Great Fitness

Fitness for Wheelchair Users

Why exercise?

For me, the exercise becomes obvious when I looked 40 years, overweight and sedentary wheelchair user for over 33 years. It was time to act. And action is exactly what I had when I met Delia Carper, a personal trainer and a dietician.

I know what you think: Who can afford a personal trainer? But at this stage of my life I thought I could not afford to hire one. At my age and with a long-term injury of spinal cord injury (SCI) I was a candidate for diabetes, heart disease, blood clots, the continuing loss of range of motion and mobility. It was time to occupy and make a change of lifestyle.

Carper explained the ways to begin an exercise program. One choice was to go to a health club that was willing to purchase adaptive equipment. Another way is to practice home. She said that I needed cardiovascular exercise and strength training program for a full year. Work in a gym sounded daunting to me, so I decided to start doing at home.

Because I had not done anything physical activity for so long, Carper said I need a transition phase to strengthen key muscle groups and increase my range of motion through of simple stretching exercises. For example, she suggested using my own body weight to the movement and circulation increased before attempting using weights. I want to jump with weights, but she said I should start with simple body movements, and as I grew stronger, we would add weight.

Stay Focused

When you start an exercise program, pace yourself and be attentive to your respiratory rate, heart rate, and how you feel in general. Ideally, you want to work your way up to a sitting of a hours of training (eg, cardiovascular activities and weight training) three times a week. An excellent way to ensure you're not overexerting is to buy a heart monitor / watch sport at a local sporting goods store.

When you start to exercise, do not be discouraged. If you're only two minutes of an activity during your work session, it's fantastic. Everyone must start somewhere.

Carper stressed that to build muscular endurance and tone, which will improve your ability to perform repetitive tasks with less muscle fatigue, you must perform the exercise with lighter weight and higher repetitions (ie 15 reps X 3 sets). To gain muscle strength and power, use heavier weights and fewer repetitions (ie 8 reps X 3 sets). As the exercise is less difficult, the weight can be increased followed by an increase in repetitions. Plan a day of rest between workouts, and do not work not the same muscle group two days in a row. May You must use trial and error to establish an appropriate weight.

Remember, you should be able to complete three sets of rehearsals with a desired range without pain or movement. People with SCI have maximize strength and muscle endurance and low-existing functional groups without overuse injuries. By performing a variety of exercises, you can prevent overuse injuries and to promote muscle balance.

Keep in mind that you do not need fancy gym equipment. Improvise with household items such as cans, water bottles, beach volleyball, volleyball, or other practical items around your house. You can also make a small investment in exercise bands, medicine balls, or weights that can be purchased in a sporting good store, Wal-Mart, Target, etc. As I said before, I was uncomfortable going to the gym so I started in my house with cans of soup, small weight, and exercise bands.

Ready, Set, Exercise!

Before starting a program Exercise, a physical examination to identify limitations to exercise and detect potential medical complications. Once you have received the green light from a medical professional and you've begun to strengthen and stretch the affected muscles, you're ready to begin an exercise program.

It is imperative that you receive notice of an exercise specialist (or a rehabilitation therapist physical, certified personal trainer, etc.) on how to perform the following exercises correctly and safely. You must ensure that you do not create new injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome, pulled muscles, etc.

We have provided a description of these exercises for you guide as you learn each new year.

The following is a suggested exercise program. Choose the most appropriate for your abilities.

Exercises

Day: Monday
Exercises: chest, triceps, and abs with cardio
Repetitions: 1-12 reps each exercise
Sets: 2-3 sets each year

Day: Wednesday
Exercises: neck, back and abs with cardio
Repetitions: 1-12 reps of each exercise
Sets: 2-3 sets of each exercise

Day: Friday
Exercises: Shoulders, biceps, wrists, and abs with cardio
Rehearsals: 1-12 reps of each exercise
Sets: 2-3 sets of each exercise

Warm up by doing circles with your arms, shrug, or a certain type Motion cardiovascular light for at least 3-5 minutes. Stretching is very important. After warming up throughout the exercise program and thereafter to stop and stretch your major muscle groups with activities such as the neck, chest, shoulder and extends finger.

Perform all exercises slowly. You should be able to count one to six since the beginning to the end of each movement. Do hold your breath during exercise and always exhale on the contraction of muscles and inhale as you relax the muscle groups.

Using a movement of the arm at a time, if the weight of the aid or not, encourages maximum motor unit recruitment and the full range of movement and helps improve the mind-muscle. After completing the predetermined number of repetitions, switch sides and repeat.

About the Author

For more information contact Marcie Davis or Delia Carper at http://www.davisinnovates.com. Davis is President of Davis Innovations, Inc., an organizational consulting firm. Carper is a certified personal trainer and registered dietician.

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