Stroke Research and Treatment

Research Article

Feasibility of a Nurse-Led Weekend Group Exercise Program for People after Stroke

Table 1

Details of the Weekend Warrior exercise program.
Program levelExercises
Level 1Exercise 1. Leg push: in sitting, the participant is instructed to push down through the heel of their affected leg and hold for 5 seconds. Scales are commonly placed under the foot to provide concurrent feedback about the size of the push generated. The participant aims to complete 50 repetitions.
Exercise 2. Leg lift: in sitting, the participant lifts their affected leg (by flexing at the hip) while keeping the knee flexed at 90 degrees. The participant aims to complete 30 repetitions.
Exercise 3. Sitting balance: the participant reaches for a cup with their unaffected arm with the cup positioned 5 cm greater than the length of the participant’s arm. There is an emphasis on the participant pushing through their legs to control their movement forward. The participant aims to complete 50 repetitions.
Level 2Exercise 1. Sitting balance: as per exercise 3 above.
Exercise 2. Sit-to-stand: participant starts in sitting with the chair at a height recommended by the referring physiotherapist. They then stand up without the use of hands (if possible). The participant is instructed to stand up straight. The participant aims to complete 50 repetitions.
Exercise 3. Standing balance: the participant stands near a table. An object is placed on a table (arm’s length away). The object is then picked up from one side and moved to the other side (using unaffected arm). Object is moved from side to side to transfer the weight from one leg to the other. The participant aims to complete 100 repetitions.
Level 3Exercise 1. Sit-to-stand: as per exercise 2 above.
Exercise 2. Standing balance: as per exercise 3 above.
Exercise 3. Stepping: participant is instructed to take a step forward with unaffected leg and then step unaffected leg backwards so feet are level. Use of a block is optional. They then step forward with affected leg. The participant aims to complete 50 repetitions.