A recent featured article appearing in MEN'S
FITNESS
Magazine on Dr. Franks, DC
Wheelchair athlete Jon
Franks
shows how anyone can build upper-body
strength endurance and flexibility
"You can just call me
a cripple," says Jon Franks. "Worrying about labels is a waste of
time." Time is something Franks, a Los Angeles-based chiropractor and
personal trainer, hates to waste. He spends enough of it working with a
clientele that could fill an entire issue of People: Jane
Fonda, Sylvester Stallone, Larry
Bird, Eric Dickerson, Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar, Howie Long.
But Franks, 39, is also a
competitive athlete, with dozens of triathlons and marathons under his belt. If
that doesn't hint at a life packed with activity and accomplishment, consider
one more thing: He does it all from the seat of a wheel- chair. Ever since a
motorcycle accident 10 years ago, Franks has been paralyzed from the waist down.
A WHOLE NEW WORLD
Fully able sportsmen, recreational or otherwise, rarely give wheelchair athletes a thought, except perhaps to feel glad they don't have the same limitations. But while we all admire their courage, there's more to their feats than simple perseverance. Athletes like Franks have had to reclaim the most basic training concepts, and they've had to reclaim them without much information. Think about-it: You can pick up this magazine and get dozens of training tips each month. Where does a wheelchair athlete turn? To other wheelchair athletes? Fat chance. "Most keep to themselves," Franks says. "They'll do roadwork together, but they're secretive about their workouts. That's because serious wheelchair athletes have to compete in a restricted world, and there's always the danger of giving a prospective rival an edge, he says.
For a
wheelchair athlete, arms are everything. "[A
fully able athlete] may be able to go forever on a stationary bike, but try
getting a cardiovascular workout with your arms," Franks says. "You
bum out in five or 10 minutes if you're not used to it."
Burning out isn't an option for Franks. When he enters a triathlon, for example, he swims, pedals a special hand-propelled tricycle and then finishes in his wheelchair. By necessity, he's become an expert on upper-body-endurance workouts, and, the lessons are applicable to anybody, chair-bound or not, who wants useable strength without a lot of bulk.
STRETCHING THE UPPER LIMITS
When Franks lifts, he does sets of 50 to 100 repetitions, training his muscles to function even when they're extremely fatigued. And he stretches. "Strength is important, of course, but stretched muscles are more important," he says'. "Remember the Raiders' Howie Long? He was a big, strong player, but. what made him a great defensive end was his speed. He stretched so much he could do splits. That's why he was so fast."
Stretching also helps prevent
injury, a constant danger to wheel- chair athletes because they do so much
repetitive work with the same upper-body muscles. In addition, many have to cope
with the fact that their disability doesn't permit basic, everyday
movements-bending, twisting, turning, stooping-that help keep us supple and
enhance the control we have over our muscles. Someone who has to do everything
from a seated position is going to be far tighter than his able-bodied
counterparts. Stretching thus becomes more of a necessity than a luxury.
"Look at [caged] animals in a zoo," Franks says. "They stretch
constantly throughout the day." He suggests stretching before, during and
after every workout.
But where Franks' training program really differs from a typical athlete's is above the shoulders-the neck, to be specific. The wheelchair racer spends most of his time bent over, head up. Neck exercises compensate for the stress.
He also does his movements in an unusual order. Typically, you're told to perform compound exercises (those using more than one joint) for a group of muscles before going on to isolation exercises (those that use one joint). A bench press, for instance, is a compound lift, meaning you use both your shoulder and elbow joints to move the weight. Normally, you'd do bench presses before flyes, which use just the shoulder joint.
Why do you do them in that order?
Probably so you'll be able to press more weight while your muscles are fresh.
But if you take your ego out of the equation and acknowledge that the point of
chest exercises is to build chest muscles, who cares how much you bench in your
workouts? By performing flyes first, you fatigue your chest muscles with an
exercise specifically designed for them. You do bench presses later, since other
muscles (mostly your triceps) assist on that one. If you were working your legs,
you'd do leg extensions before leg presses.
Franks also prefers to work his arms independently rather than in unison, performing biceps curls with dumb- bells rather than a barbell, for example. Aside from the fact that dumbbells are biomechanically friendlier and easier to use for the chair-bound, one-armed versions of an exercise demand more muscular control to maintain stability. More muscle fibers and nerves are used, which means you benefit more from the movements.
EXTREME FUNCTION
Fully able and disabled athletes have more in common than you might realize,
especially when the ambulatory one is training for endurance and speed rather
than pure muscle mass. 
In that
sense, as Franks learned, the wheel- chair athlete provides lessons that are
otherwise difficult to discover. Disability creates a crucible of extremes where
extraordinary challenges can be observed and overcome.
All of which makes you wonder if the term handicap really has much meaning. In Franks' case, what he can't do seems insignificant in light of what he can.
Terry Mulgannon is former fitness editor of this
magazine.
He wrote "The Lazy Man's Guide to Health and Fitness" in the June
issue.
