Benefits of TRX

Top 3 BENEFITS OF TRX TRAINING

FROM A PERSONAL TRAINERS PERSPECTIVE

As one would expect, advertisers often take us for a ride, and the health & fitness industry is no different. It is in fact, by now, quite infamous for promoting ‘latest breakthrough’ inventions, only to end up selling you some bullshit workout equipment. Before I talk about the benefits of TRX, let me draw a clear line between a genuine invention and a marketing hoax. The aim of the scamsters is to play into the viewers’ temptation, which of course, in this case, is a chiselled out body without having to do all the hard work that is expected of a well-built physique. Such businesses also shell out big bucks to rope in celebrities to woo you into buying their product. And of course, many do fall into such trickery and end up with some utterly useless exercise equipment whose only use is to collect dust.

If you’re already aware of such scams, then understandably you must be wary of any such fancy-sounding equipment. But worry not! The TRX is not a product that these scamsters truly endorse, because although it does get you results, it also expects you to sweat it out. As with any genuine invention, the benefits of TRX are many. Let me throw some light first on what a TRX equipment is before I share with you my top 3 benefits of TRX. Below are all the different TRX straps and accessories currently available. I will review each one afterwards as well as their accessories.

Please note that due to the Covid 19 lock down alot of these TRX suspension trainers have sold out as well as their accessories. So, you might be interested in checking the TRX alternatives… But these to are also being sold out. People are going on a home workout equipment buying rampage so be quick about it if you want one.

RIP Trainer

TRX PRO

TRX GO

TRX: A FUSION OF INNOVATION, PHYSICS & EXERCISE.

TRX stands for Total Resistance Exercises and is a form of specialized suspension training kit. It leverages the user’s body weight and gravity to workout and builds flexibility, balance, core stability, and strength simultaneously.

So rest assured, the TRX is not a gimmick to empty your pockets but rather a system that has been tried & tested by experts from the field and is backed by science.

According to the TRX designers, this innovative suspension training system has been developed after detailed research involving numerous athletes, coaches, the military and academic institutions.  

TRX: IT’S NOT A MAGIC WAND!

I’m not here to tell you that the TRX is some magical equipment and is the only thing you’ll ever need to build the body of your dreams. I’m also not here to throw some bullshit sales pitch at you. If you want to read 2000+ words of useless blabber, just Google ‘benefits of TRX’ and it will fill your screen with stuff like:

• Delivers fast and effective results (Fast is subjective, but any decent workout is effective)
• Burns more fat than the traditional workouts (Bullshit alert!)
• Gets you a flat stomach fast (More lies..)
• Set it up anywhere (Well, this I agree)
• Helps you achieve any fitness goal (As would any exercise, done correctly)

The TRX is a convenient addition to your workouts, especially if you don’t have access to a gym. I’m here to tell you the benefits of TRX from a personal trainers perspective, and here’s what I like about this innovative and compact workout equipment…

MY TOP 3 BENEFITS OF TRX NUMERO UNO – IT’S SUPER CORRECTIONAL

As a personal trainer, I find this, one of the handiest benefits of TRX. With the digital lifestyle becoming more and more common, most people end up sitting down a lot. With hardly any movement, the regular body position is no longer synergetic to its natural posture. The consequence is that a lot of imbalance gets developed in the body leading to some muscles that are super tight and overactive while leaving other muscles weak and inactive.

As a result, many people can’t perform even simple moments such as a Squat. On the other hand, if I get such clients on a TRX, it is much easier to teach them the correct form while performing a squat. They can, in fact, even practice deeper ranges of the squat. This is because, by holding on to the TRX, they can pull themselves up using their arms to compensate for the weaker muscles. And, before you jump off your seats let me make it clear that it’s not cheating, it’s called ‘offsetting’ your weight.

MY TOP 3 BENEFITS OF TRX NUMBER 2 – IT’S LITERALLY FOR ANYONE.

For this one, we’ll go into the technical details and take a peek at how the TRX works and what makes it so effective. Frankly, the TRX makes it a lot easier for me to conduct a fitness class, and I always add a couple of dedicated TRX session with my one on one personal training clients. The fitness class is easier because I can have someone who’s never trained in their life and a professional athlete in the same class. If you’re wondering how that is possible, since there is a vast difference in each of their levels and requirement, it is because the TRX is extremely adaptable. This adaptability comes from “The 3 Resistances” that the TRX provides which makes it possible to take almost every workout very easy to very hard.

TYPES OF TRX RESISTANCE:

1. Vector Resistance – based on the angle of your body
2. Stability Resistance – depending upon the position of your feet
3. Pendulum Resistance – adjusting the angle of the TRX

So when the TRX pushup becomes too easy for the athlete, I can tell him or her to try doing the same on one foot using the stability resistance or I bring vector resistance into play get them to move their feet further back in order to put more weight in his hand thereby increasing the load in those muscles.

