10 replies to this topic

[gsp23]

I injured my shoulder 15yrs ago (and have only been using a wheelchair for going on 8 months) so my rehab etc was done prior to being a wheelchair user, althought I was heavy into sports and weight lifting as well and have recently had some problems again with the shoulders. But from experience in the past I know I can get a handle on the flaring up shoulder problems I have recently started to get again.

One thing I have found is that if I dont work my shoulders enough then I will have serious shoulder pain. So I always found that I need to workmy upperbody at least 3-4 times a week. Now this doesnt mean strenous grueling activity but it does mean setting aside 45 min 3-4 times a week to work your upper body. Its important to get a good workout for whatever muscles you can work and its best to follow a push/pull system to avoid overworking and maximize your time working out. If you dont know what a push/pull system is that is where you work push muscles with other push muscles and pull with pull.

PUSH: Chest, Triceps, Shoulders
PULL: Back, Biceps

Now if you can do them all then great if you cant then work what you can but try to not mix push/pull if at all possible. Since starting to use a wheelchair I do
MON: Chest, Triceps
WED: Back, Biceps
FRI: Triceps, Shoulders

Shoulders are only worked 1x a week because we as wheelers put a lot of extra strain on the shoudlers, as you are obviously aware. Having the other other muscles built up as much as possible will help to take that strain off the shoulders and allow your other muscle groups to pick up some of the slack so to speak. you will also not want to repeat body parts for exercising without giving at least 3 days otherwise you can end up overworking that body part which would not be good. Each day I exercise I aim for 3 exercises to target each muscle group and do 3 sets of 10. So on Monday I would do 3 sets of 10 for 3 different chest exercises and 3 sets of 10 for 3 different triceps exercises. If I can do more than 10 for each set then I know its time to increase the weight, if I cant do 8 reps then either I need to decrease the weight or try a different exercise that is within my physical limitations.

Anyways, that being said... when doing should exercies, use dumbells not barbells. The reason for this is because if you are using a barbell when doing any shoulder exercises then you will be forcing either both or one of the shoulders into an position that may not be comfortable or natural, this can increase the healing time and increase the instances of injury.

Hopefully this will help out to get you going. If you have any specific questions for me, let me know and I will be happy to help.

Edited by gsp23, 08 March 2007 - 10:38 PM.

[Bulky]

How does that fit in with other training (do you do any other activity, like sport?) Why triceps twice? What exercises do you do in each session? What would you recommend for quads vs paras?
Thanks!

Edited by Bulky, 09 March 2007 - 12:19 AM.

[gsp23]

As you may or may not know I have a neuro condition that technically classifies me as an incomplete quad as all limbs are affected. I however often think of myself as an incomplete para though because the docs think I will regain function to that of a T6 incomplete.

I was really into strength training before so I am up to speed on healty eating, workout routines, shoulder injuries, etc so any help I can offer anyone just let me know. I think that me being into that prior has really helped me alot with dealing with my disablity as sometimes I know more than the therapists do it seems

Anyways, that being said... I like to work 2 body parts for each day that I work out and because the shoulders are used so heavily already and my chest is shot for a few days after working it I could never do chest on both Fri and again on Monday, thats the reason I selected triceps 2x but you could really mix it up to your abilities.

Anyways... quads vs paras its hard to say based on ability level. I know for paras triceps are important and useful for transfers. Quads, same thing if you have the use of them, if not then obviously that muscle group cant necessarily be worked, or not without assistance of another person. Even if you have limited strength in the triceps just do body weight or gravity movements, just to make sure they get used since its an important muscle group to help with transfers and to take some of the strain off the shoulders.

Another thing that is important to quads or high level para is the back muscles... I have to use a 4-point harness when driving because I will tip over but I also play Sled Hockey which works the back muscles. So if you cant work triceps but can work biceps you may want to do the PULL group on Monday & Friday and a PUSH set on Wed of something like Chest & Shoulders. All depends on the ability level you have but keep in mind that shoulders are worked so heavily in normal day to day activities so normally only 1 day a week for them.

[Bulky]

Thanks for that!

[gsp23]

Also, I forgot to mention that I like to keep the same routine for 10-12 weeks and change up the exercises I am doing a bit to shock the muscles again. If you need ideas on exercises let me know. I actually have a huge spreadsheet filled with exercises by body part and many with videos. I cant put it up for download from anywhere because I took the videos off of various sites for my own personal information but I can send you something if you would like in a zip file or something for your own computer. The spreadsheet by is by no means a complete collection but it does have a lot of different exercises to select from.

If you want to just start with a web site, a good one is ExRx (Exercise Prescription) Look at the links on the top left under "Muscle Body Map" to see the seperation of different parts of major muscle groups and also "Exercise Body Map" for exercises per body group. It is a much smaller collection than what I have but it might get you started, if not then PM me your email address and I can send you what I have as well.

