TRX Training Review
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TRX Training Review
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TRX Training Review

Want To Be As Fit As A Professional Athlete?

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Want to exercise like the pros? Now you can, with TRX Suspension Training. The majority of athletes in major North American sports put it to use as 27 of the 32 NFL teams employ it, 26 of the 30 NBA teams — and every MLB team. We tested it out for ourselves and also chatted with TRX CEO and former Navy SEAL Randy Hetrick to find out all of the details. If you’re looking to build up your core strength and don’t want to buy an entire home gym, this is a great option for you.
 

What Is TRX?

TRX looks like a very basic piece of equipment, but its versatility is impressive. At first glance, you might think that you’re using some kind of industrial resistance bands. The difference is that the TRX bands don’t stretch; they just allow you to move your body as the resistance. Because the bands stay taut, you end up doing the moves — like pushups — suspended in mid-air. That forces your core into action to stabilize yourself as you do the moves.

“The Suspension Trainer is so efficient because every movement requires the integration of core, mobility, stability, strength, balance, and coordination, among others,” says Hetrick. “Often, traditional workout programs have the participant working on isolation instead of integration, but life and human movement requires integration of the body and its systems. Performing exercises that promote more integration will lend itself to faster results!”

This is a tool that’s going to take a lot of basic gym moves that you can do in your sleep and kick them into high gear for you. Nap time is over.
 

How Challenging Is It?

Those who haven’t done much core work are going to find this quite challenging at first. That’s because you’re using multiple muscles in basic exercises where you’re used to only isolating. For example, let’s go back to the pushup: normally, you’re hands are stable and anchored to the ground. As you bring your chest closer to the ground, you push up. When you’re using the TRX, let’s say you keep your feet on the ground but your hands are in the handles in mid-air. You now have to keep them stable and do the pushup. Or even if it’s the other way around — your hands are on the ground and your legs are in the handles — you’ll still find it much more challenging because there’s an element of suspension and you have to keep your balance while still doing the pushup. That’s the common theme with this piece of equipment.

“At TRX we believe in mastering the basics such as planking, pushing, pulling, squatting and lunging before adding layers of complexity,” says Hetrick. “By focusing on fewer, less complicated movements, it can help the participant achieve mastery and therefore more results. Once they have achieved mastery in the basics, it allows them to perform more advanced/complicated movements with proficiency and less chance of injury. On top of this, performing basic movements like the push-up or a plank on the Suspension Trainer requires a higher integration of core than performing it on the floor.”

The moves seem simple, but the suspension adds an element of balance that you haven’t felt before. Your core is forced to engage, and that’s what makes this such a great workout. You’re building your core, stability and balance, which is why athletes love it so much.