Alternatively, when the newbie is struggling with the push-up, I activate vector resistance by telling him to simply move his feet further in front to a more stood up position. This shifts the body weight to be more on the feet thereby decreasing load for the TRX pushup. I can also tell them to move their feet more apart, making the balance easier using stability resistance.

What then, does the Pendulum Resistance do? Here it gets a bit more complicated and requires you to put your feet in the straps to perform certain floor exercises. This, however, expects a good core to begin with and is not something I recommend to beginners.

In this way, without having to adjust the TRX straps or swap out the equipment, I can conduct the class, while each client can change the difficulty level of the workout themselves, by just adjusting the position of their feet.

MY TOP 3 BENEFITS OF TRX NUMBER 3 – IT’S FUN!

Ok, maybe be this one does sound like a commercial selling point, but honestly, in my many years of experience as a personal trainer, I’ve never heard one sigh or an “Aaah not the TRX again!!”. People really do seem to like the TRX sessions, although I notice, they all unanimously hate the “Lunge matrix” workout.

But I totally get it too. I’m like that myself sometimes when it comes to performing monotonous workout routines. Tell me it’s AcroYoga or ArielYoga time, and I’m all geared up. But put me in the regular yoga class, and all I can hear is the ticking of the clock! Being consistent in your workout can sometimes be tough, and using a TRX can be a great motivational boost because of the variations in a workout it enables. Motivation is sometimes an underestimated but essential factor in getting the most out of your workout, and by making it fun, this becomes one of the most subtle yet important benefits of TRX.

Invented by a US Navy Seal in order to train his troops in report parts of the world, the TRX is an effective innovation involving hanging bands that works out muscles by leveraging on body weight and gravity through simple shifts in angle. However, as with any workout, incorrect practice negates all the benefits of TRX, such as these common workout mistakes that I often witness at my gym. And hence it is best to first use the TRX under the guidance of a qualified instructor. If you’re in Phuket, get in touch here, and I’ll be happy to help you out.

Based on the top 3 benefits of TRX that I mentioned, and many more, I consider the TRX kit to be a great addition to your workout routine. Adding a couple or more TRX exercises into your regular workouts can make a lot of difference. And it is especially great if you happen to travel a lot, for business or pleasure, since the TRX system is extremely compact, portable and easy to use!  So try out some TRX workouts and let us know about your experience by commenting below, and if you think this could be helpful to some of your peers, then don’t forget to share this article with them.

BEST PLACE TO BUY A TRX?

There are a lot of knock off’s and copies of the TRX suspension trainer. You can even find very similar products based around TRX’s original idea but none that are actually better. When it comes to gym equipment that you will use for your self and probably travelling around with. I wouldn’t go finding the cheapest option. Especially when it comes to something like the TRX where you will use it to suspend your weight certain positions.

I would definitely go for the official and the latest version of the TRX as it has had a lot of advancements and improvements over the years. The loop lock being one of them. The official TRX equipment has in-depth testing and quality control process as well. Below are your options:

THE TRX GO

This is the lightest version of the TRX. The straps are thinner and minimalised but yet still sturdy enough to hold 350lbs of body weight. They are best for people who travel a lot and want something they can easily throw in their travel bag and use in any hotel or apartment. You can buy the TRX GO on its own and the entire things just weighs 1lbs or you can buy the TRX GO bundle including a TRX Water Bottle and TRX Resistant Bands.

TRX TACTICAL

The TRX Tactical is my favourite one but unfortunately its the most expensive out of all the TRX Suspension trainers. Its the strongest and most robust version with the capacity to hold up to 450kg of weight. It comes with a doorstop as additional security to the door anchor and an anti-theft carabiner. The buckles are made of an alloy that’s rust and fracture proof.

TRX RIP TRAINER

The TRX Rip Trainer is was the 2nd revolutionary product from the TRX franchise. It’s fairly unique in the sense that there aren’t many other products similar to this or its concept. The Rip Trainer works based on A-symmetrical loading, meaning it gives you resistance to one side of your body forcing your core and stability muscles to engage to counter the 1 sided resistance. The TRX is very much “all core all the time” so the RIP trainer is a great compliment to that.

Personally I like the RIP trainer as do my clients, the bar is weighted and the Bungy strap is strong and you can increase the resistance and difficulty of the exercises by simply moving further away and extending the cord. It’s great for Improve your range of motion, rotational power, balance and endurance. Includes FREE one-year TRX App subscription.

TRX ACCESSORIES 

TRX don’t stop at just their suspension straps or RIP trainer. They have ventured off into a variety of functional workout equipment, some of which compliments their straps. For example, the TRX Resistant bands can be used at the same time as using the TRX Suspension straps. Or you can use the Slam Ball and Kettle Bell to put a pretty awesome circuit together in your own home. The TRX accessories are pretty good, strong, durable and come with a warrenty. However, they come with a price tag but if its within your budget I would recommend them. Buying solid workout equipment saves you money in the long run.

TRX Slam Ball