Personal Training

ALL ABOUT THE TRX!

Posted on by Naomi
If you follow me on twitter or Facebook, you may have noticed that I was in a TRX certification all day on Sunday. It was. Amazing. I always love going to fitness/health related seminars, certifications, programming events because I absolutely LOVE what I do and never want to stop learning. When it comes to any field, fitness in particular, it is so important to stay on top of the latest information, trends, workouts etc. Even if it something I feel skeptical about myself, I still want to learn about it and see if there is something I can take away, or better yet bring to my clients to further help them reach their goals. 
I always was familiar with the TRX suspension trainer and used it quite often  into my routine, as well as my clients workouts as well. As as of late, I have really loved learning new exercises on it and love the versatility of it.  I had been playing around with it, learning from fellow trainers and finally got hooked. I decided to sign up for the suspension training course and it was amazing!  (Side note: This post is a review from my OWN experience…I have no affiliation with TRX at all. I am writing this review because I truly do use and enjoy the benefits of the TRX Suspension Trainer)
The suspension course book which is FILLED with a library of awesome exercises!

What is the TRX?
The TRX is a suspension trainer that was originally developed by the US Navy Seals to train other Seals when there was no equipment available. It is a complete total-body, functional training tool that can challenge all aspects of your fitness including core strength, cardiovascular fitness, muscular endurance and muscular strength. I am a big fan of the TRX because it can be used on anyone from beginner fitness level to super advanced. Because it  is controlled by your own body, that means YOU can control the intensity of each exercise

The TRX has two handles on nylon straps (which you can make into ONE for certain exercises) and  when you combine the resistance of your own body weight from gravity on this tool, you will really find your body being pushed in a way that  you never imagined.

Another great benefit of the TRX trainer is that is SO easy to transition from one exercise to the next on the TRX.  Perfect for Tabata style/metabolic workouts  OR harcore strength workouts that require little rest in between exercises. It is one piece of equipment…thats it! You don’t have to worry about super setting between different machines, moving around the gym etc…All you need is some space and the TRX trainer.

It is fabulous for ALL fitness levels. Just the other day another trainer I work with had her 90 year old client using the suspension trainer for squats and rows! After she was finished with her set, a 250lb guy with solid muscle hopped on and performed two exercises back to back to finish his strength workout. This just shows the versatility and wide range of uses that the TRX can accommodate.

How often to incorporate TRX training into your routine?
The answer to this question is very person dependent, so I cannot give a ‘general’ answer. Also because there are different ways to train with the TRX (strength vs cardio) 

You can plan an entire cardio-HIIT style working using the TRX which will really push your body in ways that it is not used to as well as help to create a true metabolic environment for your body to support fat burning and lean muscle. If you choose to do more of a strength based workout using the TRX, I would not hit the weights a day before or day after, as a true TRX strength based workout is pretty brutal and certainly takes the place of a typically weight training routine. 
Another way I like to use the TRX is to incorporate it into my weight training routine
Example:
DB Chest Press (Flat bench)
TRX Back row (steep angle only to get 6-8 reps)
TRX Atomic push ups (feet in the TRX performing explosive push ups)

The main difference:
The strength workouts typically move at slower, less explosive speeds and steeper angles to really challenge your body using gravity. 
The cardio workouts move at a much more explosive and powerful speed and are pretty taxing on both your cardiovascular and muscular systems

The Benefits:
Core engagement: When using the TRX trainer is very hard to not have your core staying completely active and engaged throughout the movements. When you are working against gravity, you need to apply tension to hold the TRX in place. If at anytime there is slack on the rope-this is a sign that you are not engaging or performing the exercise correctly. Whether you are performing a simple back row, or if your body is suspended in the air (feet in the TRX) in a plank position your body has to work much harder to ensure that the proper muscles are being fired. It is designed to throw off your center of gravity, thus activating the core muscles to help stabilize and balance the body in a challenging and effective nature  

Train Movements not Muscles 
Like I have mentioned before, training movements, not muscles is what makes our bodies efficient and well balanced machines. Goals should be to move better, feel better and increase the ease of ADL’s (activities of daily living such as carrying groceries, walking up and down stairs, squatting to pick up a heavy box) Training with the TRX engages multiple muscles at the same time. There is not one movement that is solely isolation. Even an exercise that you would think is an isolation exercise such as a TRX Bicep curl, causes you to have your core completely engaged and glutes firing. The TRX incorporates more functional strength training which teaches the body to move as one unit

Allows for Progression
Like I said before, the TRX is great because it can cater to any fitness level; beginner to advanced. The straps are adjustable meaning you can always lengthen or shorten them to increase or decrease the intensity of all exercises. Once you have mastered some of the basics of the movements you can always kick them up a notch by:

  • Adding jumping motions (Basic squat OR squat jump)
  • Adding single leg (static lunge OR single leg lunge with hop at the top)
  • Adding extra stability (Push up OR alternate push up with leg abduction)
  • Add other tools (Place Bosu blue side down and perform a push up with feet in TRX trainer)
The instructor of the course was amazing, informative and had the class fully involved at all times. I shot some videos of him explaining some great exercises, their progressions and ways to set up.

