What the heck is TRX? A workout lowdown

It’s being touted by fans as being the best cardio and muscle workout you can have in less than an hour. Suspension training with TRX equipment is fast gaining popularity as it works all the muscles in the body at the same time, and uses your own body weight as an integral part of the exercises which are based on resistance training. TRX exercises are not difficult to get to grips with and the level of physical challenge is up to you.

What is it?
TRX is a suspension workout that offers resistance which comes from the weight of your own body. In a nutshell you either hang your legs through stirrups or hold onto straps whilst leaning back. The straps are either hung from the ceiling or attached to something sturdy. Once in position you vary the angle of your body to create resistance. The idea being that your body’s natural weight can be used instead of weights, with the benefits of less strain on the joint muscles and more control.

Where did it come from?
US Navy SEAL Randy Hetrick came up with TRX after developing his own fitness system that he could use while he was deployed to areas without access to exercise machines. His personal suspension equipment was made out of parachute webbing and a carabiner ring.
At the same time, former Chilean football coach Kurt Dasbach developed his own version of resistance training to help train the squad.

What are the benefits?
An exercise that suits high-level fitness fans, as well as beginners, TRX has many advantages to those who use this type of suspension training.

• increases core body strength;
• increases muscle endurance;
• helps improve balance;
• promotes flexibility and joint stability;
• offers an all-round body workout;
• delivers a cardio workout or gentler fitness routine;
• easy to get started with a good variety of exercises to choose from; and;
• low impact but with the benefits of resistance training.

Why is it so popular?
Individual workouts as well as group classes are popular with suspension training. Because the equipment utilizes your body weight and gravity to offer resistance, by adjusting the angle of your body you can control the difficulty level. For this reason TRX exercises can be done by people at all fitness levels. Of course, being developed by a Navy SEAL it really does appeal to those people with good core strength abilities, but not exclusively.

There are literally hundreds of exercises you can do with the TRX system thus, your fitness workout is interesting and varied, and you are not simply limited to one muscle group, or a small selection of routines.

Don’t hang around waiting to find out more about TRX, get in touch today and find out about what exercises suit you.