Hotwheelz-Wheelchair Weightlifting

Motivation to do our Workout's!

2009-06-04T10:04:00.000-07:00

Motivation to do our Workout's! Just what motivates us to do our workout's? Motivation plays a very important role when it comes to health and fitness. And just how important are our workout sessions? Well I guess that directly relates to exactly what we use as motivation!

After being part of the body space community on bodybuilding.com, I have seen that people use many different things as motivation from health concerns to just wanting to look better. Some people draw on failures as their source of motivation others use may be a certain fitness model as motivation. I used a combination of different things, basically whenever I need to use to get the job done. I have found that he gets easier to meet a workout every time I do one.

The important thing here is that you find a source of motivation that helps you to do your workouts. If you need help finding motivation a really good place to look around on would-be bodybuilding.com this site is chock full of information and a highly recommend it!

Push your limits!
Michael C.

How Me and My Body Became Friends Through Fitness!

2009-06-01T14:05:00.000-07:00

Our bodies are constantly communicating with us in a lot of different ways and since my accident that left me paralyzed in a wheelchair, me and my body have become pretty close friends and depend on each other!

I’m sure my body was talking to me long before my accident but I was always busy with my own agenda and wasn’t interested in its input. I was too busy poisoning it with drugs, alcohol, bad food, or even no food. My body was just basically a vehicle that I took for granted and didn’t keep up the maintenance on.

By no means in my preaching appreciate what you have because I’ve lost something, I have just become a lot closer in tune with my body. With the level of my injury between my fifth and sixth cervical vertebrae my body is affected with some paralysis from the chest down, also I have very little triceps (it is impossible for me to do an over the head tricep extension) and forearm/hands (cannot grip a bar very well, definitely no piano playing). Because my arms have been effected as well as my lower body I am considered a quadriplegic/tetraplegic however I do have feeling throughout my entire body and even have some muscle control in my lower body (some muscles work some don’t and some work better than others). Most quadriplegic/paraplegics are not completely paralyzed! I was under that impression before I knew anything about it so I thought I would just clarify it!

The human body is amazing, incredibly fascinating, and beautiful (that would be my main attraction to working out at a gym because I love to watch people specially you ladies!) I’m a person that pays close attention to detail not to judge or criticize but that’s how I get to know someone whether it’s their personal appearance or the person themself. I feel like if a person is showing something whether it be a birthmark a particular muscle etc. etc. it is something they want people to see and know about themselves and who doesn’t like these things pointed out and complimented on. Making someone smile is something I love to do and the reward I get is priceless. I got a little off track their sorry! But if you pay close attention to your body it will talk to you.

Listening to my body is something I must do so that I can prepare my body to compensate for my injury, basically my body is running on back, shoulders, upper chest, and I sat muscles, everything else has been affected by my injury so I’m missing some use of some pretty major muscle groups. I found that the muscles that don’t work as well, mainly my legs, react according to my diet and the amount of exercise I do. I depend on my upper body for a lot from trunk control to transferring in and out of my wheelchair and pushing my wheelchair. The healthier and the stronger I am the easier it is for me to accomplish these tasks. If I eat a bad meal my body will let me know, I’ll feel rundown, jittery, week, and overall crappy. If I don’t exercise I’ll tire out easily, feel rundown, lack motivation, low self-esteem and low self respect, and depression is more likely. It is amazing how much I tribute to my diet and fitness program.

My diet and exercise program directly relate to my sex life, remember I told you I only have some upper body muscles that do most of the work. Rolling around in bed and doing some lifting and trying to maintain stamina (you women seem to have the stamina thing and I refuse to be left behind lol) I must maintain a healthy diet and exercise program. After my injury my sex life was hindered a great deal, I had low energy, low stamina, low sex drive and other issues that are just too horrible talk about lol. It wasn’t until I decided to get healthy and physically fit did my sex life improve (in some ways better than before my accident), my sex drive increased tenfold which caused me to have more energy than I knew what to do with, and my newfound stamina could keep up with the best of you ladies lol my newfound strength definitely improved my lifting ability lol. I’m not talking about all this to be a pervert I’m just trying to point out that our bodies communicate to us and respond accordingly!