This first video is an explanation of the basic TRX squat. He talks about the progressions from the squat and how important using the machine is, but knowing when to not rely on it too much.  

This second video is the TRX Front Squat. Holy quad burn! It is a bit tricky to set up and considered certainly a more intermediate exercise, but it is such a great one! In the next video, I shared a progression to a single leg explosive squat. 

This last video is more advanced and it is the single leg ‘sprinter’ squat. It is brutal.

Here are some workouts that are great to get you started! I provided a lower body, a core and an upper body circuit. I would recommend choosing one to start and completing it. Remember QUALITY OVER QUANTITY. Focus on high intensity-short duration, recruiting of muscle fibers and proper body alignment! 

TRX LOWER BODY CIRCUT
***Go through this circuit 3x through, 45 sec work/15 sec rest for a total of 21 minutes

TRX UPPER BODY CIRCUT

***Go through this circuit 3x through, 45 sec work/15 sec rest for a total of 21 minutes

TRX CORE CIRCUT
**I would go recommend going through each of these exercises for 30 sec to start with 15 sec rest. 2x through.

We all know my favorite body part to work? The GLUTES. This is a great exercise that works the posterior chain of the body (Hamstring, glutes) I like it because it incorporates single leg work which really causes you to focus on balance, stability and core as well. 

This combined with some other glute work and sprints? You will have an apple butt in no time
With all of this said, the TRX is still JUST A TOOL. I would never get rid of everything else and soley train with the TRX. I know some trainers who are very hardcore about certain fitness tools that they love and they will tell you “this is the only piece of equipment you will ever need” Well, no I don’t feel this way about the TRX. In fact, I never think there is ‘just one way’ to train. I still love using kettlebells, dumbbells, bodyweight, barbells, Bosu, Stability balls etc. I just wanted to introduce the TRX to my readers because it is a piece of equipment that I think can prove some amazing benefits and trying something different and new to throw into your routine is always beneficial, right? Bottom line, exercise should be fun. If it gets you to move, then try it out!  If you are stuck in a rut and bored with the same old routine, give TRX training a try and see if it is something you enjoy! TRX is definiately a worthwhile tool to try out if you feel you have hit a plateau and want some fresh new motivation!



If you are interested in learning more about the TRX suspension trainer….definately check out their website that is FILLED with information, videos, blogs and accesories!

Do you use the TRX or have been turned on to any new fitness/health gadget or trend?


Naomi
Naomi

14 thoughts on “ALL ABOUT THE TRX!”

  1. Heather @ Fit Mama Real Food says:

    Thanks for all the info on TRX Naomi! I’ve definitely wanted to learn more about it. Only tried it out a few times but like you said, it’s always good to stay ontop of new trends and learn all you can. Glad you had such a great time!

  3. Kristi @ Sweetly Fit says:

    Thank you for this post!!! I really would like to get my own. It would be great to have that as a workout option in my apartment since lately that is where most of my workouts have been taking place. Looks pretty awesome!

  4. whitlikesfit.com says:

    Great info on TRX. I’ve been wanting to use them but unfortunately at our gym you have to pay extra to take any TRX classed. But I’m thinking I could do some similar moves with resistance bands at home.

  5. amy says:

    great info!! i was actually in the gym the other day and noticed they have trx bands set up. ive heard they’re pretty cool but havent used them before so these videos really help. thanks!

  7. Jenny says:

    I love TRX & can’t talk about it enough! I’ve been teaching a Spinning/TRX combo class at a fitness studio for over a year now & everyone loves the TRX component. I took the Level 1 and Level 2 training (Level 2 is the Sports Med course and is helpful to “regress” exercises if people have limitiations.

  9. Nick Efthimiou says:

    I know some trainers who are very hardcore about certain fitness tools that they love and they will tell you “this is the only piece of equipment you will ever need”

    Agreed.

    I don’t typically call these people trainers, rather marketers.

  10. Amanda Smith says:

    I’ve been using TRX for almost 2 years now…and I LOVE IT. Mine has gotten me through workouts in a TEENYYYY Manhattan apartment, kept me lookin & feeling good on a two week Hawaii vacation, and got my parents to accept that strength training CAN be a great way to get your heart pumping. It’s also fun to push yourself to complete the 40/40 challenge once in a while!

  12. Lisa says:

    Thanks for this post, it is awesome! I’ve had my TRX for about a year, and really like it, but haven’t used it too much. I love how you really went into detail to explain all about it, because I wasn’t sure how often, what exercises, etc. I should be using it for! A wonderful post once again 🙂

  13. Anonymous says:

    I use mine with a 80 lb weight vest, changing the weight according to the exercise. A very challenging workout, and so simple. I leave mine up all the time and whenever I walk by rip off some pushups or rows, just enough to get a little sweat starting and then head down the hall.

  14. Justine @Life With Cheeseburgers says:

    This looks fun! I’m pretty attached to my squat rack and free weights. Right now my hubby and I are trying to figure out whether we want to haul everything across the country when we move or if I should just get a gym membership again…

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