Bodyweight Training 101: Power of High Frequency

High frequency bodyweight training is among the most tried and true methods of strength training.  Due to its simplicity bodyweight training does not require a ton of equipment; therefore it does not sell a ton of gym memberships or fancy personal training signups.  In fact, if a personal trainer would actually apply these methods a lot of clients would probably walk out as it seems too simple to actually work.  And that is the beauty of it; it is so F-ing simple to follow and the results are staggering.

How?

You identify 2-3 exercises, circuit through them for X number of rotations and that is your day's work out.  Then you rinse and repeat X days per week.  The overarching goal is to get to a certain number of reps for that workout, which add up to a goal number of reps for the week, which add up to a goal number of reps for the month.  As an example maybe you want to get to 500 pullups for the month by starting with 15 pullups day 1, add 1 each day over the course of 20 workouts in month (5 workouts per week, for 4 weeks), by the end of the month you will be doing 35 pullups in the final workout.

High Frequency?

Definitions vary, but high frequency means hitting an area 3+ times a week.  In the case of bodyweight type exercises it is more like 5 times a week as the tax your body has to pay from a single workout is not that tremendous compared to a max effort day of deadlifts, bench presses or squats.  You simply add a rep or two per exercise each day and the cumulative volume over the week forces your body to adapt.  And that is the magic formula, doing numerous sets for an amount of reps that is a challenge, but a single set is not grueling effort.  By the last set the difficulty will definitely increase but should still not be impossible.

Now go in the next day and do the SAME exact exercises, but add 1 rep to the total for each exercise for that day.  Do this 5 times a week for a one month.  

Doubts?  See Gymnasts

If you have doubts regarding this style of training being effective, take a look at gymnasts.  Especially gymnasts on the parallel bars and rings.  Gymnasts are among the athletes with the most desirable bodies from muscular and symmetry standpoint.  Gymnasts are properly proportioned with functional muscle, and of course, biceps that POP.

Gymnasts perform some accessory lifting but the meat and potatoes of a gymnast's workout program consists of actually performing the bodyweight exercises.  Muscle ups and handstands are a couple of the most difficult exercises to perform; these are exercises that I would doubt most bodybuilders or powerlifters could even execute.  Gymnasts do these exercises by the 1000s per week.

Getting stronger and looking better are almost always the primary goals of training.  And if girls want to lose fat the BEST way is by getting stronger.  If you pattern your goals around a type of athlete who would you rather look like?  

An impossibly strong Powerlifter who has amazing max lifts but is very bulky and possibly has a lot of noticeable body fat?  A marathoner who can run very long distances and has a great cardiovascular capacity, but no muscle tone whatsoever?

Not many people would seek either of these types of bodies for themselves yet too many people train in either of these manners.  Too many people either lift WAY too heavy, all the time.  Or too many people in an effort to lose weight do countless hours of cardio which rips away as much muscle, or more, than fat.

Closed Chain Rules

The last piece of this is the bodyweight exercises which should really be its own post.  For the upper body there are few exercises that are more effective than Pull Ups, Dips and Pushups.  And if you can do Handstand pushups against a wall, you are set!  These are all closed chain exercises which are MUCH more effective as the body was designed to do these.

A closed chain exercise can be explained as follows:

1. In a Pulling scenario when doing a pullup we are pulling our body to something.

2. In a Pushing scenario when doing a pushup we are pushing our body away from something.

This is why a Pullup is a MUCH more effective exercise than a lat pull down.  This is why a pushup is more effective than a bench press.  One negative with pullups and pushups is there is a challenge to adding a lot of weight.  We can add some but adding enough weight for a 1 rep max on a push up would be difficult which is why bench presses, rows, etc. are needed as well.

Conclusion

High frequency bodyweight training can be highly effective due to the cumulative effect it has on the body.  By doing A LOT of pullups, pushups or dips your body is forced to adapt.  And pullups dips and pushups work because close chain exercises are AWESOME.

