TRX Training: What the heck does that mean?

Let me start out today’s blog post with a little background on me. I love lifting weights. There is just something about picking up a really heavy object and moving it. It’s fun! In fact, you can find me at  Planet Fitness in College Station lifting every morning at 6 am. But I was introduced to a new form of training last year and I’ve been in love with it ever since.

The TRX suspension trainer is a simple piece of equipment that has endless possibilities. Essentially, it is two adjustable straps anchored together at one point. The trainer was developed by a Navy SEAL during a deployment and has transformed into one of the fastest growing workout tools in the world.  What can you do with it you ask? Everything. I don’t mean to be sarcastic; but, you can LITERALLY do everything with it. Let me explain:

The TRX suspension trainer is designed to, “develop strength, balance, flexibility and core stability, simultaneously.” See what I mean? It literally does everything. When I first heard about the TRX I was a bit skeptical. As a guy that loves lifting weights, I have always scoffed at body weight exercise--thinking they don’t get me as strong. When we started developing the MVP Annex, my boss wanted to get two TRX trainers to be our primary equipment. I decided that if I was going to train people using the TRX I needed to train myself on it first. So I did just that. I sat down, researched some exercises and went to work. After the first workout I hated it. Not because it was a bad piece of equipment, but because it killed me! I was 10 times more tired after one 45 minute workout on the TRX than I ever have been lifting in the gym!  I was instantly sore after the workout and I was able to fatigue my muscles in no time.

The TRX suspension trainer, “leverages gravity and the user’s body weight.” What does that mean? It means that in every exercise you are working against two types of resistances: gravity and yourself. When you have your limbs in the straps performing an exercise, gravity is pushing down against you. So not only are you having to lift your body weight but you are having to lift your body weight AGAINST gravity. TOUGH!

All exercises are based off of one position: The plank. From this position, there are two different movements: the pull and the hinge. These movement patterns take you to 4 movements that have endless exercises possibilities: rotate, push, squat and lunge. You can see the outline of these movements below.

The TRX suspension trainer is a must have for all gyms. I love training clients on it and my clients love it, as well. Send me an email, shoot me a text, or stop by to find out more! See you at the Annex!!