with a hammer drill on our property to build rock walls for an outdoor model railway layout (because... trains lol).

He's still incredibly uncoordinated--I gave up buying nice dishes years ago, and he lasted 5 minutes into a beginner salsa lesson before bugging out. He free-lifts weights too, but still injures himself basically daily just by existing no matter how strong or focussed he manages to be for specific limited times. That's just something he's learned to accept (along with buying band-aids by the crate at Costco).

But even without much coordination he finds joy in moving his body.

So... see if you can find whatever special interest your son has, and build activity or fitness goals around that; every motion he makes may always be conscious, not "come natural," so some things may just be harder and remain harder for him regardless. But it can still be made fun.

My poor little buddy is not athletic at all, yet. I can tell he wants to be, but he hasn't figured out his mind/muscle connection for shit yet. Like your husband, he is so uncoordinated that I just have to scratch my head and wonder sometimes. I can't remember if I mentioned above, but he is practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and he is finding it difficult particularly difficult and frustrating at the moment because he is lagging behind his peers because of that uncoordination. All I can really give him is the old "practice makes perfect" speech in different forms, which I know he gets tired of hearing as well. He doesn't necessarily understand autism in general or how autism affects him as an individual as compared to the functionality of ordinary people, so I can understand why he is getting so frustrated. He tells us he's not losing interest, and I hope this is the case, but I hope the physical therapy we have him in now helps correct some of the coordination issues.

 

[Amgiji]

since ataxia and hypotonia are frequently caused by the nervous system being "half baked" have you considered looking into nootropics, nerve growth factors etc. to help with nervous system development?

looked into it for myself (autistic and a Preemie) got nowhere but, there are other people who are far better at researching this kind of stuff.