How to Drive with One Arm (And No Legs)

Destin from Smarter Every Day always manages to find the most amazing places and people and his inquisitive nature drives him to dig into things from a scientific standpoint and breaks things down in a way everybody can understand. He headed to Dallas Texas to learn about a triple amputee that drives a pickup like it’s nothing, and then takes a look inside Adaptive Training, a gym designed specifically for those who have lost limbs or have other complications that make working out in a regular gym a bit of a pain. These guy don’t take it easy on their customers, though. Instead, the push them to be stronger than they thought possible by allowing them to focus on what they can do instead of what they can’t.

Destin first introduces us to Kenny, a triple amputee who uses a unique hand control setup – which he operates with a clamp-style prosthesis – to drive his great looking pickup. Destin dives under the dash to look at the hand control setup, which is fully mechanical and allows Kenny to use both the gas and brake at the same time, something most hand control setups don’t allow. From there, it’s just a matter of steering, which Kenny does with his other hand.

Heading back inside the gym, we get a look at few of the workout machines in operation, while talking with the gym’s creator, former NFL David Vobora about how and why the gym came to be. When David met former Army Staff Sergeant Travis Mills, who was wounded by an IED while serving in Afghanistan, they realized there was a need for a gym that would help those with disabilities look past them and work on what they could do. The idea flourished and Adaptive Training was born and continues to grow. Wounded veterans, amputees, and para- and quadriplegic clients join the gym to get away from the stares and sympathy they get at other workout facilities and are able to better focus on the task at hand. This is a great video that we hope you guys enjoy and share.