Train like a Champion Today

November in Pittsburgh means one thing.  Winter is coming.  And thus ends another season of outdoor cycling, especially for those of us who are too soft to inconvenience ourselves with the cold and rain.  But I take solace in the fact that nothing lasts forever, even cold November rain.  Until then it’s time to move the training indoors and keep preparing for my long-awaited return to the marathon circuit.

It’s no secret that we all get a bit lethargic when the weather turns bad and we get sedentary.  However, it’s still of paramount importance that we disabled keep as physically active as possible.  Letting your fitness slip during the winter months always ends up leading to issues we want to avoid:

• Bladder infections
• Reduced strength for transfers and general mobility
• Pressure Sores
• Weight gain

There are plenty of options for us but I’m sticking with the basics.  A combination of cardio and weight training will keep us fit throughout this season and ready to emerge and dominate in the spring.

Not all of us are training for marathons but the same basic premise applies, just varying degrees of intensity.  It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you do something.  That’s the good part about exercising, you don’t have to be good at it you just need to do it and the rewards just present themselves.  In the past I’ve always leaned heavily towards the cardio work and shied away from the weight training, and it’s obvious to even the most casual observer.

This year it’s time to switch it up a bit.  More weight training, less cardio.  I’d like to tell you I have some tried and true routine but we both know I’d be lying.  I’m always searching the internet for some new workout to try.  I just try a variety of options.  Some days it’s light weights and high reps, other days is heavier weights and low reps.  The variety helps keep me engaged and motivated.  I just use a combination of dumbbells and my weight machine.  Switch it up by working different muscle groups on different days to keep from burning yourself out and you should be good.

As a quad, on of the issues we have is grip strength, or lack thereof.  The best solution I found is a hooked wrist cuff you can find at any sporting goods store.  Takes most of the strain off of your grip and lets you work the appropriate muscle group to its full capacity.

While the my main goal this winter to to try to gain some more strength, I still need to mix in some cardio to get the heart rate up once in a while.  To that end I put my handcycle on a indoor roller trainer and crank away.  If any of you have tried to do any indoor cardio training on a stationary machine you too have also wondered where the love of God goes when the treadmill turns the minutes to hours.  To help combat that issue I put a point-of-view cycling video from You Tube up on the TV, put on some music and get to work.  My channel of choice these days is Bike the World.  It does wonders to help pass the time.

It also goes without saying that you need to try to maintain a reasonable diet to help your body recover and rebuild.  It’s also advisable to to give yourself a rest day every now and then, or as I like to call it, Leg Day.

*moment of silence while you all process that last bit of levity*

OK, that’s enough.

And if all else fails on some days Mr. Brownstone is always up for a walk around the neighborhood.  Anything is better than nothing.

So the main point to take away from all of this is that a simple, basic exercise regiment throughout the winter is very important component to your long-term well-being as a disabled individual.  Not just for those of us training for a marathon.  We’re all training for something more important than that…life.

Let’s get to work and I’ll see you at the starting line in the spring…

…because that’s how I roll.