Lifting With Injuries

What do you do if you suffer a somewhat minor injury?  As a meathead and fitness junky what the hell do we do?  The key focal point here is a "somewhat minor" injury.  I am assuming your limbs are still attached and nothing is broken.  If you have a broken arm and you are attempting to do max bench presses, you are an idiot.  If this is something more serious go to a doctor.  For the purposes of this article think of beat up joints and muscle pulls to body parts such as your elbows and shoulders.

I recently tweaked my elbow so I am living through this right now.

Day Off

When you first encounter something as I did with a tweaked elbow or sore shoulder I would take at least one day off.  I don't care what bodypart you had scheduled to train that day, if something feels off with your body, take one or two days off is a mandatory approach.  More times than not this will completely address the issue as general fatigue could have set in and your body just needs a break.  Some would argue that we should be scheduling in a week off every few weeks, which I think is plain craziness.  If I take two days off in a row for shits and giggles my workouts will be shit when I return.  

I heavily believe in high frequency training where some form of strength training and cardio work is performed six days a week.  Once you get into this regular routine it becomes a habit and will become nearly impossible to miss a workout simply because you don't feel like it.  High frequency is the cure for lazy folks.  But when you get use to this frequency taking days off is a form of torture.

Take Care of Injury

Assuming we are now passed the two days off and you are still feeling issues with an area you must begin some treatment if you have not already done so.  Rotating between heat and ice as well as various ointments.  And do whatever you can to increase your sleep.  If you are not getting at least 7 hours per night, get your 7 at minimum.  If dealing with an injury shoot for 9 hours if possible.  Sleep heals the brain and the body. 

Again, if this is something more serious go to a doctor.  I feel like I have to throw this disclaimer out there every few sentences because too many people are morons, the same type of people that sued McDonalds for having coffee that was too hot...

Continuing Exercise

If the injury is still lingering but you feel it will hold up enough to get back into some training I would go for it because that is exactly what I am doing right now.  If the body part can be avoided completely, great, but in the case of fellow wheelers the injury will be to a shoulder or elbow 99% of the time.  Here are some basics to getting back into the game.

Avoid Barbells:  Barbells mean heavy loads, even if a light load feels fine you may be too eager to load up after a feel good warmup.

Bodyweight Exercises:  I would highly recommend sticking to only bodyweight exercises for the first workout or two.  Pullups, Pushups and Dips hit so many areas and are the best bang for your buck exercises plus they should be forgiving to your joints.

30 Minutes:  When coming back from injury keep these workouts short.  Don't go over 30 minutes for at least the first two times before stretching this out.  

After three to four sessions following the above guidelines and your body feels fully back, go back to your regular routine.  If your body does not feel fully back, but you have had no setbacks, continue with the above guidelines.  Adjust volume as your body allows but continue to stick to short workouts with primarily bodyweight exercises until you have worked your way back to full recovery.

Boxing for Cardio with Quiet Punch

You gotta get your cardio in and its ideal to NOT have to go to any gym to do so.  If you go to a gym for strength sessions 3-4 times a week it would be nice to do 2-4 energy sessions from your home.  Any form of cardio that involves any stationary device is mind dumbingly boring torture.  Whether this is on a treadmill for folks that walk or run, an ergonomic hand pedaled machine that fellow wheelers can spin with their hands, or any other eliptical or stationary bike.  If you are stuck inside, moving but not going anywhere, over time boredom will ensue which is why boxing related workouts do so well. And... ITS FUN TO PUNCH STUFF!!!

Quiet Punch

I had been investigating getting a heavy bag to hang in my garage, but the space it would eat up just doesn't exist anymore in my already crowded garage.  Enter Quiet Punch, an at home boxing device that anybody can set up.  The device is better termed a mobile bunching device as this could easily be brought along with people and used in any hotel.  All the device requires is a doorway, simple.

