Being confined to a wheelchair doesn't have to limit your ability to exercise. While you will have to make modifications to your workout routine, you'll still be able to strengthen your heart and muscles with regular exercise. Before starting a wheelchair exercise program, ask your doctor what types of activities are safe for your condition.
Stretching Exercises
Stretching before you exercise will help you ease into your workout and reduce your chance of injuring yourself. University of Iowa Health Care notes that a good stretching program prevents overuse injuries and tendonitis in the arms that are common in wheelchair athletes. The university suggests self-propelling backward in the chair as a good way to stretch the shoulders and upper body. Plan to begin stretching at least 10 minutes before beginning exercising.
Strengthening Exercises
Strengthening exercises help you build upper body muscles and increase endurance. Using hand weights can help you strengthen your muscles, although any weighted object can substitute for a hand weight if none are available. Start with 1- or 2-lb. weights, gradually using heavier weights as your ability increases, to avoid straining your muscles. Craig Hospital reports that many repetitions with a little weight builds muscle tone and endurance, while heavier weights and fewer repetitions results in bigger, stronger muscles, although heavier weights can increase the chance of injury. Resistance band exercises can be helpful in strengthening muscles if you don't enjoy lifting weights.
Considerations
You can also strengthen upper body muscles by performing wheelchair push-ups. To perform a wheelchair push-up, place your hands on the armrests of your chair, bend your elbows slightly and use the muscles in your arms to push your body slightly off your chair. Hold the position for up to five counts, then drop back into the chair. Repeat 8 to 10 times. Make sure that your chair is in the locked position before beginning wheelchair push-ups or other exercises.
Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic exercise is any type of exercise that increases your heart rate while working the large muscles of your body. While you won't be able to get an intense aerobic workout in a wheelchair, you can still benefit from the type of moderate aerobic exercise you can perform while seated. Taking a wheelchair aerobic class or using a wheelchair fitness DVD both provide a moderate workout. Other types of aerobic exercise include hand cycling, rowing, swimming or participating in wheelchair basketball, volleyball or other wheelchair sports. Plan to perform aerobic exercises for 30 minutes or more at least four times per week.
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