The man from the south

Each of the fingers on our hand play an important role in how we function in our everyday lives. The pinky finger although it is the smallest finger still makes a big impact on our ability to do many things, especially grasping objects. Each finger on our hands contributes to the amount of strength that is available in our hand grip. In the short story we read, if the soldier lost the bet he was going to have his pinky finger cut off. Although he still has his other fingers there are many things that would be difficult for him to do. One occupation that he would do everyday that would be impaired is his ability to perform the workouts that soldiers are expected to be able to do. Lifting weights and exercising requires being able to grasp several items in order to manipulate them in a way that they are functional. There are different grips used when lifting weights including the hook grip and the power grip. Modifications that I would recommend for this soldier would be to try to use wrist weights when it is feasible. These weights can strap on to the wrist and greatly decrease the chances of slipping from the soldiers hands while still applying weight. I would also recommend using machine weights versus free weights if possible to avoid injury if he did loose his grip. However, there are times that these modifications are not the best approach depending on the exercise he is performing. For example, wrist weights would be ideal when performing bicep curls or tricep kickbacks, but when using a barbell I would recommend another approach. I would suggest using a weight lifting grip strap. This strap goes around the wrist as well as around the bar to keep the hand attached to the bar as the soldier lifts to avoid him accidentally dropping the weight.