|
VitaGlide™ is a
revolutionary exercise system designed to improve the quality
of seated fitness programs. Using its patented linear,
push-pull technology, VitaGlide™ increases range of motion and
involves more muscle groups, resulting in a more complete
workout when compared to traditional seated systems.
VitaGlide™ uses handles that glide along two converging
tracks. The handles and tracks are positioned to provide
natural pushing and pulling motions. The VitaGlide™ unit comes
complete with an adjustable base to allow users roll into
position in their wheelchairs, without having to transfer onto
another seat.
BACKGROUND
VitaGlide™ is the result of extensive research into the causes
of shoulder injuries and pain, especially among wheelchair
users. Research has indicated that shoulder injuries occurring
in wheelchair users are similar to rotator cuff injuries
suffered by baseball pitchers. These injuries are caused by
imbalanced muscle stress placed on the shoulder joint that
produces overuse syndrome. It is important to not only
condition the muscles groups directly used in specific
movements, such as pushing a wheelchair, but also the opposite
muscle groups, as a balanced shoulder musculature better
supports the joint and reduces the chance of pain or injury..
|
COMPARISON
OF MUSCLE ACTIVITY |
 |
 |
Traditional seated
exercise systems typically develop only the front of the
shoulder, creating that same muscular imbalance that exposes
the shoulder to potential injury. VitaGlide™ was developed to
provide balanced muscular development to the shoulder area,
and protect the joint from injuries.
VITAGLIDE WORKOUT
The VitaGlide™ workout stresses the muscles on both the front
and back of the shoulder. Exercise programs that apply stress
to all sides of the shoulder have been shown to strengthen the
joint and significantly reduce shoulder injuries and pain
Besides providing stress to a greater number of muscle groups,
VitaGlide™ also provides a greater range of motion than
traditional seated systems. These advantages allow more work
to be performed, which should produce greater exercise
benefits.
The linked design of the handles provides particular benefit
to users with a deficit on one side of their body, such as
stroke patients. Using their stronger side, these users can
push and pull their weakened side through a full range of
motion, providing the reciprocal pattern used in many
rehabilitation programs.
The converging direction of the movement of the handles also
provides some trunk rotation, providing exercise to muscles
that are ignored by traditional systems. Wheelchair users
rarely have the opportunity to condition the trunk muscles
which are vital in both stabilizing the torso and in many
daily functions such as reaching for objects.
EXERCISING WITH THE VITAGLIDE™
See your Physician
 Before
beginning any exercise program or changing your physical
activity patterns, you should always consult with your doctor
or physician, particularly if you have been inactive, are very
overweight, or have or suspect any sort of medical condition
that might be worsened by exercise.
Introduction
 There
are many kinds of exercise programs, but the two main
categories are endurance exercise and strength training. Both
of these types of exercise can be performed with the VitaGlide™.
Endurance exercise is also known as aerobic exercise because
during this type of training, energy is primarily supplied by
aerobic metabolism. Endurance training provides enhanced
muscular endurance as well as improvements in cardiovascular
fitness and various health risk factors while strength
training provides increases in muscular strength and power
(and some endurance).
How do I set up MY workout program?
There are three things to consider in setting up a workout
routine. The first is training frequency, or how often you
will train. The second factor is training duration or how long
each session will last. The last variable to adjust is
training intensity or how much physical effort is required.
Each of these items differs significantly between endurance
and strength training.
Endurance (Aerobic) Exercise Programs
Exercise professionals have developed the following guideline
for endurance training:
Frequency: Three to five sessions per week. This
general recommendation is primarily based on leg exercise.
Fewer VitaGlide™ endurance training sessions may be needed,
especially if you are a wheelchair user. It is probably best
to start out endurance training with two to three sessions a
week.
Duration: 20 to 60 minutes of continuous activity.
Initial endurance workouts might last 15 – 20 minutes. If you
unable to comfortably complete that much exercise, you can
divide the workout into separate bouts. For example you could
exercise for five minutes, rest five minutes, another five
minutes of exercise, and so forth. The key to endurance
exercise is continuous exercise for at least 20 to 30 minutes.
So it is important to increase the time (duration) of the
exercise before increasing the resistance setting.