Maintaining a healthy diet and exercise program has also given me a little more use in my legs just in the last few months I have been able to start doing what I call assisted squats (basically using parallel bars to squat down as far as I can and stand back up with the assistance of my arms I can manage two sets of 10 now! They say you get movement and feeling back usually in the first two years, and it is been over seven years now and I still feel like I get things back all the time and this I attribute to my diet and workout program. Before I started working out and eating healthy I was barely able to push up off my wheelchair to lock my legs out to do a transfer (now when I getting into bed when I have one hand on my wheelchair and one on the bed during my transfer I sit there and bounce from side to side like I’m dancing lol sounds stupid! But I’ll take it!

The point I’m trying to make here is that our bodies talk to us if we listen and they respond according to how we take care of them. So take the time to listen to what your body is saying to you and then give it what it needs and it will reward you! you might just be surprised!

Michael C.

How to use Supersets During Your Workouts!

2009-05-16T14:12:00.000-07:00

How to use supersets during your workouts! Supersets can be very beneficial to the bodybuilder who is trying to break a plateau or to the novice just trying to put on a little extra size.

A Superset is performing to different exercises on the same or different muscles back to back. An example would be the bench press and chest flyes, taking your bench press to failure and then immediately change exercises to chest flyes and go to failure and repeat three to five sets. Supersets are ideal for breaking plateaus since the principle of overload says that there must be greater than normal stress for fitness adaptation to occur.

Three of the most popular supersets are the antagonistic superset-working opposite muscle groups, pre exhaustion supersets-working the same muscle with an isolation exercise followed by a compound exercise, and the Post exhaustion superset-this is the exact opposite of the pre exhaustion only you do the compound exercise before the isolation.

Supersets are a very great way to shock you muscles, and shocking the muscles is necessary in breaking plateaus (a period of time and we are not be able to to make any gains), or to just pack on a little extra muscle. I do superset workouts about every third work out to lean muscle and to prevent reaching a plateau.

Michael C.

Building Muscle Using Resistance Tubing!

2009-05-15T10:53:00.000-07:00

Building muscle using resistance tubing! Resistance tubing has become quite a popular alternative to free weights and machine weights. But do these cheap flimsy resistance tubes produce results like free and machine weights? Resistance band training has been around for a very long time, about a century. Resistance band training gained its popularity in the rehab and has now exploded and is even used by some of the top bodybuilders.

I myself do use resistance tubing training because of the dexterity in my hands is very poor due to the level of my spinal cord injury. I am able to take the ankle cuffs and use them in place of the handles which allows me to perform all of the exercises. A couple years ago I started training with noticeable results after just a couple of weeks however I did not stick with it after a couple of months.I started training again about 2 1/2 weeks ago using resistance tubing, I also started supplementing with protein and creatine. Even after 2 1/2 weeks I can see a visual difference in my arms and shoulders and I can definitely feel the difference.

Elastic resistance offers resistance, free range of motion, variable speed, and progressive resistance. These properties are crucial in successful resistance training programs. Unlike free weights resistance tubing does not rely on gravity for resistance, this is helpful when training parts of the body for job-related or sport activities. One of the most important benefits is that it prevents cheating, beginners often cheat using the momentum of free weights to complete sets.

Everything I have read claims that resistance to being is as effective if not more effective than free/machine weight. So far I have no complaints, so I'll just check my results again in two weeks and see where I am at!

Michael C.

Shape up America, It's Worth It!-The Benefits of Exercising Regularly!

2009-05-06T13:47:00.000-07:00

Shape up America, It's Worth It!-The Benefits of Exercising Regularly! According to a couple of studies I read, only 30 to 35% of Americans that have some type of education beyond high school exercise regularly. With all the money the government spends on promoting health and exercise each year, I feel those percentages should be higher, or maybe the government needs to ante up some more dough. The benefits of exercise are obvious, from looking good to feeling good, our health should be our number one priority. The key to good health is exercising regularly and eating a healthy diet.

Around 300,000 deaths a year can be attributed to diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and many other acute and chronic conditions. Regular exercise can prevent a lot of those diseases from ever developing. America has the resources and every available type of media exposure to get the word out there promoting exercise, and with the amount of health problems our country faces every day and our never ending battle with health care, it's time we take action. From the studies I've read it doesn't look like there has been a dramatic change in the last couple of decades. With all the fast food restaurants added to a sediment lifestyle it's no wonder so many people are overweight and plagued by health problems.

