Your body has a lot of life left to live.
Train like it.
Strength. Power. Athleticism. Lifelong performance.
Move To Improve SCI offers systematic strength and conditioning for people living with spinal cord injuries. Build the physical capacity to do more of what matters to you, for as long as possible.
Train with purpose. Progress intelligently. Build strength, develop power, and maintain the movement and capacity your life demands
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Built around your abilities. Designed for lifelong performance.
More movement is better when it's better movement.
Your daily life is demanding.
Train for the years ahead.
Every transfer. Every push. Every reach. Every time you lift and move your body.
Your shoulders, arms, and upper back do a tremendous amount of work. But doing the same movements every day doesn't necessarily build the strength, power, muscular balance, and physical capacity you need for the years ahead.
And simply working out harder isn't always the answer.
You need to train what daily life doesn't. That's the difference between doing exercises and following a strength and conditioning program. Maybe you want stronger transfers, longer handcycle rides, better performance in adaptive sport, or more energy for time with your family.
The point of getting stronger is what that strength allows you to keep doing.
Train with purpose. Progress intelligently. Build the capacity to do more of what matters to you.
Wherever you are in your SCI journey,
there's a place for you here.
Everybody's experience with spinal cord injury is different.
Your injury level, functional abilities, available equipment, experience with exercise, and personal goals all influence what training should look like.
We've created three pathways to help you find what you're looking for.
Just getting home from rehabilitation?
You've worked hard to get where you are, and now you're figuring out how to keep moving forward.
Maybe you're still learning what your body can do.
Maybe you're trying to get stronger for transfers, build endurance, or feel more comfortable doing things on your own.
We'll help you understand how to approach exercise after rehabilitation, what movements to focus on, and how to begin building strength with your current abilities.
You'll find educational resources, shoulder health guidance, and structured training options to help you get started.
Been living with SCI for years?
I know how easy it is to fall into the same daily movement patterns.
Pushing your chair.
Transferring.
Reaching for things.
Doing whatever needs to be done just to get through the day. Life as a daily chair user is hard.
Over time, those repetitive movements can take a toll, especially when you're missing the strength and movement variety your body needs.
Maybe you're dealing with shoulder discomfort, gaining weight and losing strength, or struggling to make progress in the gym.
Or maybe you're already training consistently and want to make your workouts more effective.
We'll help you take a closer look at how you move, build strength around your abilities, and train with a purpose.
Your opportunities to improve don't end because you've been injured for five, ten, or twenty years.
Are you a rehabilitation professional?
You're helping your patients work toward greater independence and prepare for life after discharge.
We want to help them continue building on that work.
Move To Improve SCI provides exercise education, shoulder health resources, and function-based strength training for people living with spinal cord injuries.
Our goal is to give your patients a trusted, practical resource for continuing appropriate exercise and developing healthier movement habits after formal rehabilitation.
We respect the expertise and work of physical therapists, occupational therapists, physiatrists, and the entire rehabilitation team.
We want your patients to have somewhere to go when they're ready for their next stage of training, of life.
More movement is better when it's better movement.
A real training program has a purpose. Ours develops four essential qualities.
STRENGTH
Build the muscular capacity to handle everyday life, exercise, and recreation.
POWER AND ATHLETICISM
Develop your ability to produce and control force within your functional capabilities.
MOVEMENT QUALITY AND SHOULDER CAPACITY
Train mechanics, mobility, muscular balance, and appropriate loading.
LONG-TERM PERFORMANCE
Keep developing the physical abilities that matter as your body, life, and goals change.
The goal is to keep putting your strength to use for years to come.
Physical therapy and occupational therapy help you develop the skills and abilities you need to navigate everyday life.
We want to build on that foundation.
Move To Improve SCI focuses on the exercise and strength training that can become part of your life as you move beyond formal rehabilitation.
We help you develop a better understanding of your movement, build strength with the function you have, and establish training habits you can continue for years.
That might mean strengthening the muscles around your shoulders. It might mean improving your ability to perform transfers, building upper body endurance, or developing the confidence to train independently.
For others, it might mean building muscle, improving fitness, or getting more out of the workouts they're already doing.
Your medical and rehabilitation team remains responsible for your clinical care.
Our exercise resources are designed to complement that care and support appropriate long-term training.
We're here to help you make movement a regular, meaningful part of your life.
Because making it home from rehabilitation is an important milestone.
And there's still plenty of progress worth working toward.
I've spent over 19 years living with SCI, and over 20 years coaching movement.
I'm Tim Morris, the founder of Move To Improve SCI.
I have a master's degree in teaching human movement, in 2013 I became a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), I'm a Pain-Free Performance Specialist, and I've spent over two decades working in strength training, coaching, and teaching how their bodies move best. My athletes have state records, we have state champions, and I have coach of the year honors to my name. Additionally, I have numerous paralympic athletes trained, and a 60 year old power chair user who lost 100 pounds. I also have countless wheelchair athletes who have improved their transfers, reduced their pain, regained confidence, and rebuilt their lives through my coaching.
I've also been living with a T3 spinal cord injury since 2007. Since that time, I've been a 70.3 Ironman, and I've done 6 marathons. I also have several dozen obstacle course races like Spartan Race and Tough Mudder. I've been a high school physical education teacher and the school's head track and field coach.
So when I talk about the challenges of training with SCI, I'm speaking from both professional experience and personal experience. Working with SCI is my life's purpose.
