I want to lift weights for my upper body: arms, back, shoulders, chest, but I do not want to grab weights to do this as I fear this will exacerbate my Dupuytren's. This leaves me with very few exercises. What exercises could I do for these body parts that would not require gripping anything? What about an assisted bar dip machine? If you didn't grab the bar with the middle of the hand, but rested the bar on the part of the palm below the thumb, which is more padded and farther away from the nodules, would this be a solution, or would putting pressure there also exacerbate the nodules?

Guys, please help me. I am 46 and my upper body is getting smaller. I used to be built like a quarterback, but now look like the waterboy.

P.s.- I have had Dupuytren's for about 18 months and the progression has been gradual, but noticeable.

I am interested in weightlifting only as I want to put muscle back on my body. I haven't really been lifting in 2 years now.

mountain_runner; For more than 40 years I have had DD and LD in both hands both feet. Given I developed the disease as a teenager while growing up in a country town in NZ I can't see how heavy lifting, alcohol or other environmental or lifestyle factors are the cause. So for me I just carry on as normal. I don't want to create other health problems by cutting down or exercise in the hope of slowing a non life threatening disease.

In addition to tennis and a little bit of cycling I still go to the gym 3-4 times per week and lift whatever weights I am capable of lifting. I wear gloves to stop the equipment rubbing on the nodules on my hands and when doing pushups I rest my hands on dumbbells as my hands can't sit flat on the floor - that's it. I give non allowances for the DD. At 59 I can still have a 50 inch chest and can lift the full stack on every machine in the gym.

So my view is just get on with life and do everything that you are physically able to do. Ignore the disease and go for it.

One always wear weightlifting gloves. There are some exercises that minimize trauma while still working the muscles effectively. I find tricep push downs with that v shaped apparatus put minimal strain on my hands. Machines in general probably safer than free weights like bench pressing. I also find that pulling exercises are less stressful for me personally than pushing exercises. So I still do various exercises but I have decided against going heavy anymore. I used to bench around 200 and now limit myself to 135 for bench and don't do it that often. Swimmers have huge backs but don't lift much. So that would be a great exercise to do with low impact and builds shoulders and back quite effectively. Bottom line you have to be creative in your selection of exercises and smart. My DD was triggered from weightlifting doing dumbell bench press with a heavy weight for me. I don't do those anymore. Wasn't wearing gloves back then.