See my video on instagram:  

Great Variety

I am really hoping the Quiet Punch is a long term option as an active wheeler like me NEEDS VARIETY!  My hand spun ergonomic device that I am able to use inside the house is ok, but its so boring if it is the only in home cardio option.  Since i have a garage gym I am able to manipulate some workouts with lighter weights that can act as a cardio/energy session, however, meatheads like me have a tough time keeping the weight light enough to keep the workout more cardio than strength.  

Future Results and Workouts

I just got the Quiet Punch in last week so I need some more time with it to provide some honest feedback but so far I am a big fan.  There is no need for a wheeler like me to get a large heavy bag so this replaces that burden quite nicely.  I will say in just a few workouts that 10 minutes on the Quiet Punch provides an easily elevated heart rate and a quick sweat.  

Boxing certainly seems to mimic the High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) style that is extremely popular right now.  Go hard for 30-60 seconds, then rest for 30 seconds.  Do 10 rounds of this and you certainly feel as though you put in a tough workout.  Short and hard workouts are ideal to fight off any boredom and so far I really look forward to each workout on the Quiet Punch.

Best Workouts: German Volume Training...

Hand Down, the BEST volume workout for me over 20 years of lifting is German Volume Training.  This a workout set/rep scheme that I always come back to at least once a year for a month or two.  If done correctly this approach will really test your will.

When working out you can focus on one of three areas.  Volume, where you attempt to pile on more muscle mass.  Max Effort, where you attempt to improve your 1-3 rep max on a lift.  Dynamic Effort, where you attempt to improve your power and acceleration on lifts.

What Is German Volume Training (GVT)

To perform German Volume Training you select a main compound exercise and do 10 sets of 10.  That is it, sounds so freaking simple, yet the execution by that 8th set can feel like torture.  Plus the name sounds like something out of the old Eastern European Bloc of countries that would massively abuse Steroids for any and all competitions, which is always a bonus.  Identifying the correct weight for a lift is probably the biggest challenge.  Starting with around 50% of your max on a lift is a solid starting point.  Another way to look at it is to pick a lift you can do 20 reps in a single set for.  Mix in the Double Progression method to work your way up to 100 reps. 

EX:  You start with 135lbs on a bench press and you are able to as follows

·      Set 1-6 for 10 reps each for 60 reps.

·      Set 7-10 for 8 reps each for 32 reps

·      Total workout of 92 reps.

Since you did NOT hit 100 total reps you would remain at this weight.  On your next workout with this exercise your primary goal is to raise that rep number.  Once you are able to fully knock out 10x10, move the weight up by around 5-10 lbs.

Compound Exercises

Compound pushing exercises such as Bench Presses, Incline Bench Presses and Military Presses are ideal for 10x10.  Pulling exercises such as barbell rows and weighted pullups are also ideal.  For the lower body deadlifts and squats are ideal.

Avoid Isolation Movements

This is not a worthwhile approach for isolation single joint type movements such as Curls, Shoulder Raises, Tricep pushdowns, etc.  You do not get the bang for your buck on these types of exercises so attempting this much volume on a single joint exercise would be using up way too much of your gym time spend.

Olympic Lifts

I would NOT suggest performing this type of volume with Olympic lifts.  By the 8th set the final reps are likely to get a tad sloppy and that is a HUGE no-no on Olympic lifts as so many bodyparts have to work in perfect unison.

Benefits of GVT

With most things in life, simple is almost always better.  From a tracking and thinking standpoint GVT is as simple as it gets once you identify a proper weight to start with.  Also, not having to get up to change the weights every set provides an extremely efficient workout and an ideal technique for wheelchair lifters.  The physical benefits are surprising as it will always result in size improvements when used in short spurts. 

Be Warned, it is grueling as you approach the last 3-4 sets.  It will feel easy at first but as the cumulative fatigue sets in it will become painful.  Good painful, but painful.

Blood Flow Restriction Training

What Is It?  Does it work?