I know what it's like to rely on your shoulders for practically everything. I know how much work goes into something as ordinary as getting through the day in a wheelchair. And I know how valuable strength training can be when it's designed around what your body can actually do.
Throughout my career, I've worked to better understand how movement, strength, and exercise can improve people's lives.
Living with SCI has made that work even more personal.
I've also learned from people like Erik Kondo, an innovator who has lived with a T4 spinal cord injury for over 40 years and brings valuable insight into wheelchair fit, movement efficiency, and everyday function.
These experiences have helped shape the way I think about training people living with SCI.
I created Move To Improve SCI because I believe people deserve better access to exercise education and programming that takes their abilities seriously.
I want you to understand your body, develop strength, and have a plan you can feel confident following.
More than 19 years living with SCI. More than 20 years coaching movement.
Your shoulders do a lot for you.
Let's start taking better care of them.
If you use a wheelchair, think about how many times you rely on your shoulders throughout the day.
Pushing your chair.
Transferring to your bed.
Getting into your car.
Reaching overhead.
Pressure relief.
For many people living with SCI, the shoulders are responsible for an enormous amount of daily work.
And that work adds up.
Repetitive loading, reduced movement variety, limited strength, and changes in mobility can all contribute to shoulder problems.
The good news is that there are practical things you can do to build strength and improve how your shoulders handle those demands.
At Move To Improve SCI, shoulder health is a major part of how we approach training.
We focus on developing strength in the muscles that support your shoulders, improving scapular control, maintaining useful mobility, and helping you build the physical capacity needed for everyday life.
We've also created shoulder health resources to help you understand common problems and learn exercises you can incorporate into your routine.
A little more attention to how your shoulders move and how you train them can make a meaningful difference over time.
And if you're currently dealing with shoulder pain, it's important to understand what's causing it and get appropriate professional guidance when needed.
Start with our free shoulder warm up.
Learn a practical series of movements designed to help prepare your shoulders for exercise and everyday activity.
You should have a better starting point for your nutrition.
Nutrition matters whether your goal is to lose body fat, build muscle, maintain your weight, or simply feel healthier.
But figuring out how much to eat can be frustrating when you're living with a spinal cord injury.
Most popular calorie calculators use equations developed from people without SCI.
They don't directly account for some of the changes in muscle mass, metabolism, and physical activity that can happen after a spinal cord injury.
That can make their estimates less useful for wheelchair users.
So we developed the Move To Improve SCI Calorie Calculator.
It uses your age, height, weight, sex, functional injury category, activity level, and goals to help estimate your daily calorie needs.
You'll receive an SCI-adjusted starting estimate based on whether your goal is weight maintenance, fat loss, or muscle gain.
You'll also see how your estimate compares with a standard calculation.
No calculator can measure your exact daily energy needs from a few questions. Your results are a starting point that you can adjust based on your progress over time.
It's a practical way to begin making more informed decisions about your nutrition.
And the best part?
It's free.
A training system built around your function.
Modified movement should still be quality movement.
Your injury level matters. So do your available muscle function, balance, grip, shoulder capacity, training history, equipment, and goals. Good programming starts with understanding what you can do, then choosing movements, loading strategies, and progressions that make sense for your body.
Our training is organized around three broad functional groups.
CERVICAL SCI
Training considers differences in grip, arm function, trunk control, and available assistance.
HIGH THORACIC SCI
Training accounts for reduced trunk control and balance while developing upper body strength, shoulder capacity, and conditioning.
LOW THORACIC SCI
Programming builds on available upper body and trunk function to develop strength, power, endurance, and physical capacity.
These groups are a starting point. Your actual abilities guide exercise selection and progression.
Purposeful movement. Progressive strength. Power and athleticism. Appropriate recovery. Continued progression.
Whether you're training for daily life, recreation, or sport, you deserve a plan that takes your abilities and ambitions seriously.
Help your patients keep moving after discharge.
As a rehabilitation professional, you spend an enormous amount of time helping your patients build function, develop independence, and prepare for life after spinal cord injury.
You understand how important movement is to their health and quality of life.
You also know that continuing an appropriate exercise routine can be challenging once patients leave the structured environment of rehabilitation.
Some patients have access to adaptive fitness facilities or experienced trainers. Many don't.
Others struggle to find programs that match their functional abilities, accommodate their equipment, or account for the physical demands of wheelchair use.
Move To Improve SCI was created to help address that gap.
We provide exercise education, shoulder health resources, and structured strength training designed around the functional abilities of people living with spinal cord injuries.
Our approach is informed by 20 years of strength coaching experience, graduate education in kinesiology, and 19 years of personal experience living with a T3 spinal cord injury.
We want to support the work you're already doing by helping appropriate patients continue exercising and developing healthy movement habits beyond rehabilitation.
Our resources are intended for individuals who are ready for exercise at an appropriate level, with medical clearance or clinical guidance when needed.
We welcome the opportunity to work with physical therapists, occupational therapists, physiatrists, discharge planners, and rehabilitation organizations interested in helping their patients maintain an active lifestyle.
Your patients have worked hard to get where they are.
We'd love to help them keep going.
Train for the next decade. And the decades after that.
There is more to strength than the weight you lift. There's what you can do with it.
Stronger transfers. Longer handcycle rides. Recreation with your family. The confidence to pursue a new challenge.
Whatever matters to you, your training should have a purpose beyond finishing another workout.
Build strength. Develop power. Keep moving toward the life you want.
Tell me what you're training for, what your body can do today, and where you want to go next.
Let's build your next step. More movement is better when it's better movement.