EDIT: I almost forgot to add... if you have a low enough injury or an incomplete injury that would allow it, it is good to work your abs once a week as it will help with trunk stability and support. Abs are a smaller muscle group that require less strength training to stimulate so doing only 2 exercises and 2 sets of 10-15 would be sufficient for the abdominal area.

Edited by gsp23, 09 March 2007 - 04:07 PM.

[Bulky]

Sorry to jack this thread but this is good info for all, especially if you want to get stronger n prevent injuries....

I have been a strength coach, for a juniors' cycling program, many years ago. So I've got a handle on "lifting for ABs" but with a symmetrical sci (disease based) and no grip......I'm struggling to "work out workouts for quads."

Also, I am very asymmetrical - c5 on the left, c8-t1 on the right. Right leg works, all my lower back works, some of my abs on the right work. Missing muscles in my l-forearm, left chest, left lat (neck on left very strong), left tricep has a minuscule flicker, weak left shoulder........I'm a basket case:mfrlol:
I play wheelchair rugby as a bald, old n slow 0.5 .

Given the push-pull methodology I'm thinking a split like this: chest & tri, back & biceps, and shoulder & traps. Combine that with 2hr state training session, a push/vitaglide session, & games night, I've got 5 sessions @ 1 hour n 1 session @ 2hours. If I train Mon, Wed, Fri rugby/aerobics, Tue/Thu/Sat weights, & Sunday rest day, I reckon it might be just enough (with work & a young family).

I'd like to see a thread on ALL type of gym equip that is wheelie friendly too.

Thoughts, gsp23 or anyone???

[gsp23]

The splits that you have sound good, the only thing I would strongly caution against is overworking. I used to be a cyclist before becomming disabled so I am up to speed on endurance based exercises as well.

Keep in mind that you need to give your muscles time to heal otherwise you can cause damage or make backward progress. When you work your muscles, you basically tear them and they need time to heal which is what builds the muscles so I would try and limit your workouts to only 5 days a week giving yourself 2 days to rest per week. Making sure your diet is good and your protein levels are high enough... expecially having your post workout shake (60/40 protein/carbs) and a Post-Post workout meal high in carbs after a strength training session. After rugby or cardio its not as critical to have the Post and Post-Post workout shake/meals.

As far as cardio goes, I would keep it at 1hr sessons. If you are working for endurance, make a session out of that. If you working on HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) then make a session out of that. I would try and get in HIIT 1x a week, if you prefer to stick with standard cardio then you get rid of that, but HIIT can be helpful if you are active in sports such as Rugby. If you are doing any type of aerobic work along with strength training on the same day then you will benefit the most if you split up your routine, so doing your cardio in the morning and weight lifting later in the day or visa versa. So something would be (days can be whatever but this is just an example)

MON: Rugby - Cardio
TUE: Shoulders & Traps
WED: Rugby - Back & Biceps
THU: REST
FRI: Rugby - Cardio
SAT: Chest & Tris - HIIT
SUN: REST

Edited by gsp23, 11 March 2007 - 07:06 PM.

[Bulky]

Thanks for all that. Why drop the shoulder weights session? One thing I should have mentioned is that with work & family, my window for training is 7-9pm. Rugby training with the state team is fixed (Mon 7-9pm) as are rugby games (7 or 8 pm game on Fridays). I am on immune suppressants and have worked back up to training 5-6 days a week. My thoughts were the wed session be active recovery not a full-on session. I raced criteriums prior to my illness and found active recovery days to "spin the lactic out" worked well, hence my thoughts on the Wednesday session as a disabled sports person. Rugby training on Monday is much harder than game night. So with all that, any new suggestions? (note: local rugby guys are doing cario Mon, Wed, Fri and weights Tue, Thu, Sat). That's all over the place sorry.

[gsp23]

Oh shoot... sorry about that I made a typo in the routine above. I will edit that post to correctly display what I meant to write, but have also included it below as well.

MON: Rugby - Cardio
TUE: Shoulders & Traps
WED: Rugby - Back & Biceps
THU: REST
FRI: Rugby - Cardio
SAT: Chest & Tris - HIIT
SUN: REST

Based on the Ruby being on Mon & Fri (I thought I read somewhere that you did Rugby on Wed as well) then I would do something like the following:

MON: Rugby - Cardio
TUE: Shoulders & Traps
WED: Cardio
THU: Back & Biceps
FRI: Rugby - Cardio
SAT: Chest & Tris - HIIT
SUN: REST

Just be careful to not overdo it. Also, it sounds like you may be familar with the LT (Lactic Threashold) if so then be careful to keep your cardio sessions around your 65% MaxHR (Max Heart Rate) and only your HIIT sessions in the higher ranges. If you are not familiar with LT, MaxHR, and HIIT definitions then let me know and I can help explain that better for you. This would allow you to then do cardio on Wednesday as well and only have one rest session per week.

[Apparelyzed]

If you want to see some examples of exercises, visit http://www.physiotherapyexercises.com

You can put your level of injury into a form, along with what you want to do, and you'll be given video examples of exercises.

Regards

Simon