TRX Suspension Training

When I was in San Francisco in 2008 I went to a gym and it was there that I first used the TRX Suspension system. My physical assessment with Sam, my trainer, was fun and challenging. I had never seen such a device. I couldn’t believe how much harder every exercise was. I thought I was tough and that I had a strong core, but the TRX proved me wrong. The TRX will expose all your weaknesses and imbalances. I quickly forgot about the TRX until this year, when I asked for received one for Christmas.

The TRX is just two straps with a buckle that can wrap around a pull-up bar, a pole, or even a tree. The straps have a couple of handle on the bottom. You can either hold them, or put your feet into the straps. It’s a simple device, but it’s one of the most effective tools in the fitness industry. In fact, you can do up to 300 exercises with just two straps.

The TRX uses your bodyweight. Unlike bodyweight exercises, you can easily increase the resistance or the load just by changing the position of your body relative to the harness. To make it easier, stand further from the support; to make it harder, stand closer to the support.
Basic exercises include push-ups, inverted rows, bicep curls, lunges, single-leg squats, knee tucks, hamstring curls, flies, and tricep extensions. But your imagination is the only limit to the amount of exercises you can do. You can change the grip, the tempo of the exercise, and rest periods, just like you would with traditional weights. Some coaches even use plyometric exercises such as 180 degree jumps, ice skater jumps, and jumping pushups.

Doing bodyweight exercises with the TRX is much harder. Every exercise is a core exercise, as you have to stabilize your body. Even though some exercises directly target the core, such as planks and rotations, inverted rows and pushups naturally activate the transverse abdominis, that deep muscle that fires before all movement. Traditional exercises support the body and provide some amount of stabilization. For example, when you do a pushup, your hands are firmly on the ground. With the TRX, your hands are on the straps, which can move in all directions. Your body has to work to stabilize the straps. The first time I used it, I put my feet in the straps and did pushups. I didn’t do many. Perhaps the military should make TRX pushups the new standard!

The versatility of the TRX is what makes it truly unique. It weights just a few pounds, and can be folded. You can use it in your home, your hotel room, or even on a playground. Using it with a door is not optimal, because the door will restrict your range of motion. Ideally, the straps can swing like a pendulum under a bar or bream.

Now when I see people using heavy weights, I ask, why? If you can’t manage your own body weight, you have no business lifting heavy weight with bad form. Weights certainly have their benefits, especially if your goal is to maintain muscle and bone mass. Nothing builds muscle like weight. But you get stronger with the TRX, without worrying about damaging your body with improper form.

I know incorporate the TRX into my strength training program. Athletes, general enthusiasts, and even the military are using the TRX into the training. It’s compatible with my belief of keeping things short and simple.

Kevin