I tried Blood Flow Restriction training for the first time this morning and I will provide my progress and feedback on the technique over time.  I heard about it on the Renegade Podcast by Jay Ferruggia and figured I would at least try it out on my next Bi/Tri workout.  Training is all about trying out new things, some will suck, some will become future staples.  You have no idea which one something will be if you don't give it a shot.  Plus, the variety can be very much needed from time to time.

Blood Flow Restriction (BFR)

Blood Flow Restriction training is pretty much exactly as it sounds, you restrict the blood flow to a specific body part and perform high reps with that body part.  This can be done with straps that you actually buy that are specifically meant for this.  Or you can MacGyver it and use an ace bandage or other stretchable apparatus that you can loop around an arm or leg and tighten.  I did the second one and am not sure if I did it right so I ordered some proper bands.  You are not suppose to go TOO tight as from what I have read the tightness should be about a 7 out of 10, with 10 being as tight as you can go.  It felt like my band was a little too tight.

Where to BFR

To start out I just tried it with the biceps.  I will next try doing it with the triceps on some bodyweight extensions.  BFR can be applied to the the legs as well, which won't do me any good. :)  BFR makes sense on any of the limbs where you want to add some muscle mass via a technique that mixes things up.

Some also claim that you can do BFR on the chest, but I cannot see that happening in my near future as I would be quite hesitant to purposely affect blood flow in and out of my heart.  The chest area would seem like an easy area to screw up and give yourself a heart attack, literally.  So hard pass for me on that.

Do a search on YouTube to see how to properly place the bands on whichever body part you plan on targeting.

Why to BFR

BFR, if done correctly, should give you a massive pump.  That is the claim to fame for the technique.  The benefit is you do not have to kill your limbs with 100s of reps to chase the pump.  BFR will allow blood flow into your muscle via the arteries but the constrictor’s (band) goal is to NOT allow blood to leave the muscle.  The theory is the muscle is FORCED to grow because of this excess blood in the muscle; that is how the muscle adapts to this stimulus.  

To be able to grow specific muscles without killing the joints is THE number one reason I am interested in BFR training.  At this point in my lifting experience I am not really able to induce that pump into the biceps without a very high number of reps and usually in a superset manner that just gets into a number of reps that is boring and unsustainable.  This is a killer on the elbows as the elbows will give out before my biceps have had enough.  And the same applies to the triceps, doing too much weight or too many reps on a cable pushdown kills the elbow over time.  If you can achieve the same pump, or greater, with using less weight and reps than I am IN!!!!

This also applies to folks who still want to make aesthetic progress on their legs but just can no longer do REALLY heavy weights.   By properly setting up BRF bands on their legs they can get a great blood flow pump to these areas without having to kill their spine with heavy squats and deadlifts.  Sometimes the body is just no longer meant to do certain movements too heavy, this is where BFR can help.

When to BFR

As I first start out with this technique I am ONLY going to attempt to incorporate BFR into my last exercise of a workout.  And for now those body parts will only include Biceps and Triceps.  I am not sure how easily I can spread it out to areas such as the shoulders so for now I am only going to do it twice a week, at the end of Back/Bis and Chest/Tris days.  At best this is a supplemental technique and would not be something I revolve my entire workout around.  The majority of time I spend working out is geared towards bigger lifts with the goal of breaking PRs (Personal Records) in reps or weight.  The last 5-10 minutes is spent on the vanity areas such as biceps, triceps and delts.  BFR fits perfectly into that last window.

Conclusion

Today was the first day I tried it.  I definitely felt a pump, and some pain.  From what I read the pain is to be expected.  I also felt like my left arm handled it better than my right arm but this could be due to the placement of the band I used.  I am always interested in doing something new to mix things up so at worst that was achieved this morning.   I am looking forward to getting my BFR specific bands in so I have a much higher chance of proper placement and tightness on future attempts.  In a week or so I will provide any updates I have based on incorporating this technique.  From an extremely early feel from my first attempt I could see this being something that does make it into my toolbox for long term future use.