At least 20% of Americans are obese and a whopping 38% are overweight with only 6% being underweight. Most of these Americans don't even know there are overweight or obese (which I find very hard to believe, I think they're just in denial). The really bad thing about this is that most of these Americans that know they are overweight don't do anything about it. These people in turn do not encourage health and exercise to their children which will eventually lead to obesity and health problems.

According to the AHA (American heart foundation) exercise benefits health by preventing or at least the delaying many chronic diseases, preventing high blood pressure, improving cholesterol levels, weight loss and there's many more. The AHA recommends that adults participate in moderate aerobic activity most days if not every day. They recommend at least 30 minutes aerobic activity at 50 to 75% of their maximum heart rate. Exercise has also been proven in to lower stress, elevate mood and build self-confidence and self-esteem.

Now everyone loves sex, at least most people do "I know I do" and exercise promotes a healthy sex life. Exercise has been proven to enhance sexual performance and pleasure. Exercise is also responsible for upping the frequency and intensity of sexual encounters. Exercise increases muscle tone and improves circulation (to the genital region as well), which in turn improves sexual function. In males exercise increases testosterone production which is directly linked to their sex drive. Basically exercise means great sex, so how can you pass that up.

Shape up

America

, It's Worth It!-The Benefits of Exercising Regularly! The point I'm getting at here is that exercise is basically our fountain of youth (I know no one lives forever, and no one can be young forever either) and if we use it are health will improve. We will live much happier, more active, and longer healthier lives. It is every American's responsibility to encourage and live by example so that their children might lead healthy and physically active lives.

Push past your limits!
Michael C.

How to Use X-Rep Training!

2009-05-05T14:59:00.000-07:00

How to Use X-Rep Training! I've been doing a lot of research lately on different workout programs the science and philosophy behind them. Quite a few programs have popped up over the past few decades. I've always used a standard split work out using mostly compound exercises to build muscle mass, doing 3-5 sets with 8-12 repetitions for each exercise. Choosing a lifting program can be difficult, and I spent a time looking into the pros and cons of each. The program that intrigued me the most was the High Intensity Training (hit), but it was quite a drastic change from the program I have always trusted. Then I came across X-Reps did I really didn't have to change my reach even around very much, I just had to add the extra set called the X-Reps.

X-Rep training was invented by Steve Holman and John Lawson. From what I understand x-rep training is basically going to failure on your last set and then adding 5 partial rep blasts in the x spot (near the turnaround point in an exercise). The quick partial reps cause the nervous system to fire the most amounts of muscle fibers at the position of flexion, which results in a huge jump in muscle fiber activation during a set. The end result is supposed to be larger gains.

I am going to implement x training starting my next workout which is tonight 5/5/2009. I will write my second part to this article in 30 days eight give my opinion and the results I achieved by adding X-one Reps to my training program. I'm trying to have a positive outlook because I would like to see some results like the founders.

Push passed limits!

Michael C.

Becoming fit to live-Wheelchair Weightlifting!

2009-05-02T21:16:00.000-07:00

Becoming fit to live-Wheelchair Weightlifting! Wheelchair weightlifting is responsible for getting me in shape and keeping me fit in a few different ways, physically, mentally and emotionally. Let's face it without the muscles in our trunk and lower body we need all the upper body strength we can build! With hard work and determination accomplishments are made and our accomplishments directly affect our mental and emotional health.

In the beginning becoming motivated to work out can be difficult. After a spinal cord injury many chemical changes are going on in our bodies and our emotions are on a roller coaster ride. So developing and maintaining a workout routine can be difficult. After such a traumatic injury many of us could barely even raise our arms to pick our own nose, we were extremely weak and stamina was basically nonexistent. Staying motivated was very difficult and nothing comes easy and fast, but it does come it just takes patients hard work and determination and of course time.

