Quiting working out

Noreenmarie1234

You can get a killer leg workout on a bike at maximum resistance (I've built great glutes, quads and calves soley through biking and using different bike machines and resistances) and great arm workout using a rower. Sitting for both! Don't give up.

Noreenmarie1234

cs2thecox wrote: »

I'd see the "only work out sitting down" thing as a total challenge.
I bet you CAN get super buff from working out sitting down, and I bet you'll find a way.
I mean, you might need a bit of lateral thinking - sitting down for overhead press, using swiss balls to sit on but still making it hard, things like that. A seated deadlift with dumbells would still work your glutes, right?

I have neurological issues that affect my legs, and have to adapt a lot of what I do in the gym.
However, I was told at the age of 14 that I'd be in a wheelchair by the time I graduated university and I was NOT ready to accept that. So I've stayed as active as I can. I'm now 36, and since that wheelchair deadline I've learnt to ski and am now comfortable on red runs (with the help of a SkiMojo), I've walked a marathon (thanks to some fantastic ankle braces, one of which I wear permanently), I've travelled all over the world, I got a para classification and started racing my rowing single scull after years of wanting to but being scared, I've taken up weightlifting and changed my body into something I'm proud of...
A lot of this was against the initial advice of doctors!

I always listen to what the doctors say, but also challenge them and ask why they've set that limit for me. Is it the one in the textbook? Is it for an "average" person with my condition? Are they being cautious? What could happen to me if I don't follow it, and what are the warning signs I should look for when I start to push up against the limit of what's good for me? Is there any preventative action I can take, like bracing or strapping?
Then I get out there and see what I can do. I refuse to be limited by what a textbook says someone with my condition should or should not be able to do!

A couple of things that have helped me along the way...

- A hospital gym with trainers who have a more medical background. I guess I was lucky that my local hospital had a really big artificial limb unit, and an awesome rehab gym. I managed to get a course of sessions there as physio, and was shown a lot of great ways to adapt normal exercises for what I can do in terms of movements and mobility. So maybe see if there's a hospital with a spinal unit or artificial limb unit anywhere near you with that sort of facility. I know it's not what you have, but they are also people who may have to exercise sitting down, and there are bound to be professionals there to help them.

- A trainer who was interested in my condition and excited to work with me to see what we could achieve. I only see him once every 4-6 weeks, but we work together to set a training plan that I can do. For example, I can't deadlift with a barbell because of the angles my knees and ankles bend at, but I need to strengthen my posterior chain, so we use a trap bar (the square one you stand inside) instead. There are lots of exercises I can't do because I'm just not stable enough to do them without toppling over, but we've always managed to find equivalents that I can do. Maybe seek out one of those. It might even be someone who works with para powerlifters... that might be a place to start your search!

- Realising that the alternative to trying is giving up and sitting on the sofa. There is so much life out there to enjoy, that I absolutely refuse to give up on it. I need to be as fit and healthy and strong as I can, despite my limitations, to enjoy what the world has to offer.

Really, really all the best with it. Find a way. You wont' regret it.

WOw this is awesome, I love hearing about people making the best out of their situations. You are a strong and inspiring person.