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NCHPAD - Building Healthy Inclusive Communities

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New Bonus Tips


By Kelly Bonner

Have you been working out for a while but now looking to step things up in the new year? Are you perhaps looking for something with a little more intensity, or that falls outside of the “humdrum” of using the same machines over and over? As a trainer, are you stuck in a rut at your gym with limited accessible equipment and looking for something new to do with your clients? If so, we have a new fitness tip series just for you!  With the help of some athletes from the University of Alabama Adapted Athletics program, we have put together five new Inclusive Fitness Tip videos.

If you are not familiar with our I FIT tips, check them out here. The I FIT tips were designed to illustrate how to adapt common gym exercises for individuals who use a wheelchair. You can find basic moves like the push-up and seated row, as well as other moves that make you think outside the box, like the box jump and battle ropes. Regardless of the move, you will have a trained professional talking you through how to do it, along with an individual who uses a wheelchair demonstrating it.

The new I FIT Tips focus on key muscle groups that are underused and often forgotten in many manual wheelchair users.  These moves will help balance out muscles and work on maintaining proper posture.

The first move is the triceps extension. The triceps are a key muscle used when transferring and the ability to transfer relates to independence!



The second I FIT Tip is a cardio exercise. Rowing is a great cardio option for individuals who use a wheelchair because it works on all the pulling muscles that are seldom used and often overlooked for many manual wheelchair users. A rower is also a very common piece of equipment found in most gyms and doesn’t require any expensive adaptations to be used.



The third I FIT Tip is the reverse fly. This is another key exercise to work the back muscles and open up the chest. If you push a manual chair all day long your chest can become weak, which will promote bad posture and could contribute to a rounded upper back. Reverse flys will help counter that effect, open up the chest, and keep the back straight.



The fourth I FIT Tip is the snatch. The snatch can be a very challenging exercise for those with balance issues. This video shows some simple adaptations to help combat balance issues and can be used for many over-the-head exercises. Remember that safety and proper form should always take priority over repetitions and weights.



The final bonus I FIT Tip is the pull-up.  You will need to find a bar just slightly out of reach and if one is not available you can check out the modification used in the video. Proper form and full range of motion will be imperative for this exercise.



We hope you have learned something new and are able to use some or all of these exercises the next time you hit the gym. If you have an exercise you need to modify, just let us know in the comments below. Happy Lifting!


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