Adaptive Exercise
Share
Adaptive Exercise specializes in providing appropriate fitness programs with appropriate levels of support for people with autism and other special needs.
Throwback to Kev and I working through a bodyweight aerobic routine together!
This workout included bear crawls along with other bodyweight movements to keep Kev moving, challenged, and engaged throughout the session.
Bodyweight aerobic exercises are a great way to work on endurance, coordination, strength, and overall conditioning without needing much equipment. They can also be easily modified to match the athlete’s ability level and progressed over time.
And sometimes, jumping in and doing the exercises together makes the workout that much more motivating.
**Better. Together.**
09/24/2026
**Trainer Tip: Find the Movement Pattern First**
Before worrying about how much weight someone can lift or how many repetitions they can complete, start by finding an exercise that gives them an appropriate movement pattern.
For the athletes I work with, exercise selection has to make sense for the individual.
That means choosing an exercise that:
• Provides a meaningful physical benefit
• Allows the athlete to perform at least an approximation of the intended movement safely
• Can be modified to match their current ability level
• Gives us somewhere to progress in the future
We should also know how to intervene when needed. That may mean using props, changing the setup, providing physical support, adjusting the range of motion, or modifying the exercise entirely.
If we select an exercise, we should have a plan for how to help the athlete be successful with it.
A squat does not have to look like a traditional barbell squat to be valuable.
For one athlete, it might start as sitting to a chair. For another, it might be a supported squat, wall squat, box squat, or simply practicing lowering and standing back up with assistance.
The goal is to first establish a movement the athlete can understand and perform successfully.
Once we have that foundation, we can gradually work toward better control, greater range of motion, less assistance, more repetitions, added resistance, or a more challenging variation.
**Find the pattern first. Then build from there.**
One of the biggest parts of adaptive training is finding the version of an exercise that works best for the individual.
Garrison has always had a hard time with traditional squat variations because he naturally wants to hinge forward instead of sitting down into a squat. We’ve tried different forms of support and several modifications over time, but they just weren’t the right fit for him at that point.
Recently, we switched over to wall squats.
For this exercise, Garrison stands on foot markers about a foot away from the wall, facing forward with his hands placed on the wall. He then squats down toward an exercise ball behind him.
Because he’s facing the wall with his hands up, he can’t excessively hinge forward like he normally would. The setup naturally encourages him to sit down into more of a true squat pattern instead.
His form has looked much better with this variation.
We’re now in our fourth week of working on wall squats, and Garrison has already progressed to sets of 20 bodyweight reps!
This is a great example of why exercise selection and modification matter. Sometimes the goal isn’t to force an athlete into a movement that isn’t working. It’s about finding the version that gives them the best opportunity to understand the pattern, be successful, and build from there.
Great work, Garrison!
It’s always cool to look back at where an exercise started and see how far an athlete has progressed.
In this older video, Ed is performing overhead presses with two 8 lb sandbells.
To give Ed a clear target, I’m holding two pads overhead and having him press the sandbells until they make contact with the pads before lowering them back down. The pads provide a tactile cue that helps give the movement a clear end point and lets Ed know exactly how far he needs to press.
Ed worked on this exercise for a long time, and we continued progressing it little by little.
Eventually, he worked his way all the way up to pressing two 12 lb sandbells for sets of 17 reps!
Since then, we’ve progressed beyond the sandbells and moved on to barbell overhead presses, but it’s pretty awesome to look back at videos like this and see where that progress started.
Not every athlete is going to perform an exercise the exact same way or respond to the same cues. Sometimes finding the right support, target, or modification is what allows someone to learn a movement, build confidence, and continue progressing over time.
Great work, Ed!
09/21/2026
Monday Morning Recap — A Look Back at Last Week
This past week, I continued trying to balance parental leave, family time, my own fitness, and slowly working more client sessions back into my schedule.
I still have a few more weeks of parental leave, but I increased my workload and ended up seeing 11 clients.
It was awesome getting to see more of my clients and their families again. I’ve been blown away by the support my family has received since Miles was born. The messages, gifts, check-ins, and kind words have meant a lot to us. Thank you!
The sessions went great too. For many clients, we decreased reps, sets, and weight as they get back into the groove. There’s no need to jump right back in where we left off. We can gradually build things back up.
Colby is also loving having no restrictions. Our morning walks with Miles have regularly lasted an hour or more and have quickly become one of the highlights of our days.
For my own fitness, I set goals similar to what I would have before becoming a dad, knowing things probably wouldn’t go exactly as planned.
And they didn’t but I’m happy with the week.
🏋️ Lifted: 215 minutes
🏃 Ran: 20 miles
🧘 Stretched: 35 minutes
🫁 Breathwork: Daily
🥶 Cold showers: A few
👥 Clients trained: 11
🐕👶 Long walks with Colby & Miles: Daily
🔄 Adjustments made: Lots
The routine still looks different than it did before becoming a dad, and I’m sure it will keep changing as I transition back to work.
For now: keep showing up, stay flexible, and make the most of whatever the week allows.
Finding the Right Squat Pattern
Here’s an older video of my client Kev working on chair sits while holding a heavy sandbell.