Intensity: 60-90% of Maximal Heart Rate or 50-85% of Heart
Rate Reserve. Intensity refers to how hard you are
working, usually related to the resistance setting on the
VitaGlide™ and how fast you are moving the handles. The
exercise intensity is probably the most important variable in
the exercise equation, but is very often the factor
incorrectly applied. During endurance training, energy is
supplied to the exercising muscles through aerobic metabolism,
which uses oxygen as the primary energy fuel. We obtain this
oxygen through inhaled air that is absorbed through the lungs
and then passed into the blood stream and distributed through
the body by the pumping actions of the heart. As exercise
intensity increases, we need to supply the exercising muscles
with more oxygen so we take deeper and faster breaths and our
heart rate increases. We can therefore measure the intensity
of the exercise by measuring the heart rate or the breathing
pace, or how hard the exercise seems to us.
Many exercise
professionals use heart rate as an indication of exercise
effort. A range of heart rate is assigned during the workout
session and you are directed to adjust your exercise pace to
keep your heart rate within the range. The recommendations for
the exercise heart rate ranges are percentages of your maximal
heart rate. Maximal heart rate is the highest heart rate that
you can reach. Heart rate reserve is the range of heart rate
between the maximal heart rate and the resting heart rate. A
structured exercise is need to determine true max heart rate
(not available to most of us) but a simple equation is often
used to estimate someone’s maximal heart rate.
Max HR = 220 -
Age (in years)
While this simple
equation does generally work out pretty well, it is important
to note that it does not work with persons that have had a
cervical spinal cord injury (broken neck). Most persons with
this level of spinal injury also have damage to some of the
nerves leading to the heart. Persons with neck spinal injuries
commonly reach peak heart rates of only 120 – 125 beats per
minute.
A general equation
used to calculate exercise heart rate ranges is 60% to 90% of
your maximal heart rate. So if you are 40 years old, you can
estimate your maximal heart rate as 220 – 40 which is 180
beats per minute. Your recommended heart rate range would then
be from 60% to 90% of 180 or 108 to 162 beats per minute. This
method does not work well if you have had a neck spinal injury
because the nerves leading to the heart are usually damaged.
In that case your maximal heart rate may only be 120 to 130
beats a minute.
Another way to
calculate exercise heart rate ranges is based on the
difference between your resting heart rate (first thing in the
morning) and your maximal heart rate. The recommended exercise
range using this method is between 50% and 85% of the range
between resting and maximal heart rate. Lets look at two
examples. If you have a resting heart rate of 60 and a max
heart rate of 180 then your recommended range would be from
120 to 162 beats per minute. If you have had a neck spinal
injury and your resting heart rate is 60 and your maximal
heart rate is 120, then your recommended training range would
be from 90 to 111 beats per minute.
There are other
ways to determine exercise intensity levels. You can determine
your exercise intensity yourself using only your own
perception of the effort level. The following scale can be
used to classify your own Rating of Perceived Exertion.
 6
7 Very, very light
8
9 Very light
10
11 Fairly light
12
13 Somewhat hard
14
15 Hard
16
17 Very hard
18
19 Very, very hard
20
You can determine
how hard you are working by checking the number next to the
words that best describe your physical exertion level. During
endurance training you should be working at about 12 (somewhat
hard) to 16 (hard).
Another very way of measuring exercise intensity a simple test
referred to as the Talking Test. You should be able to carry
on a conversation during your endurance training workouts.
If you are breathless, or can't talk, you're working too hard!
First lower the resistance level. Slow down your pace. If you
experience dizziness or lightheadedness you may be
overexerting yourself and should stop
Strength Training Programs
Exercise professionals have developed the following guideline
for strength training:
Frequency: Two to three sessions per week. You need to
take at least one day off between strength training sessions
to allow your muscles to
recover.
Duration: One to thee sets of 8 to 12 repetitions. Each
bout is called a set and each cycle of VitaGlide™ movement is
one repetition. For strength training we will use less
repetitions than endurance training, but with more resistance.
It is generally recommended to exercise with eight to 12
repetitions per set for strength benefits.
Intensity: “Near Maximal Effort”. The exercise
intensity used in strength training with the VitaGlide™ is the
resistance level setting. You should initially adjust the
resistance setting to allow you to complete the eight to 12
repetitions comfortably. Gradually increase the resistance but
still within the ability to complete at least eight reps. |
