If you're confined to a wheelchair, you may find yourself frustrated when hitting the gym. Many pieces of exercise equipment use fixed seats and benches that prevent you from easily utilizing them and most cardio machines don't lend themselves to use by people experiencing lower-body immobility. This trend appears to be changing, but even if your local gym doesn't have newer, more accessible equipment, you're bound to find options that will work for you.
Arm Ergometer
The Inclusive Fitness Coalition lists an arm ergometer, or a hand cycle, as a piece of exercise equipment that enables you to enjoy cycling while sitting in your chair. An arm ergometer incorporates two handles that you grip and rotate, just like you would if you were pedaling a bicycle. You can get a tough cardio workout in by increasing and decreasing the resistance. If you realize your fitness center doesn't have this piece of equipment, ask the manager if he would be willing to purchase one. Many club operators would happily include this type of purchase in their next budget in order to better serve the community.
Multi-Gym Pully Systems
Multi-gym pulley systems have dominated fitness centers for years. Most systems come in two-stack, four-stack or eight-stack varieties, allowing two, four or eight people to exercise simultaneously at different stations surrounding the stacked pulley weights. Unlike exercise machines, many of the pulley systems don't include fixed seats or benches, allowing you to pull straight up to the weight stack to perform your routine. Many companies now make single-station pulley systems with adjustable arms, enabling you to perform almost any exercise you could dream of at a single piece of equipment. If you're unfamiliar with fitness equipment, ask the staff at your local facility whether they have this style of machine--almost all of them will.
Free Weights
Free weights are just that--free. Unconfined by bulky equipment, you're in charge of their position and movement. There's nothing stopping you from pulling straight up to the dumbbell or barbell rack and getting to work. Shoulder presses, biceps curls and triceps extensions are just a few of the exercises you can perform easily with free weights. Some people find free weights intimidating, so ask a staff member to walk you through the basics and give you pointers on how much to lift. You'll find yourself pumping iron in no time.
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