One thing I try not to do is force every athlete into the exact same version of an exercise. A squat is a great example. For one person, that might be a traditional bodyweight squat. For someone else, the best starting point might be a chair sit, a higher box, added support, or a smaller range of motion.
The goal is to find a squat pattern that is appropriate, safe, and repeatable for that individual and then build from there.
In Kev’s case, the chair gives him a clear target and consistent depth. Once that pattern is established, we can progress it in different ways, like adding resistance with a sandbell, increasing reps, changing tempo, adjusting the height of the chair, or eventually moving toward a more independent squat variation.
Progress doesn’t always mean making an exercise look more “traditional.” It means finding an appropriate challenge for the person in front of you and continuing to build from that starting point.
There is almost always a version of an exercise we can make work and usually plenty of ways to progress it from there.
09/16/2026
Trainer Tip: Set Clear Parameters and Expectations
For many of the individuals I work with, exercise tends to go more smoothly when expectations are concrete and the parameters of the activity are clearly defined.
Instead of saying, “Let’s exercise for a little while,” give the activity a clear starting point, goal, and finish.
That could mean:
• Completing a set number of exercises
• Doing a specific number of sets and repetitions
• Exercising until a timer reaches zero
• Using a visual schedule and checking off each activity as it’s completed
• Earning tokens toward a predetermined goal
• Walking to a specific landmark and returning
The exact system doesn’t have to look the same for everyone. What matters is that the individual understands what they’re being asked to do, how much is expected, and what signals that the activity is finished.
You can also build the entire session around a clear target. For example, if the goal is to complete 8 exercises, each completed activity can be checked off, removed from a visual schedule, or paired with a token. That creates a concrete way to see progress throughout the session.
Action step for this week: Pick one physical activity and make the expectations as clear as possible. Define the goal ahead of time, decide how progress will be tracked, and make sure there is an obvious end point.
An older video of Juan and me working on seated band rows 💪
With exercises like this, I’m always looking for ways to make the movement easier to understand and help reinforce good form.
For Juan, I’m holding pads behind him and having him pull until his elbows make contact with them. This gives him a clear tactile cue for how far to pull on each repetition.
I’m also using my leg behind his back for support to help prevent him from leaning too far backward and using momentum to complete the movement.
Small adaptations like these can make a big difference by providing more structure, feedback, and support while still allowing the individual to do as much of the movement independently as possible.
That’s what adaptive exercise is all about — finding the right setup to help each person succeed.
09/14/2026
Monday Morning Recap — A Look Back at Last Week
This past week, my focus was on continuing to find a new balance between my role as a father, my fitness, and slowly starting to work a few client sessions back into the mix.
Going into the week, I set goals pretty similar to what I would have before Miles came along. At the same time, I knew there was no chance the week was going to look exactly the way it used to, and I had to be willing to adjust as I went.
Overall, I’m pretty proud of how everything worked out.
I smashed my running goal and even went a little over my lifting goal. I fell short of the 45 minutes of stretching I was aiming for, but that’s okay. Right now, I’m trying to focus more on the bigger picture than hitting every number perfectly.
One of the best parts of the week was getting some longer walks in again with Colby. He is officially in the clear to walk as much as he would like, which is amazing after everything we’ve been through with his recovery. Getting out for long walks with both Colby and Miles has quickly become one of my favorite parts of this new routine.
I also worked in five client sessions this week. They all went great, and it felt really good to get back out there, see some of my clients, and start easing my way back into work.
There were still plenty of interruptions, schedule changes, and adjustments along the way, but I’m starting to get a better feel for what fitness and work can look like during this stage of life.
🏋️ Lifted: 220 minutes
🏃 Ran: 23 miles
🧘 Stretched: 25 minutes
🫁 Breathwork: Daily
🥶 Cold showers: A few
👥 Clients trained: 5
🐕👶 Long walks with Colby & Miles: Daily
🔄 Adjustments made: Countless
Definitely not the same routine I had before becoming a dad, but I’m starting to realize that doesn’t mean it can’t still be a successful one.
Throwback to an older video of my client John working on push-ups 💪
This exercise is modified on a few different levels to help John understand the movement, stay in a good position, and complete each rep as independently and successfully as possible.
I’m using visual markers to show John exactly where to place his hands and feet. I also have a pad positioned underneath him so he has a clear target to lower his chest to, serving as a tactile cue for his range of motion.
I’m also providing some physical prompting by holding a resistance band over his shins to give him additional support throughout the movement.
One of the biggest parts of adaptive exercise is figuring out what supports an individual needs to perform an exercise successfully. Those supports can always be adjusted over time as strength, confidence, coordination, and independence improve.
Meet the individual where they are, find the right modification, and build from there. 💪
Click here to claim your Sponsored Listing.
Category
Contact the business
Telephone
Website
Address
130 May Street
Worcester, MA
01602
Opening Hours
| Monday | 8am - 8pm |
| Tuesday | 8am - 8pm |
| Wednesday | 8am - 8pm |
| Thursday | 8am - 8pm |
| Friday | 8am - 8pm |
| Saturday | 9am - 8pm |
| Sunday | 9am - 1:30pm |