What’s good to improve my wheelchair fitness

andrewoneill2015

Hi, I’m using my wheelchair full time since the middle of 2018. To be honest I find it great and now I often wonder what took me so long to use it as I do now.
My sporting love in my young days was Athletics, track, road and cross country. The reason for the wheelchair is because I have Multiple Sclerosis, it is what it is and I never let it get me down. I still work, drive my car with hand controls and we have 3 grandchildren (their the best!!)
I still have the drive in me to be fit and healthy and since March this year I have been getting out at least 5 times a week for a “wheelchair run” of 30 to 60 minutes. I do a little amount of weights too.
Can I ask what for some tips on what would be good for a 56 year old wheelchair user?
Thanks Andrew

Katmary71

Hi there! I have nerve issues from the waist down that are really bad right now, I do chair cardio. I can currently only do arm exercises, I have YouTube playlists of arms only and full body chair, send me a private message and i can send you my playlists, can't link them from my phone. Off-hand my favorites with a bit of modifications are KymNomStop, Pahla B arms only videos and seated 6 pack, and Carolyn Jordan. There's a guy named Paul Eugene that has a few boxing wheelchair ones, he annoys me but you may like him. Search for seated resistance bands if you have them. I do a combo of those and weights I can do kneeling and laying down. I love dancing but can't do much now so I'm doing upper body dance like a hip hop video or other dance routines. Gentle stretching and yoga is helping a lot with the nerve and muscle issues as far as mobility.

carolhall4

Hi I', a very unfit wheelchair user after kinda giving up after becoming a wheelie, not in general but on healthy living. I use a powerchair but have taken the plunge and have a new (to me) manual chair coming tomorrow.

In terms of workouts I adapt standard hiit exercises but also use chair exercises. I do have some movement in my legs though so find having to adapt standard exercises mean I move my legs up to my ability. I'm not doing what the instructor is doing but I am getting some benefit

Paul Eugenes videos are about the right level for me but he is not a wheelchair user and I found his excitement over getting a chair a bit off. I like the exercise to be backed by music so find picking random workouts work well for me