If you haven’t
used TRX suspension training before then you need to. For those of you who
have yet to see this type of training, it is a rope and pulley system with
adjustable straps and grips with integrated foot cradles. As long as a secure
anchor point can be found, (e.g. around a tree, door frame, lamppost etc) TRX
suspension fitness offers trainers many effective options to work with diverse
client groups. The US Navy Seals actually developed the TRX as a way of keeping
in shape regardless of where they were deployed in the world. The TRX mantra is
‘Fitness anywhere’ and ‘Make your body the machine’.
For any new
piece of kit or new training modality to develop from a ‘fad’ into a mainstay
of the fitness industry, it needs to have a beneficial effect to the fitness of
those taking part and more so, clients need to believe in the product. To do
this firstly we need to gain an understanding of how The TRX works.
The majority
of the population is blissfully unaware of how we are required to move and control
our bodyweight when we perform everyday tasks. TRX suspension fitness takes
your bodyweight and, through the manipulation of angles, levers and pivot
points, puts it to work. For trainers, suspension fitness has made free weights
and resistance machines less pivotal in producing a challenging resistance
workout as we can use what we always have – ourselves and gravity, Which is
where ‘Make your body the machine’ comes in!!
Functional Training
The term ‘functional training’ is a
very hot topic in the fitness industry at the moment and gets branded about a
lot, but what does it mean? Whilst in the gym I’m always amazed at the large
amount of people who just exercise in straight lines. E.g. running on the
treadmill, cycling, rowing and doing your traditional weights workout of chest
press, shoulder press, bicep curls etc.
Saying this we do obviously need to
workout in our forward plane of movement, as this is how we achieve a lot of
our fitness goals. However, I’d also like to stress the importance of exercising
using the different planes of movements. Functional fitness is all about
strengthening the body and keeping it flexible so that everyday tasks are a
little easier to complete.
As well as helping you improve your
strength, flexibility and cardiovascular fitness, you will also find that with
every exercise you do with the TRX will work your core muscles massively, due
to the fact that you are suspended. There are of course other multi plane
pieces of kit that you can use, such as, the viper, kettlebells and medicine
balls, which are all great ways to train but they aren’t as portable as the TRX
or in my opinion as challenging and enjoyable either.
A Win Win Situation
As a personal
trainer, it is a piece of kit that we’ve all been waiting on for quite some
time. It is portable, cheap, accessible and incredibly versatile. For you as
clients, it is new, interesting and produces results. What more could you ask
for! Isn’t it great for one piece of kit to offer such a variety in exercises,
and your approaches to training,
