Invictus Active – Wheelchair Trainer

Item Description:
This is basically a treadmill but for wheelchair users! It has four rollers on which the wheelchair sits while your arms do all the hard work, and the best part is that it’s stationary so you don’t go anywhere! Making it suitable for wheelchair users looking for a safe way to get fit from the comfort of their own home. 

Source of Item:
Invictus Active

* This product was kindly loaned by Invictus Active in exchange for a review, but all opinions are my own. *

Diagnosis:
Spina Bifida

Personal Opinion:
Because this product was developed by wheelchair users, it is extremely portable, lightweight and surprisingly compact.

Specification:
When fully assembled the trainer is 105 cm X 120 cm, but you can easily remove the ramps and fold the rollers when not in use. Each ramp is 80 cm X 41 cm and when folded the trainer is 30 cm X 50 cm X 50 cm. 

Designed to improve fitness, burn calories, condition shoulders and enhance pushing technique using a wide variety of adaptive workouts; the following models also offer a range of individual benefits:

Standard (£799) – Complete trainer but does not record any data.
Smart (£849) – Complete trainer with speed and distance sensor, which connects to the Invictus Active app via phone or tablet.
Smart Plus (£949) – Complete trainer with speed and distance sensor, plus heart rate monitor and phone stand.

Packaging & Delivery:
Between dispatch and delivery, it only took a couple of days for the trainer to arrive. The delivery box was very big, but also extremely secure and completely undamaged. 

Installation:
The entire process was relatively easy, from delivering the product, putting it together and learning to use it. It took around 45 minutes to set up; although I had to get my Dad to help me with a few things, such as lifting the whole package and putting some of the tricky bits together. 

Using The Item:
To start your training session simply reverse onto the trainer and put the safety lanyard on, then take the brakes off and begin pushing! It’s really that easy! My sessions usually involve 8 mins of pushing x 3 with a 1-minute rest, which seems to work well for me and my fitness regime as it gets my heart rate up! But if you are a beginner, then doing 10 minutes every day will certainly do the trick.

I am still very impressed with the additional features included in the Smart Plus Package and would 100% recommend purchasing alongside your order. Both the speed, distance and heart rate monitor can be accessed via one app, which is easy to use and very beneficial. I particularly like the distance monitor because it gives me a rough idea of how far I’ve pushed, similar to if I was training in the park using smart devices. 

I’ve been using this piece of equipment for several months now and I can confidently say that it has helped me to maintain an adequate level of fitness throughout lockdown. I particularly loved having the option to continue exercising without the weather affecting m or my workouts on rainy days! Plus now that my Wheelchair Basketball training sessions have resumed, it is evident that the trainer is going to be a big help in the coming months as I continue working towards the Paralympics! If you would like to stay up to date with my progress in the meantime, simply check out my series of posts via the AYL blog linked below.

I also recently took part in Ella Beaumont Wheelchair Trainer Workouts via Zoom, which I thoroughly enjoyed! It was pretty cool to be working out alongside other Active Trainer users, as we all have one common goal and that is to improve our fitness!

Conclusion:
My final thoughts are that I would definitely recommend the active trainer to wheelchair users of varying abilities, as you can tailor each workout to better suit your individual needs! It is expensive, but once you have it I doubt you’d regret it. Especially because this high-quality piece of equipment would enable you to continue working out from home; a feature that is even more vital/valuable following the coronavirus outbreak. 

If you are unsure as to whether this product is right for you, I recommend scheduling a demonstration at select locations, signing up for the 14 day home trial or exploring payment plans! Simply purchase a trainer, set it up upon arrival and give it a spin for the next 14 days. If it’s not for you then return the product to Invictus Active for a full refund!

Don’t forget if you already own this item you can take part in the FREE weekly workouts and make small adjustments at home following the online guides! For example, you can easily alter each side of the trainer and the angle of the rollers to increase or decrease the spin of your wheels and training resistance.

** To get your own Invictus Active Trainer, simply click HERE! **

* To read my series of blog posts, simply click HERE! *