Are You Training Enough?

Probably not.  

There is a myth out there propagated by jokers who want to sell people products and programs that have you only working out for 60 minutes total for a week and that overtraining is a real risk.  That all you need is 20 minutes a day, three times a week, anything more is overtraining.  BS.  Overtraining is really f-ing hard to achieve for most people.  The real risk people actually run into is under-recovery.  To properly recover you must have nutrition and rest.

Nutrition:  If you eat properly, taking in enough protein and carbs to match your physical exertion levels you are good on nutrition.

Rest:  If you sleep properly, getting at least 7.5 hours, your rest should be hitting a proper target.  But this is the more likely area you are lacking.  Get your sleep!

Beginners

Anybody just starting out with lifting weights along with some cardio should be advised to take it easy at the beginning.  Starting with 3 sessions per week of 40-60 minutes would be an okay starting point.  One session of 20 minutes is not enough, in any universe.   I would also argue that 3 sessions of 20 minutes per week  will not be enough for very long, but starting with something is better than nothing.  To get results over time you will need to put the time in.

Beyond Beginners

Assuming you have been doing some regimen for several months and beyond, the "overtraining" syndrome becomes less and less likely as your body will adapt.  If you work out smart and don't kill your joints with a bunch of silly accessory lifts and follow the Stimulate, Don't Annihilate principles you should be fine as far as working out smart.  The body can take a lot more punishment that most of us actually give it.  If you work a desk job that has you doing jack squat for 40+ hours per week, I would suggest your body is starving for more stimulation.

There are only so many days you can lift "heavy" or put on a lot of volume but there is plenty left in the tank to fit in energy work, crossfit style workouts and boring old cardio.  Elite athletes get into the double digits on hours per week spent training, including all forms.  I am not suggesting you hit this type of threshold unless it can be a full-time gig where everything in your life revolves around training, then eating, then sleeping.  Rinse and repeat this trifecta multiple times per day.

300 Minutes

I do think a reasonable goal per week is 300 minutes, which equates to 5 hours for the math majors out there.  Break this down any way you want but 300 is a realistic goal.  This could be 4 gym sessions of 50 minutes, and add in 3 cardio sessions of just over 30 minutes and you hit your 300.

If right now you are quite a ways from 300 you can begin week to week by adding a few minutes per session, or the better route is to add in some extra shorter sessions.  20 minute sessions are fine, but not if you only do them 3 times per week and nothing else.  Actual weight training sessions where building muscle is a goal should be 30 minutes minimum to get a bang for you buck.  But if you want to do several cardio sessions at only 20 minutes per because you don't want to blow your brains out, I get it.  Do as much cardio as you possibly can outside, that will help a lot!

At the end of the day your body can probably be pushed much harder than you currently push it.  If you are properly taking care of yourself it will be quite a challenge to reach an overtrained state.  Don't be afraid to push it.

Stimulate! Don't Annihilate

There is a great saying in lifting circles, Stimulate your Muscles, DO NOT Annihilate them.  It's a saying that I have not followed closely enough over my years of training but I am taking much more seriously now days.  On a basic level, stop piling on useless volume once muscles are properly stressed.

T-Nation has a solid article published back in January, The Best Damn Workout Plan for Natural Lifters  by Christian Thibaudeau that re-surfaced this topic in my mind.  I believe this practice applies even more-so to fellow wheelchair lifters as we have a limited amount of areas we can truly work on the body.  We have Chest, Triceps, Back, Biceps, Delts and Traps that we can train.  That is it if your injury puts you at Para or worse like myself.  One of the main themes of the article is that the biggest mistake experienced lifters make is doing way too much volume.  We fall into the trap of thinking more is better but this is not how the body works and we actually get to a point where we cause more damage than benefit.

