Building Strength on My Terms: Starting My Gym Journey as a Powered Wheelchair User

If you’ve ever entered a gym in a wheelchair, you’ll know exactly how many eyes suddenly discover you’re the most interesting thing in the room. It’s like people can’t decide whether they want to help, stare, or pretend they didn’t almost trip over their own feet trying to make space.

For a long time, that alone was enough to keep me out of the gym. Fitness spaces often feel designed for just one type of body and mine wasn’t it. But eventually, the desire to get stronger outweighed the awkwardness. I wanted to feel more capable, more energised, and more confident in what my body can do - not compared to anyone else, but compared to yesterday. So in July I started showing up and that’s where this story begins.

This post marks the start of a series about working out as a powered wheelchair user: the adaptations, the challenges, the creativity, and the empowering feeling of gaining strength in a world that isn’t always built with us in mind. My focus? Upper-body strength as the foundation for independence, mobility, and everyday life.

Why Upper-Body Strength Means So Much When You Use a Powered Chair

A powered wheelchair gives amazing freedom, but it can also mean you rely heavily on your upper body for many day-to-day tasks: transfers, reaching, lifting, carrying, and maintaining good posture. Strength isn’t just about fitness—it’s about:

• Protecting your shoulders from overuse

• Improving balance and stability

• Making transfers safer and smoother

• Boosting independence in daily activities

• Supporting long-term mobility and health

  
  

For me, upper-body strength is less about aesthetics and more about practical power. There’s something incredibly empowering about feeling stronger—not because I’m trying to “overcome” anything, but because I respect my body enough to support it.

Finding My Place in the Gym

One of the biggest hurdles wasn’t the equipment—it was the environment. Gym culture can feel intimidating at the best of times, but as a powered wheelchair user, it sometimes feels like walking into a space that forgot to send you the invitation. But here’s the reality: we belong there.

Yes, some machines are awkward.Yes, some exercise setups assume two functioning legs, and yes, staff often have no idea how to support a wheelchair user. But almost every upper-body exercise has an adaptation. The beauty of a powered chair is that it provides a stable base and controlled posture to work from.

Meet Claudia: The PT Who Turned “I Can Try” Into “I Can Do This”

A huge part of why I feel confident going into the gym now is thanks to my personal trainer, Claudia. Working with her has been a turning point in my fitness journey—not just because she knows how to build effective workouts, but because she genuinely sees me.

Each week, our 1:1 sessions give me consistency, structure, and a safe space to build strength without judgement. She helps me adapt equipment, refine my technique, push myself safely, and build routines that are fully tailored to my body and my wheelchair. But the biggest impact? She holds me accountable and keeps me motivated.

Before working with her, I’d often doubt myself because I didn’t feel confident navigating the gym alone. Claudia changed that. She celebrates the small wins, notices progress I’d overlook, and never underestimates what I’m capable of. Her support has helped me show up for myself, not just for the hour we train, but throughout the week.

She’s the quiet force behind my growing confidence, and honestly, this whole blog series probably wouldn’t exist without her encouragement.

Adapting Exercises When the Equipment Isn’t Built for You

A powered wheelchair can be an incredible training tool if you think creatively. Here are some things I discovered early on:

1. Cable machines are your best friend.

They allow controlled, targeted movements, and most can be positioned at a height you can access from your chair. Seated rows, tricep push-downs, lat pull-ins, and single-arm pulls are all brilliant options.

2. Resistance bands make accessibility portable.

You can loop them onto your chair frame or stable equipment. Great for home sessions too.

3. Your powered wheelchair can help you stabilise.

Tilt, recline, armrests—these adjustments can create ideal positions for pressing, pulling, or bracing your core.

4. Not every machine is worth the battle.

Sometimes adapting isn’t about forcing access - it’s about replacing a movement with one that actually works for you.

Gym Confidence as a Wheelchair User

Let’s be honest: navigating the gym isn’t just physical, it’s emotional. People stare. People assume. People sometimes hover awkwardly like you’re about to need rescuing.

But there’s also the moment you realise you’re getting stronger.The moment a weight that felt impossible becomes routine.The moment you walk in feeling like you deserve to be there just as much as anyone else. Confidence grows rep by rep—and having support from people like Claudia only makes the journey more empowering.

What This Series Will Cover

Over the next posts, I’ll share:

• My go-to upper-body exercises as a powered wheelchair user

• How I plan and structure gym sessions

• Equipment that’s most accessible and what I avoid

• Tips for navigating gym culture confidently

• The hacks only wheelchair users truly understand

• How working with a PT like Claudia has shaped my progress

  
  

I’m not a personal trainer; I’m a powered wheelchair user learning through trial, error, and determination. If sharing my journey helps even one other disabled person feel less intimidated by the gym, then this series will be worth it.

Rolling Forward

Starting this blog series feels like a promise to myself: to keep building strength, keep adapting, and keep taking up space in fitness environments without apology.

If you’re a powered wheelchair user thinking of starting your own fitness journey, I hope these posts give you ideas and encouragement. And if you’re lucky enough to find a trainer like Claudia along the way, embrace it! They make all the difference.

Here’s to rolling in, showing up, and getting stronger on our own terms.