Unfortunately it took me almost 3 years before I came to terms with and excepted my fate. There were times where I was motivated and ready to take on the world, and then there were the times where I wanted to hide and cash it in. It was right about three-year mark post injury where I came to my crossroads and was ready to make a change. I was no longer content with someone else taking care of me and I was no longer content with being a spectator watching life go by. I was miserable and the mental and emotional pain I was going through was enough for me to decide and change my life. Pain is the ultimate motivator!

Before my injury I was lifting anywhere from three to six days a week and doing cardio on my off days. I was eating a very healthy high protein nutrient dense diet and using my favorite supplements. So when I started lifting again I found it very easy to get discouraged. In the beginning I could only lift a fraction of what I used to, and there were exercises I was no longer able to do. Being paralyzed with no trunk or lower body control I was limited to the amount of exercises that I could do. Fortunately I remembered when I first began lifting before my injury that what I had gained did not come overnight.

When I started lifting again I had to start out very small using 5 pound weights for most of my exercises and no weights for some of the others. I would fatigue very quickly, sometimes after five minutes I would be ready for bed. Sometimes my workouts only lasted 10 minutes, but during those workouts I gave it 110%. Within two weeks I noticed a considerable difference and it was enough to keep my motivation up and stick with it. After a couple of months I was able to transfer myself in and out of my vehicle and was able to take showers on my own. These were the accomplishments that were directly responsible for helping nurse my mental and emotional health back to health.

Becoming fit to live-Wheelchair Weightlifting! Today I am very pro fitness and I fully believe weightlifting and fitness should be made a part of everyone's life (especially the younger spinal cord injured) the benefits that are gained physically, mentally, and emotionally are priceless. I am in the process of obtaining my personal trainers certification so that I may help other people (especially the younger spinal cord injured) achieve the benefits from fitness and weight lifting. By making fitness/weightlifting a part of our daily lives helps give us an edge when taking on the challenges we are faced with in life.

Push past your limitations!

Michael C.

Wheelchair Weightlifting-Fitness and Sports Nutrition Blog

2009-05-01T09:24:00.000-07:00

Wheelchair Weightlifting -Fitness and Sports Nutrition Blog! This blog is a branch of my other sports nutrition blog pumpit-sportsnutrition.bloogspot.com/. I created this site because I am in a wheelchair and felt that sharing my fitness and nutrition program, along with the trial of errors I have faced and overcome, that it might provide encouragement and motivation to others in similar situations or for anyone for that matter.

Before my accident in October of 2001 I was becoming free hard-core with my fitness program. I was hitting the gym 3-5 days a week and on my off days would focus my efforts into some kind of cardio routine. After spending a considerable amount of time trying out different supplements I had finally found a nice course that worked well for me. I was making tremendous muscle gains and couldn't have been any more pleased. I even decided to pursue my building, not as a career but just for myself. I was healthy, focused, motivated overall felt great. It seems like any time we get comfortable life will throw us a curveball to make us reach deep down in our souls and search our self worth, and there is something to be said of the human spirit it forces us to push on and survive.

In October of 2001 pounds in a car accident which left me with a spinal cord injury. I am basically paralyzed from the chest down and in a wheelchair. In the very beginning of my rehabilitation I tried continuing with the supplements in weightlifting, but fear and self pity got the best of me. It took me about 2 1/2 years to really come to terms with and except my injury, but I couldn't except the limitations of injury left me with. That is when I began lifting weights again and started to pursue wheelchair sports.

After going full force at weightlifting and quad rugby I gained my independence in no time at all, I was even doing things I thought were not possible. Along with starting to feel healthy physically my mind began to clear I started feeling better about myself and no longer felt self-pity. By just being around other people with similar injuries adapting to life around them gave me the inspiration I needed to succeed.

Today on a very pro health/fitness I recommend and encourage the newly injured to focus on fitness and nutrition. I cannot emphasize enough how much it has helped my mind body and spirit! (Not to sound too New Age) maintaining a physical fitness program has been crucial for transferring in a note of my wheelchair getting back into my wheelchair when I take a fall. Being able to do these things has done wonders for my mind and spirit I have regain self-confidence and self-respect. I've decided to take what I have learned and accomplished and pass along to others. I believe my situation is made me focus on what is important and also motivated me to seek out all the wonderful things our world has to offer!

Push past your limits!

Michael C.