Once a newbie lifter graduates into intermediate or advanced they tend to continually applying way too much volume.  One way to help prevent this problem is to limit your workouts to 50 minutes or less.  If you split your workouts into a Chest/Tris day, Back/Bis and Delts/Traps I would recommend staying well below 30 sets.  For me 20 to 25 seems to be a sweet spot of getting a challenging workout in but not throwing tons of useless sets at the end that bumps up the volume.  A very basic breakdown is as follows:

• 5-ish warmup sets
• 5-10 sets on your main lift (Bench, Military Press, Rows)
• 3-6 sets on an accessory lift (Close Grip Bench, Dips)
• 3-6 vanity lift (Cable Curls, Cable Extensions, Dumbell Raises)

Another approach is to do fewer workouts per week, but hitting all areas.  Full disclosure, for wheelchair lifters I am NOT in favor of a workout that hits all the areas unless it is a challenge for you to get to the gym at least 3 times per week.  Doing too much work in a single session is obviously better than doing nothing, it just gets to a point of diminished returns as bodyparts in the latter part of the workout get hosed.  

As an example, the shoulders get way too much work on most chest movements so adding some military presses or dumbell raises to an already exhausted pair of shoulders is counterproductive and will do little for your delts.  The first lift of the day should be the focus of the workout, that is the lift that should be the biggest mover, involving the most bodyparts and pushing the highest volume or weight.  This lift is the showcase, the main attraction, everything else is a supporting actor. Each exercise after that first lift is an accessory or cosmetic lift.  One could split this major movement into a press and a pull but the quality of work will suffer on that second movement.  If it doesn't suffer, than you were not working hard enough on the first movement.

My preference is working out 4 days per week with three of the workouts spent focused on Chest/Tris one day, day two focused on Back/Bis, day three focused on Delts/Traps and then the fourth day is a do whatever the hell I want day where I may mix in several supersets in a crossfit timed fashion.  Or it can be spent on focusing on a bodypart that I feel needs some attention or is just a fun/challenging movement.

Another problem with too much volume for wheelchair lifters is your joints will give out.  If you pile way too many cable pushdowns after already doing heavy bench and other triceps movements your elbows will F-ing HATE you!  Same goes for pounding set upon set of isolation curls after you have done a bunch of heavy rows, pullups and barbell curls.  And when you feel a pop in your elbow, good luck buttercup; cause you will be babying that elbow for weeks.

So just follow these basic principles:

1. Get in the Gym and favor frequency over longevity.  
2. Hit your muscles hard, but smart.  (better have a GREAT reason to be there > 50 minutes.)
3. Then get the hell out with your limbs still attached.

Cardio Sucks! Two Fixes

Cardio sucks but if you have any goals related to health and looking good you gotta do it.  The term "cardio" itself instantly gives me images of zombies at a big box gym chain monotonously walking on a treadmill like a hamster stuck on a wheel.  I cannot think of a more joyless activity as steady state cardio done time after time in the gym.  This boring, zombie-like workout is a reason why so many people quit their self-made workout program.  They keep the membership but no longer go because they have turned working out into a chore.

Cardio has obvious benefits as periods of elevated heart rate are required for basic cardiovascular health.  If you are a long time weightlifter your joints must have some blood flow that is NOT related to pushing massing weights.  The human body was made to move around, to run, sprint or jump.  Not to sit in front of a tv or computer for every waking second of your life so having movement in your life is certainly a must.

Fix 1:  Kill Cardio Term

First, kill the term Cardio and replace with Energy system work and it instantly seems better and more useful.  Go even further with High Intensity Intervals Training, (HIIT) and not only does it sound better that boring cardio, it actually sounds challenging and fun!  These workouts are far from monotonous and provide plenty of variety and a change in the word association may provide a subconscious boost.

