Accessible Equipment, Gym Improvements & What Inclusion Should Actually Look Like

In the last post, I talked about visibility, what it means to be a powered wheelchair user in a gym space, and why representation matters. However, visibility alone isn’t enough.

Being seen in a gym doesn’t automatically mean being supported. Accessibility isn’t just about ramps and wide doors, it’s about whether you can actually train once you’re inside and about equipment, layout, staff knowledge, and whether disabled people are considered part of the gym community, not an exception to it.

So in this post, I want to get practical again: what equipment has worked best for me, what gyms could do better, and what real inclusion should look like.

My Favourite Accessible Equipment as a Powered Wheelchair User

Over the last few months, I’ve discovered that some gym equipment is surprisingly adaptable and some is… absolutely not.

Here are the pieces I’ve found most useful, and why they work so well.

1. Cable Machines (The Ultimate Wheelchair-Friendly Tool)

If I could recommend one thing for wheelchair users, it’s the cable machine.

Cable machines are brilliant because they allow flexibility. You can adjust the height, the angle, the attachment, and the resistance which means the exercise can be adapted to fit your body, rather than forcing your body to fit the machine.

Cables allow you to:

• work from a seated position

• target almost any upper-body muscle group

• build strength safely with controlled movement

• adapt exercises without needing a full equipment overhaul

  
  

Lat pull-ins, rows, tricep pushdowns - cable machines have become one of the most accessible and empowering parts of my training.

2. Free Weights (Simple but Powerful)

Dumbbells/Plates are another great tool because they don’t come with complicated setups or fixed positions. Free weights allow natural movement and can be used wherever you feel stable, which is especially helpful when machines aren’t designed with wheelchair users in mind.

They’re also easy to scale gradually, which matters when building strength safely over time.

Even simple movements like curls or shoulder presses can make a huge difference in upper-body function, posture, and everyday strength.

3. The Rowing Machine (With a Simple Adaptation)

One of the biggest surprises for me has been the rowing machine.

At first glance, it looks completely inaccessible - a fixed seat, sliding rail, and a setup designed for full-body movement but with a small adaptation, it becomes possible.

We remove the attached seat completely, and because my powered wheelchair can sit right up beside the footrests, I’m able to row using my arms, shoulders and back.

It’s become one of my favourite cardio options because:

• it doesn’t require transferring

• it engages the upper body intensely

• it feels rhythmic and empowering

• it proves that “inaccessible” isn’t always permanent, sometimes it’s just unconsidered design

  
  

That’s what adaptive fitness often is: creativity, flexibility, and finding what works.

A Quick Look at This in Action

Sometimes it’s easier to see adaptive fitness than to explain it in words so I’ve included a short reel below showing what some of these exercises look like for me in the gym.

In the video, you’ll see me:

• using the rowing machine with the seat removed

• working on the cable machine for pull movements

• training with a plate for upper-body strength

  
  

These are some of the key tools that have helped me build a routine that feels accessible, empowering, and genuinely enjoyable as a powered wheelchair user.

🎥

What Gyms Could Do Better (And Why It Matters)

Even with adaptations, there are still barriers that shouldn’t exist and the responsibility shouldn’t always fall on disabled people to figure things out. Here are some changes that would make gyms genuinely more inclusive, and why they matter.

More Space Between Equipment

Many gyms are packed tightly, with machines and benches squeezed together.

For wheelchair users, space isn’t a luxury, it’s access.

If you can’t turn safely, position yourself properly, or move through the gym without navigating obstacles, it creates stress before you even begin exercising.

Wider spacing benefits everyone: wheelchair users, people with mobility aids, older gym-goers, and even parents with prams. Accessibility is rarely just for one group.

Machines With Removable or Adjustable Seats

So many machines could instantly become wheelchair accessible if the seat wasn’t fixed in place.

Fixed seating creates an unnecessary barrier because it assumes everyone will transfer or sit in the same way.

Removable seats or open designs would allow wheelchair users to roll straight in and use the equipment independently, which is the key word: independence.

Inclusion shouldn’t require someone else to lift, move, or assist you every time.

Staff Training in Disability Inclusion

Most gym staff are kind but many simply don’t know how to support wheelchair users, and that lack of knowledge can lead to awkwardness or missed opportunities.

Staff training doesn’t mean hovering or over-helping. It means understanding:

• how accessibility works beyond the entrance

• how to communicate respectfully

• how equipment can be adapted

• how to create an environment where disabled people feel welcome

  
  

When staff are confident, the space becomes less intimidating for everyone. I'm lucky that the staff and managers at my gym are helpful and understanding but I know this is not the case everywhere!

Representation in Gym Culture

Disabled people are rarely included in gym marketing, posters, social media, or fitness messaging and when you never see yourself reflected in a space, it’s easy to feel like you don’t belong there.

Representation matters because it normalises disabled bodies in fitness spaces, not as exceptions, but as part of the community. It tells people: this is for you too.

What I Hope Changes (And Why I’m Sharing This)

The more I train, the more I realise something important: Disabled people aren’t the problem.The lack of accessibility is.

I hope gyms begin to think beyond minimum compliance and start aiming for genuine inclusion because fitness should not be reserved for one type of body.

I hope other wheelchair users don’t have to rely on luck to find an accessible space and I hope adaptations become normal, not unusual.

I hope more disabled people feel confident enough to try and not because they suddenly became brave, but because the environment became welcoming. When gyms become accessible, it doesn’t just help wheelchair users, it creates spaces that are better, safer, and more inclusive for everyone.

Accessibility is not special treatment. It’s equal opportunity.