Local adaptive fitness trainers tailor workouts to strengthen motions that mimic their clients’ routines, such as picking up heavy bags of cat food to care for their beloved furry friends.
In Martha Hodgesmith’s case, it’s gardening.
“As simple a thing as that can change your life,” said Hodgesmith, a polio survivor who uses a cane day to day.
The University of Kansas Life Span Institute was recently awarded a three-year, $750,000 grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research to further studies on functional fitness.
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Lead researcher Lyndsie Koon said she and her team will track how specialized workouts at Kaw Valley CrossFit, a gym in eastern Lawrence, help improve the daily lives of people living with permanent physical limitations.
Koon said health care providers such as physical therapists too often tell their disabled clients they should avoid lifting heavy weight or that they can’t work out.
“One of the missing links here is that we don’t have enough empirical evidence to convince health care providers to suggest this type of exercise in the community once people are done with being treated in a rehab-type facility,” Koon said.
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Koon previously led three pilot studies in which Kaw Valley CrossFit partnered as a research base. Hodgesmith continued as a member in the gym’s Adaptive Athletes in Motion program after participating in one of Koon’s smaller studies.
Koon’s data shows at least half of the participants from all three pilots continued in AAIM afterward, and now she has a base to work with moving forward. Some folks aim to get stronger in their wheelchairs, and some aspire to compete in adaptive fitness sports.
Like Hodgesmith, Ray Petty is a polio survivor. The two are longtime friends who participated in the pilot study together and, most recently, they’re workout companions.
Petty is a disability rights activist who frequently enjoys playing recreational sports around town.
“The sooner we can get kids involved in sports and recreation and fitness, the less they’re going to be going to the hospital at age 20,” Petty said. “That’s kind of the whole story, is keeping people healthy.”
Pickleball rules allow one bounce before a return — and an extra bounce for players like Petty who operate wheelchairs — and Petty dominates. He said he’d won two of three games he played before heading over to his AAIM workout Friday morning.
Participants warmed up with resistance bands to stretch their upper bodies and build strength. Then they dove into the workout of the day: ups and downs, dumbbell hang cleans to overheads, and box steps for those standing; and slam balls, dumbbell hang cleans to overheads, and shuttle rolls for those seated. Slam balls — weighted balls participants bring up and slam to the ground before picking them back up and repeating — is a full-body exercise that can serve as an alternative to burpees.
Teaching the right form for an exercise is key.
“Quite frankly, all of the CrossFit coaches that I’ve ever met have been able to adapt workouts like this that makes it not only safe, but it retains the intended stimulus of the workout,” Koon said. “So a pull-up is a pull-up, whether you’re pulling down a resistance band or you’re like Ray, who will pull himself out of his seat a little bit.”
Sarah Wilson Merriman is an ambulatory wheelchair user who started using a chair a few months ago. Wilson Merriman said she was always an active person but lost some confidence when she developed an illness around 10 years ago. She’s found support to rebuild her love for fitness during her almost two years at Kaw Valley CrossFit, where she attends both adaptive and nonadaptive classes.
“It’s really easy as a disabled person to feel kind of ‘othered’ in the world,” Wilson Merriman said. “And I haven’t ever felt that way in this community.”
Jeanette Spencer lives with a brain tumor that can’t be removed, which can result in fatigue and motor control difficulties. She began attending AAIM workouts at the gym around two and a half years ago.
“When I first started trying to exercise, I couldn’t get through a whole workout without having a major physical anxiety attack, and now I have no issues,” Spencer said.
Last month, the gym celebrated the opening of its adaptive athlete facility, where AAIM workouts now take place.
The 2,500-square-foot space, an extension to the main gym facility at 1204 E. 24th St., offers lower weight racks exercisers can reach when seated and pulldown machines with a platform wide enough for wheelchairs to fit.
Gym owner Alec Barowka said his goal is to empower everyone who enters the gym.
“There’s nothing to solve here,” Barowka said. “Everyone is just who they are. Our goal is to help them create better output.”
Koon is currently recruiting for the upcoming research at CrossFit locations in Kansas, Missouri and Texas.
Lawrence participants will receive a free membership to the gym to attend two AAIM classes per week for the duration of the 14-week study. They’ll also be compensated up to $200, depending on cohort assignments and research activities completed.
Applicants must be ages 18 to 74 with a permanent physical disability. Those who are interested can learn more and apply on the KU website at this link. People who solely use power wheelchairs are not eligible for this study.
Participating in the study is not a requirement to attend AAIM workouts at the gym. All clients get the first 90 days free. Needs-based scholarships are available for payments thereafter, which bring the regular membership from $120 per month to an average of $60 to $65 per month. The gym also offers Adaptive+, a program meant to increase accessibility for people living with cognitive disabilities. People can contact the gym via email at info@KawValleyCrossFit.com or 785-727-2844 for more information.
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Maya Hodison (she/her), equity reporter, can be reached at mhodison@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
Molly Adams (she/her), photo editor, has worked with The Lawrence Times since May 2022. She can be reached at molly@lawrencekstimes.com.
Check out more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
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