Fix 2:  Make it  Competitive

Making energy work fun can be a game changer.  Add some competition to compete against yourself, a training partner or a group.  Getting more specific, crossfit style workouts where you mix in multiple exercises in circuit fashion while racing against time are a TON more entertaining than straight cardio.  Going to a gym to get a treadmill for a set amount of time becomes a boring punishment over time that makes you want to jump off a cliff.  It's boring, who wants to purposely do something boring?  One big reason Crossfit has taken off is it has taken a typical housewife off of a treadmill, put a barbell in their hands where they lift it over their head and pound it to the ground when done.  It is difficult to not feel awesome after such a workout.  These types of workouts just make you feel better!

For wheelchair lifters I I would focus on some bodyweight exercises as the primary options.  By having a challenge in front of you, say a combination of Dips and Pull Ups with a goal of hitting 100 total pull ups and 200 total dips for a 300 total in a targeted amount of minutes.  The first time you attempt this cycle it takes you 25 minutes, track it.  The next time you attempt this workout your goal is to beat 25 minutes.  Bodyweight Pull UPs and Dips are just two examples of bodyweight exercises that can be used for a circuit style energy session.  Pushups are another item that can be used.  Add in battle ropes or kettle ball swings.  The options are endless on what you can rotate in.  

The key to keeping this more of an Energy workout versus a Strength workout is to keep any lift well below a 50% of a max.  In other words, the exercise should be something you can at least do 20 reps of. Mix in a couple of exercises in rotating fashion with a goal set of total reps in each, time yourself, then beat it next time.  Again, not rocket science but the variety will be a ton more enjoyable than any steady state cardio and this enjoyment will lead to better results.

Have a Plan and Stop Training ADD

In almost any avenue in life try to keep things simple.  For lifters that can simply be to have a plan, stick to this plan and track your progress.  It is not rocket science.

Over-analysis or ADD

Too many lifters spend countless hours pouring through article after article on the internet addressing a new training modality THEY MUST TRY.  They see something new on T-Nation.com  and switch up everything they do based on the newest article they read.   Whether this is a complete program or a new lift they must try out it results in a completely different set of exercises every single time they go to the gym.  This is variety overload and not effective for long term training progressions which result in continued gains.  There is a saying amongst the smartest minds in training that the BEST program is probably the program you are NOT doing.  There is absolute truth to the axiom that you do need variety in your workouts over time, but NOT chaos.

 Achieving or seeking muscle confusion is one thing, but this constant changing every workout is training ADD; jumping around from program to program like a gypsy.  It's similar to the people who go out to a bar or nightclub only to spend the entire time trying to decide what bar to goto next, as if that next bar will be the magical experience they seek.  Spoiler Alert, that next bar is no better than where you are now, because once there you will ruin any experience by thinking of the next bar, then the next bar and so on.  If you never stay any one place long enough how do you know if it is was any good or actually did suck?

4 Weeks

One can apply the same logic to workout programs with folks that are CONSTANTLY on the look out for the next best thing.  Whether you are doing volume work German Volume Training of 10x10s, full body strength based workouts of 5x5s across the board, or 10x3 for all the big lifts for max power or dynamic effort.  It doesn't really matter as long as you hit each bodypart at least once a week (ideally 2 or 3times).  If you spend more time actually DOING a workout versus looking for the next best workout they all present value.  It is perfectly fine to switch things up but try sticking to something for 4 weeks before moving on.  If you absolutely must have variety add in 5-10 minutes at the end of each workout for single joint vanity lifts that are just "for the pump".

Four weeks provides you with the opportunity to actually progress through a program via adding more weights and more reps through the Double Progression Method.  If you are changing up EVERYTHING every single week or worse, every single workout, you have no way to gauge your progress.  You may get some results for a while simply due to the muscle confusion but without consistent progressions any gains you achieve will be lost next time around and over time you will get stuck in a rut.

