TRX, also known as total body resistance exercise, is a suspension system designed by Randy Hetrick––an ex-US Navy SEAL.
At the time, Mr. Hetrick was deployed in Asia and was looking for more creative ways to work out, which led him to create the initial TRX kit from parachute webbing and a jiu-jitsu belt.
Since then, TRX has been improved greatly and is now a world-class fitness product people use to get in shape.
To that end, let’s review some TRX benefits.
1. It’s Great For Effective Full-Body Training
TRX is arguably the most effective way to train your entire body, even if you don’t have a single weight around.
The suspension trainer allows you to perform various exercises that target all the major muscle groups in your body. Notable examples include inverted rows, suspended planks, lunges, squats, and chest presses.
An advantage of the TRX is that it forces multiple muscle groups to work together, which develops intermuscular coordination and allows you to overload your body more effectively.
Even something as simple as a bodyweight bicep curl requires your core and back to engage and keep you in a stable position.
2. It Builds Strength And Stability
Performing exercises on a suspension kit is quite challenging because there is instability. As a result, your stabilizing muscles must work hard to promote balance and keep you in the correct position.
The longer you use the TRX for your workouts, the more you develop core strength. Similarly, as mentioned in the previous point, the TRX suspension trainer forces multiple muscle groups to work together, allowing you to create the necessary overload that builds strength.
3. Train Anywhere, Anytime
Another considerable benefit of having a TRX suspension kit is that you can train at home, outside, and even while on the road. All you need to do is attach it to the anchor point, whether a door anchor or a suspension anchor, and you’re good to go.
A door anchor works great if you’re training indoors, whereas a suspension anchor provides more versatility. You also get an extender that allows you to anchor the TRX straps even if you’re working with a high attachment point.
4. You Can Adjust Each Exercise to Fit Your Abilities
TRX might look intimidating if you’re new to training or haven’t worked out in a while, but here’s the thing:
The suspension straps allow you to adjust the difficulty of each exercise to fit your need and current abilities.
Tweaking the range of motion and your body position allows you to make exercises easier or more challenging to get an optimal training stimulus. Take the inverted row as an example:
A more upright body position makes the exercise easier, whereas leaning back more forces you to lift a greater percentage of your body weight, making the same activity much more challenging.
5. Have More Effective Workouts In Less Time
The beauty of TRX is that you don’t have to invest countless hours in working out. Don’t have an hour for a workout? No problem.
Do some chest presses, inverted rows, squats, and Romanian deadlifts to train almost all the major muscle groups in your body in as little as 15 to 20 minutes.
This is possible because, as discussed above, even simple exercises recruit several muscle groups, allowing for more efficient training.
Try this 15-Minute Conditioning Full Body TRX Workout
(recommended for intermediate levels or above)