TRX stands for Total Body Resistance Exercise. The TRX Suspension Trainer (full name) gives you “customizable full-body workouts you can never outwork or outgrow.” It’s pretty simple; two adjustable straps with handles that hang from a ceiling, door frame or other stable foundation that allows you to perform bodyweight exercises at various intensities. Here are a few reasons why I love the TRX.
It’s Versatile
The TRX is one of my favorite training tools because of its versatility. With the TRX, bodyweight exercises can be fun, effective, and done with all ages, sizes, and walks of life. It gives you the ability to perform all of your major movement patterns with varying degrees of difficulty. You can use it for assistance while building fundamentals or create advanced movements via full suspension, and everything in between.
Exercises like squats, lunges, push-ups and inverted rows can be tough to do with your full bodyweight. With the TRX you can adjust your body position to change the intensity of the exercise, allowing for quality reps with the proper level of challenge so you can learn the patterns and progress them consistently. Once you have mastered the basics, suspended exercises (feet or arms in the straps) can give you added challenge (see video on instagram). It also helps make jumps, single leg work and conditioning more joint-friendly and easier to do with limited space.
It’s Efficient
Perhaps my favorite feature of the TRX is that it makes it easy to perform circuits or pairs of exercises with minimal transition time between. You can do more work in less time and get more conditioning out of your workout. By pairing upper and lower body exercises, creating a full body circuit, or super-setting multiple exercises for the same muscle group/movement pattern, you can create endless ways to challenge the body.
Performing exercises with the suspension trainer requires core strength and stability to create functional, full-body movement. Your entire body in engaged in ways that challenge your strength, balance, mobility and stability. Even on exercises designed to target an isolated muscle group like biceps or shoulders, you are still using your body as a coordinated unit.
It’s Portable
One of the best features is that it’s small enough to pack in a suitcase and bring anywhere. I recommend that my clients who travel purchase a TRX so they will never have to miss a workout on the road, even if they don’t have access to a gym. It can be attached to a door frame or can easily hang from a tree branch, playground, or fence. I love to use the TRX outside and enjoy some fresh air and sunshine while getting in a great workout.
You can see why this innovative tool is one of the best ways to improve your fitness. Check out the TRX website and order one today if you’d like to add it to your training. If you need some guidance on the best ways to utilize the TRX, let me know and I’d be happy to help!
*Please note, there are other versions of the suspension trainer which can be more affordable, but I do believe you are getting the most quality from the TRX brand. Totally up to you, especially if you are on a tight budget. Some of the other versions may not have the same durability or adjustability that the TRX brand does. I have had mine for over 4 years and not had any issues with it in that time. To purchase from Amazon or compare with similar products click the link below.
