TRX, also known as Total Resistance Exercises, is a form of resistance exercise where trainees use a suspension kit and leverage their body weight to train all the major muscle groups.
Most people see TRX as great for overall conditioning, muscle growth, strength, and whole-body stability, but can this type of training work for fat loss?
Read on to find out.
THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR IN FAT LOSS
Before discussing whether TRX is good for fat loss, it’s important to discuss one fundamental requirement: creating and sustaining a calorie deficit.
A calorie deficit simply means consuming fewer calories than you burn. Doing so forces your body to break down fat and lean tissue to compensate for the energy deficit and continue carrying out its many processes.
The age-old weight loss advice to eat less and move more works precisely because doing so generally leads to a calorie deficit. Similarly, most diets work because they create a deficit, not because they are special or unique.
CAN TRX SUSPENSION TRAINING HELP WITH FAT LOSS?
At first glance, TRX doesn’t seem ideal for fat loss because we typically associate that type of training with muscle gain. However, suspension training can be great for several reasons:
1. It Helps You Maintain Muscle
One drawback of cardio during weight loss is the lack of a proper muscle stimulus. For example, people typically jog to burn calories and lose more weight. However, the activity only trains the calves and the quadriceps to a small degree. Other muscles don’t do any work, which is a problem.
Not training your muscles, especially during caloric restriction, increases the risk of losing lean mass alongside the fat. Sure, you can lose weight, but more will be muscle, and you will struggle to achieve your desired lean and athletic look.
TRX reduces that risk because it provides an adequate stimulus to all the major muscles in your body.
2. It Burns Calories
Though it may not seem so, TRX is an excellent way to burn calories because each activity trains multiple muscle groups. Even shorter sets can recruit a large percentage of your muscles, leading to a decent caloric burn.
Burning calories doesn’t necessarily lead to fat loss, but it can make it easier to establish and maintain the necessary deficit, so long as you also pay attention to your nutrition.
3. It Allows You to do Engaging Workouts
Let’s be honest:
Though highly beneficial, cardio can be dull and repetitive. Sure, it makes you feel great––we’re not here to discount how awesome the runner’s high is. However, doing each workout is rarely engaging unless you find ways to keep things fun (varying the tempo, trying new activities, etc.).
In contrast, TRX is fun because you can pick from hundreds of effective exercises and variations.
SHOULD YOUR TRAINING DIFFER WHEN LOOKING TO LOSE FAT INSTEAD OF BUILDING MUSCLE?
Here’s the interesting thing:
Your TRX training doesn’t have to change much to build muscle, lose fat, or become more athletic. As discussed above, the training stimulus matters most and is crucial for maintaining lean tissue while shedding fat.
Because of that, you can follow the same training program or make minor tweaks when necessary.
For example, if your muscle-building routine features more exercises, you can remove a couple during fat loss because you won’t have as much energy to do as many high-quality training sets.
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