Included in this post: Exercises you can do from home with NO Equipment. And where I would start if looking to begin getting equipment for the home.
So we are pretty much all on house arrest at this point. If you are NOT staying home for the large majority of your day, I sure hope you are a worker in one of the designated necessity businesses. If not, please stay home as much as possible. Moving onto training, what can you do at home with little to no equipment? And if you were to begin adding equipment, where to start?
Walks
While we are stuck at home, and cannot go anywhere much beyond picking up groceries, we are not deterred from being outside. Get out and wheel around. Wheeling outside is an amazing exercise physically and mentally. If you have any hills near where you live, thats a huge bonus as hill climbs are an incredible workout for us wheelers.
Home Equipment
As most can tell from any of my videos I have a very robust garage gym, complete with an EliteFTS full power rack, adjustable bench, multiple barbells, dip bars, rings, 500lbs of plates, dumbells and kettlebells. But what if you don’t have this kind of setup? I do not expect anyone to go out and spend 1-3k on building out a garage gym. If you do have the money, and the space, and enjoy working out as much as I do I would recommend seriously considering the investment at some point. The convenience is priceless to me. And the gym memberships savings alone will get recouped over time.
Financial Savings
A good gym membership runs around $100 per month. In many cities it can be much higher than that. I have been training at home, with NO gym membership for over 3 years now. That equates to a financial savings of $4000.
Time Savings
From a time standpoint, nearly every gym I have been a part of was around 15-20 minutes from my home. I was typically going to the gym 4 times a week, minimum. Using conservative estimates this equates to 40 months, 4 weeks a month, 4 trips a week. 640 trips to the gym. Times that by the 30 to 40 minutes of time the round trip to and from the gym would take 19200 to 25600 minutes. Just using the low end of that estimate, 20000 minutes, and I have saved 333 hours, or 14 days of my life NOT having to travel to the gym.
I can safely say building out my garage gym was one of the best decisions I have EVER made in my life! Certainly a top 5 decision over the last handful of years.
But forget all that, what can you do with nothing, and where would I start if I were to buy some equipment now?
No Equipment
If you have absolutley NO equipment and you want to get more exercise in than just going for walks or climbing hills, you still have options.
Pushups
This would be strength exercise number 1 for any wheeler with no equipment. I prefer to do these with my legs up on a bed to about the knees, while my body is on the floor. This results in a variation of Incline Bench Presses and there are limitless variations on how you can do set or rep schemes. Try to do 100 pushups in as little time as possible. Or set a clock to X minutes, and try to do as many pushups in that time. Then in the next workout try to beat either of these.
You can also do pushup variations with your hands close together, forming a diamond, for a variation of close grip bench presses. Either of these variations are simply amazing.
YWTs
Search the internet for this one might be the easiest. It is a Joe Defranco staple exercise for someone with limited or no equipment. While the Pushup is amazing for a pushing exercise, someone with no equipment will struggle to find adequate back exercises. This exercise involves laying face down on a flat surface and lifting your arms off the ground in a Y formation, then a W, then a T and holding for several seconds in each pose. This will work over your entire upper back and is much tougher than it sounds.
Stability Exercises
There are numerous things can you do from the floor, out of your chair as well. Just getting in and out of your chair is a great overall exercise and something all wheelers should be practicing more often. I am included in that. Going from the floor to your chair without any assistance from another person or another object to push off of is a great total upper body exercise.
Laying on the floor and pushing yourself up to be on your hands and knees is also a great exercise for stability. And another thing I need as well. Doing russain twists while seated on the floor, without any weight, can be beneficial.
Broomstick Rows
Take two regular chairs (dining room or folding), lay a broom across it. Then position yourself on the ground between the chair and under the broom on your back. Now you can do inverted rows by grabbing the broom and pulling yourself to the broom.
The options with NO equipment really depends on your creativity, if you have no idea whatsoever what to do I would be happy to help, just direct message me at @wheelchairfit on instagram.
Other miscellaneous exercises:
Chair Holds: Raise your self up in the chair and hold for 30, 60, 90, etc seconds.
Floor crawls: Crazy good exercise, better to have carpet.
Loaded Backpack: Load a backpack with books for weight, to do a bunch of weighted exercises.
Equipment Starting Point
If you are interested in purchasing some equipment, but don’t know where to start. And you want the most bang for your buck with taking up as little space as possible my answer is very simple. Kettlebells.
Kettlebells
Kettlebells can provide a full body workout that can be done anywhere. Whether it is strength or conditioning Kettlebells are the answer. Plus they look cool!
The list of exercises for wheelers is vast:
Rows
Cleans
Shoulder Press
Floor Press
Curl Variations
Tricep Extensions
Swings
Pull Overs
KB Situps
Clean and Press
Swing and Press
Deadlifts
Power Snatch
Onnit Kettlebell Options
The most flexible at home strength and conditioning option available is kettlebells. Great for Strength workouts, Conditioning, WODs, etc. They come in various sizes/weights and if you are looking to build out a home gym, this would be among the first low cost options to start with.
Onnit Primal Kettlebells
Onnit Kettlebell Sets