Any solid program is based on a weekly set of workouts comprised mainly around your big lifts that progress over a time span.  For wheelchair lifter these lifts are Bench Presses, Military Presses, Rows and Pull-ups.  A couple big pushes and a couple big pulls.  Each workout add in some quality ancillary work for the smaller muscle groups (triceps, biceps, etc), and as mentioned above the finishers for each workout is where you can add the day to day variety if you must retain some of the ADD.  If you read something new and wonderful that you want to try out, great, but don't go overboard with a constant change in direction.  Work in a new movement into your existing plan.  If the new thing is an entire training program, finish out your current program before jumping into the next thing.  Give something a long enough chance before deeming it sucks.

Conclusion

Some basic rules for any trainee: 

1. Have a plan for the week, month, whatever.  Plan out what days you will workout, and which bodyparts you will hit.
2. Stick to this plan for a minimum of 4 weeks.  
3. Track Progress on each main lift via reps and/or weight every workout.

People jump from program to program way too often just as too many people jump on and off every single diet fad.  Try something new, give it a few weeks and if you are happy with the results add it to your long term arsenal for the future.  Have a plan, stick to this plan and track your progress.

Why We Must Exercise? Blame Netflix!

This applies to every person on the planet, not just those of us in wheelchairs.  Unless you have a profession that involves true physical labor where you swing an axe or pile up bricks I am gonna go out on a limb and suggest you need a MINIMUM of 4-5 sessions per week involving intense bouts of exercise.  This is not really our fault but everything is automated for us, we do almost nothing on a day to day basis to continue basic survival.  Add in great tech luxuries such as Netflix and we are a bunch of lazy asses.

Why We Need Exercise

We need exercise because of a completely sedentary lifestyle of sitting at a desk staring at a computer for 40+ hours a week.  Add to that an additional 10 hours of sitting in our cars going to and from work.  This time is lost, there is not much we can do about it as we have to work to survive.  What we can adjust is what we do with the time we have remaining.  In a 5 day workweek, Monday - Friday, we have 120 hours to work with.  We lose 50 hours of this time for sleep, and sleep prep, as you must get 8 hours MINIMUM.  You are now left with 70 hours  to work with and we spent 50 of that on work.

What do you do with these 20 hours?  Once we are home too many of us spend another 4 hours per weeknight sitting down at our home computer, playing video games or watching TV.   Other than getting up at work to get coffee, go to the bathroom and other minor survival chores we have just spent up the entire workweek and not done shit.  If what I just laid out looks like your typical week, than you need cardio, weight training and more of both instantly!

Netflix Problem

Before Netflix and DVR we actually had to wait for a show we really like and when it was done, it was done.  Then we either went and actually did something that probably involved being outside.  Now we can just watch endless hours of GREAT content to our hearts content.  This a great luxury but makes it incredibly easy to be lazy!

Wheelchair Problem

All of the above is also true for us wheelchair bound folks, but the need to exercise is magnified due to sitting all day.  At least the "walking" are required to get up and walk to the coffee room, get up and move around just by the requirement of having to get from here to there.  That walking is at least some movement and enables the body to stretch out in a more natural state.  When applied to a wheelchair person this is not the case, as I never get an opportunity during the work day to stretch out in any fashion.  And as for basic wheeling around the evolution of the wheelchair has turned it into an extremely lightweight high-performance machine.  Any wheeling on a flat concrete surface requires very little effort.

Start Small

I will write up tons of articles on different exercises wheelchair users can do from a strength or energy system perspective but for those looking for a start there are tons of options.  Simply wheeling around is not gonna be enough for us due to the problem I presented above with the advancement in efficiency of wheelchairs.  Unless you are like me and need to get your front wheels fixed as there is a lot of friction!

For wheeling purposes, find a hill near your work or home.  Or drive to one.  Wheeling up a hill is the absolute best form of "cardio" for a wheelchair user.  It fits into our version of a loaded carry as it will work both cardio-vascular and muscular areas.  If the hill is too challenging to finish in one straight push, pause long the hill.  Hill pushes provide a great burn to the upper body and will force you to raise your heart rate.  Two birds, one stone.

So start small, find a hill and turn off Netflix for a hour!