The resistance training tool uses just your body weight to give you a sufficient workout, no matter your goal.
Do More With is a series highlighting equipment around the Club that can help you reach your fitness goals. In this installment, we highlight the TRX system, available on the Club floor.
Just like dumbbells, treadmills, and kettlebells, the TRX system — a fitness training tool that utilizes your own body weight as resistance — is a beloved staple at Clubs across the country. I frequently see members getting in a high-quality, full-body workout with the suspension training contraption, which consists of two sturdy straps that anchor to a door, post, cable machine, or squat rack. And, as a TRX-qualified coach, I even use it with clients in my own personal training sessions.
Still, some wary members are missing out on its benefits, and the folks who do use the system may not be taking full advantage of its features. Here’s the thing: The TRX system is so adaptable, anyone from an 80-year-old at the start of their exercise journey to a brawny NFL player can use it for a fantastic workout that aligns with their fitness level and goals. It can even help you improve endurance, rehab an injury, or build muscle mass — no heavy weights required. And those aren’t the only perks.
Why Train with the TRX System
The TRX system is as versatile as fitness equipment comes. You’re able to train unilaterally (think: single-arm rows or pistol squats) and in multiple planes of motion; a TRX exercise like the side lunge, for instance, will work your muscles in the frontal plane, while a move like the forward lunge with a spinal twist will work you in the transverse plane, both of which will help you move optimally in your everyday life. You’re also able to make any given exercise as easy or as difficult as you please. If you’re performing a TRX row, you can up the challenge just by walking your feet closer to the anchor point, causing you to lean further back.
What’s more, the TRX system calls on more than just pure strength. Your balance will be put to the test during a single-leg deadlift with the equipment, as will your upper-body stability during a biceps curl. Compared to a seated biceps curl, a TRX version of the exercise forces more of the stabilizing muscles in your upper back and core to fire constantly in order to maintain your posture.
RELATED: Do More With: Landmine Attachment
How to Use the TRX System
The TRX system can be used to perform practically any given exercise, including variations of rows, push-ups, squats, lunges, chest presses and flies, mountain climbers, back extensions, biceps curls, and triceps presses. I particularly love to program complexes, such as a TRX row to a biceps curl or a round of Y-T-Is to target the entire shoulder complex. Once you’ve grown tired of the basics, try a few out-of-the-box movements: a single-leg plank with one foot in a TRX strap, a single-arm lateral biceps curl (which you perform facing sideways), or a push-up with one leg lifted and abducted (re: extended out to the side).
As mentioned, the TRX system can be used to dial down your workout; for example, you can hold onto the straps for additional support while doing a pistol squat. Similarly, the equipment can help you practice the proper technique for exercises like the squat, as it gives you a bit of a safety net if you don’t feel comfortable or stable while pushing your hips back. TRX isometric movements — say, planks or split squat holds — can also help you gently build up your fitness as you recover from an injury.
RELATED: Don’t Let An Injury Stop Your Sport
No matter how you’re using the TRX system, bear in mind these three key pieces of advice: Maintain a lifted chest, keep your shoulders rolled down and back, and, if it hurts, tone down the intensity or stop altogether. Remember, there’s no shame in modifying mid-workout to make an exercise work best for you.
Peter Hoffman NASM-CPT, PN2, TPI2, is a Tier X Coach at Equinox Preston Hollow and has been with Equinox for more than seven years. He played varsity tennis in high school and college and is now an avid golfer and occasionally competes in endurance races in the Clydesdale category. His training philosophy is that we should theoretically never be limited by any movement in life and the gym is our toolbox we use to rid ourselves of those limitations and truly excel. Originally from Dallas, Texas, Peter now lives in Frisco with his wife and two kids (with one more on the way). Building on top of his philosophy, he is currently creating an app to put the power of corrective exercise in the palm of your hand.