This weekend we went to our local Canadian tire, I had decided to pick up a couple of weights to do a bit of exercise. The ultimate goal? Reclaiming some lost muscle mass in my arms and also entering my name for the Rick Hansen marathon!
I figured this way I could get my arms in shape, strong enough to at least propel myself for the required distance which I believe to be 250 m.
They had quite a variety to choose from. Of course the first one I picked was a 5 pound weight which was way beyond my current ability so I ended up settling on two weights weighing 3 pounds each.
Over the weekend I was practicing and couldn't believe how heavy 3 pounds could be. Even from the start the very beginning I found the weights heavy yet I forced myself to at least pick them up and lift each weight from my knees to my chest lowering them slowly before doing it again.
I set my target at 20 and believe me 20 was possibly a bit much to begin with. It's a great feeling to be able to exercise and move when you've been confined to a wheelchair an electric one for so long. y I was proud of myself at least until today. I'm not certain if it's because I over did it or what it was yet I could not get up from my throne on the toilet! My arms did not have the required strength to lift me to a standing position in order for me to transfer so what I ended up doing was bringing the chair close to the toilet to try and do a lateral transfer. Well that did not go very well! Finally I had to give in and call one of my friends to come and give me some assistance.
If you start some type of weight training program be smart and get advice from an expert before you begin it may help you save some time trying to learn how to do things right from the start instead of learning the hard way.
2 comments:
Hi Michael,
That's pretty cool that you are going to enter the Rick Hanson marathon!
I have 2 pound weights. And yep...I find them heavy. I started off with only 5 repetition on each side every other day. I have had no problems.
I always check with my doctor before starting any new exercise or other program.
Cheers
Impressive stuff! Good luck with your training and the upcoming marathon! I love it when people take up challenges and don't just sit there and wallow. My brother has just moved to Kingston, Canada and your mention of Canadian Tire brought back good memories lol.... anyway....
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