Invictus Active Trainer Wheelchair Treadmill

How does the trainer work?

To use the Invictus Active Trainer you wheel backwards up the ramp and onto the rollers, with your wheels fitting between each roller. You can then secure yourself using the strap provided and ‘push’ your chair as your would normally. 

What does it feel like to push / ‘wheel’?

The trainer is designed to simulate road-like pushing, it is not ‘hard’ to push with a lot of resistance and at first may feel like it is too easy. Resistance is built up in the rollers as you push and maintaining a constant speed is the key to getting the most out of your trainer – a ‘stop/start’ push will not provide any resistance but nor will it get the heart rate going! The first challenge is to push for 5 minutes maintaining a speed of 3 mph – unless you are in the GB Paralympics team this may feel like a workout!

What wheelchairs are suitable for the trainer?

Generally all ‘active user’ wheelchairs are the best type to be used on the trainer – although most manual wheelchairs will be more than suitable. Having a camber (angle of the back wheels) between 1 degree and 3 degree will give the best roll and optimum performance. The angle of the rollers can be altered in the wheelchair camber is different.

Can I try the trainer before I buy?

You can visit us at our showroom and try the trainer out with us.

Does the trainer take up a lot of room?

No – fully set-up and ready to use the trainer measures 103.5cm X 157.5cm – but for storage and transporting the trainer it can be separated easily. The trainer can easily be separated into two units and ramps for transporting and storage.

• Fully set-up trainer: Length – 157.5cm X Width – 103.5cm X Height – 11.8cm
• Single unit (one side): Length – 73.5cm X Width – 49cm X Height – 11.8cm
• Ramps: Length – 82cm X 45cm

Who is the trainer for?

All wheelchair users who want to improve fitness, balance and pushing technique. Users of the Invictus Active Trainer vary from someone who has only been using a wheelchair for a short period of time, someone who is looking to loose weight (burn up to 35o kcal in 30 minutes!) through to GB Athletes who are looking to improve speed and fitness that will be transferred to there sport and give them a competitive edge. 

Who designed the trainer? What’s the background?

The Invictus Active Trainer has been invented by Paul Cooksey and Scott Smith, both full time wheelchair users and was once some rollers and wooden ramps in a garage.

Seeking ways to get more active Paul started to play wheelchair tennis where he met Scott, who too has a Spinal Cord Injury following a tumour in the spine at the age of 9. Paul was starting to get fitter and quicker – and it clearly wasn’t his tennis skills! – what he had created was this concept of being able to push (wheel) your own wheelchair just like you would along a road, but stationary in his garage!

Several prototypes and a few years later we have created the Invictus Active Trainer – no longer with wooden ramps – but lightweight, portable and able to connect to your phone to record speed – and yes Paul still has one in his garage!