At Project Walk on Monday, here is Nick doing work to strengthen his lower back. Unable to raise up by himself, another trainer braced Nick to give him enough support to effectively carry out the exercise. After a few reps he was spent. Such a great exercise for his body.
Nick shaved his head and got rid of the rats nest on his chin. Oh Happy Day!
Lots of intense work at Project Walk today. His high knees were super high!
He did crouching side steps too.
Nick’s first session with Eric since his return to Project Walk. Sept 21, 2012
I love seeing Nick drenched with sweat after a killer workout at Project Walk. This was their final exercise of the two hour session. Eric tried everything to get Nick’s obliques, and finally found something that worked.
Eric held down Nick legs, and leading with a weighted arm Nick pulled his upper body to the opposite knee. The crunch was small because his lower back doesn’t bend very well, but they finally achieved the resistance. Nick’s going to be sore tomorrow buddy.
The Dude is super sore after a mini-triathlon at the gym today.
15 minutes on the bike.
10 minutes walking on the treadmill.
30 minutes swimming laps with his new legs and mini-fins.
Of course he couldn’t do them in traditional order, that would be too difficult – and too normal.
The bike was a breeze. At the 10 minute mark, he decided to go for an extra 5, because, well, he totally forgot he was doing a triathlon and needed to pace himself.
By minute 6 on the treadmill he was certain he wouldn’t make it to 10. A friendly passerby even asked if he was okay and needed help. He dug deep and pushed hard to get through the last few minutes.
He then got into the pool by himself and swam for 30 minutes with the mini-fins. Guess who could barely move after that?
He’s training hard, just trying to get himself to a place of walking freely without crutches. He’s doing the work, as tough as it is, because that’s the only way he’ll get his life back.
If you’ve been slacking off or being lazy, get your butt outside, or to the gym, or in your garage and move your body. Break a sweat, fatigue your muscles, elevate your heart rate!
You’ll feel better, be happier, have pride in your actions, and maybe even look better or live longer. Now, go – Get Busy Moving!
I love it when Nick is up to going out without me. It’s so freeing and liberating. This afternoon, after an ass kicking time at the gym, he visited with some friends at Skydive Elsinore. He saw a lot of friends for the first time since his accident, and got to catch up with so many cool peeps. And he loves to watch people skydive, so it was a double bonus.
After only two sessions at Project Walk, I’m already noticing a difference in myself. I’m deeply inspired. Yesterday there were so many girls there. Many were my age, working their butts off! Some had upper body limitations, and all had lower body limitations. A few were re-learning how to walk with their paralysis, and many were doing mat work to simply allow their body the range of motion outside of their chair.
Project Walk is like any other gym, but specifically tailored to the needs of people with spinal cord injuries. These people are here to work! I’ve been going to the gym for many years and have never found much motivation from the other fit women working out around me. But there’s something about seeing these beautiful women with life altering injuries, pushing through their pain to work out at their gym. It inspires the hell out of me.
These brave women are paying the same amount of money for a single two-hour private training session at Project Walk as I pay for six months of dues at my gym. No insurance covers this specialized training, and there are no price breaks. But it’s worth it, especially for people who cannot physically utilize a typical gym. When I think about the dedication these ladies have, and the obstacles they are overcoming, I am deeply moved to better my own life.
How dare I take my own body and mobility for granted! How pathetic it is to make excuses for neglecting my fitness because I’ve “had a rough year.” What a shame it is that I haven’t been taking the utmost pride in my body and my life while I still have both. Why not fight to keep what I have, instead of letting it slowly slip away? I am the most out of shape I have been in several years, and it makes me so angry that I’ve allowed this to happen. If these incredible girls can get to the gym, despite the extreme costs for their specialized training, and despite their disabilities, obstacles and pain, then I sure can too! I have NO excuses anymore NOT to be healthy and fit. Thank you strong ladies of Project Walk for motivating me to push myself harder physically, and “use it before I lose it.”
Working hard at the gym with his new trainer Jamon. Here he was throwing the rope up and down for thirty seconds and then he had to pull it all the way into him with a weight on the end, and repeat.
Where are they now? NIck and Lindsay Fener can be found at FenerAdventures.com
Nick Fener 