The TRX may look like something you might use in either kinky sex or a particularly slapdash torturing, but it's actually a pretty intriguing piece of gym kit that can help push your workout to the next level. Or, if you're quite happy with your current level, it's also a great way to just do something, anything, different. The best part is: using a TRX is not only a scalable workout, but you can set one up pretty much anywhere (whether you're the kind of person who wants to do that, however, is a matter for you to decide).
“TRX is a brilliant piece of kit – it’s a form of suspension training that uses your bodyweight and gravity as resistance,” explained PerformancePro's Dan Baby. “Not only does it test the full body, but it improves muscular size, joint stability and cardiovascular health.” Easy to start with as a beginner and then build up to more advanced workouts, we're swayed – maybe it's time to allot more of our workouts to playing with the TRX.
We gathered together some of the best names in British fitness to give you a bit of TRX inspiration for the next time you're looking to do some zero gravity workouts. Whether you've never touched one before or just need something new and exciting to do after years of familiarity, we've got you covered.
George Veness, cofounder of Jab
Exercise one: Low row
Adjust the strap to the highest point, position your feet shoulder-width apart and lower your body to your anchor point with your arms straight. With your knuckles facing forward, pull yourself up into a concentric contraction until your hands reach your chest. Release back, straighten your arms and repeat for eight to 12 reps, for three to four sets.
Exercise two: Seated pull-up
Hold both stirrups and adjust strap until your arms are fully extended while seated on the floor. With your palms facing each other, pull your bodyweight up until your chin reaches the height of the strap. Release, sit back down and repeat for eight to 12 reps, for three to four sets.
For beginners, adjust the strap to the highest point and do the movement from a squat position, ensuring the movement comes from the upper body and not the legs. This is a great exercise to work up to a full standing pull-up.
Exercise three: Squat and fly
Hold both stirrups and sit into a squat with straight arms. Drive up using your legs, spreading your arms apart as you rise. Bring your hands back together and sit back to squat, then repeat for eight to 12 reps, for three to four sets.
Exercise four: Pike
Adjust straps to the lowest point and adopt a press-up position with both feet in the stirrups. Keeping your legs straight and tensing your core, raise your backside and squeeze your traps bringing your head through your arms, looking towards your feet. Straighten your back and repeat for eight to 12 reps, for three to four sets.
Exercise five: Torso rotation
Place both hands in the stirrups, lock the hands together and position your feet shoulder-width apart. Keeping your arms straight and squeezing your traps and shoulder blades, pull your body into a standing position, twisting your body and arms to the side as you rise. Lower your body back down and repeat on the other side for eight to 12 reps, for three to four sets.
Lucie Cowan, Third Space London
Exercise one: Hamstring curls
Playing a pivotal role in posture, hamstrings are probably one of the most overlooked, yet fundamental muscle groups to incorporate into your regular training program. This TRX hamstring curl works both knee flexion and hip extension in one move and is simple enough for beginners to perform, who are just mastering the basics, through to the most advanced gym goers to complement a heavy leg strength session.
Lie on your back with your toes in the TRX handles, legs extended straight, with the TRX straps set to about a foot above the ground. Engage your posterior chain (ie: glutes, lower back, hamstrings) to raise the hips and lower back off the floor. Maintain this raised position and pull your heels towards your bottom. The shoulder blades remain in contact with the floor and your arms by your sides press into the floor to stabilise your torso. As you hold your hips up, squeeze your glutes and pull in your abdominals to avoid overuse of the lower back muscles. Keep your hips raised as you return and extend your legs back out smoothly. Aim for high rep numbers (15-20) per set.
Care must be taken in order to avoid compensating in this exercise. If your hips, knees and ankles are not aligned in a straight line throughout the movement, too much force can be placed on the hips or knees, resulting in joint problems. Also, try to avoid allowing the lower back to arch through weak core engagement.
Exercise two: Bulgarian split squat
Making time for unilateral training alongside your regular bilateral squats will provide a multitude of benefits and using a TRX for Bulgarian split squats will target your stabiliser muscles and help you to further your squat depth, giving you a better range of motion over time. Single leg exercises, although more timely, will overload the quads and glutes while building up strength in your core muscles and reduce muscle imbalance, which often goes unnoticed when performing regular squats. The TRX is the perfect tool for those who are new to BSSs, as the strap can be lengthened so your suspended foot is only just above the ground and raised as you progress to make the move more challenging, even compared with the typical bench assisted split squat.
Stand on one leg, facing away from the TRX anchor, and place your other foot in both the TRX stirrups (combined), toes facing forward and hips squared. Keeping all your weight into the grounded leg, begin by bending the supporting leg as you lunge back and bring the TRX supported knee back and towards the floor. Push back up through the heel of the supporting leg, keeping the front knee above the front foot. A caveat: this can put pressure on the knee for those with knee injuries. Often performed incorrectly, with the front knee sliding forward, it can further exacerbate knee injuries.
Exercise three: Fall outs
Similar to using an ab wheel, but also targets the shoulders, chest, forearms, middle back and triceps, this is a fantastic move to add to any routine as it takes the entire body to maintain balance – great for building core strength. Using the TRX allows for the move to be regressed for beginners when performed from kneeling and advanced when performed with the exercise with your legs straight.
Mastering a strong plank is needed for this exercise, especially to avoid sagging at the hip when performing the exercise dynamically. The core muscles need to be firing quite strongly to avoid overusing the hip flexors and arching of the lower back.
Begin in a kneeling plank position with glutes, core and shoulders all engaged, with TRX straps set a few inches off the floor. Hold onto each handle and keep them close into your body and begin by raising your arms forward. Synchronise the movement by bringing your hip forward. Continue extending your arms and lowering your hips until your arms are extended above your head, in a straight line with your body, and your hips are fully extended. Your body is now in a straight line from your wrists to your knees. From the fully extended position, begin to get yourself back up to the starting position by pressing downward with your extended arms. Maintain the straight line of your body from your head to your knees by keeping your core engaged, ribs down and your glutes tight.
Exercise four: TRX pull-up
TRX pull-ups are a great starting point for those wanting to perfect or progress to bar pull-ups. It is also a great standalone exercise that can be modified in order to better focus on the back muscles. This move can be easily progressed for a more advanced move by keeping the legs straight (L-sit), with heels on the floor throughout.
Even though this is beginner friendly, if you are unable to keep a straight torso in the starting position, it is advised to work on posterior chain flexibility and core strength separately, in order to properly position your body for maximum benefit.
Begin the exercise with the TRX straps anchored effectively and in an over-shortened position – you are in a seated position. Keep your hands stacked over shoulders and hips throughout the pulling movement, keeping your knees bent at 90 degrees, feet flat on the floor and maintaining torso vertically. Grab the handles and pull yourself up vertically, beginning by depressing your shoulder blades to engage the lats, then continue the movement upwards, as high as possible by pulling with your arms, continuing to contract your back muscles and keep shoulders down away from your ears. At the top of the movement, hold the position, squeezing your back muscles fully, while keeping core engaged. Slowly lower yourself back down and repeat, avoiding using your legs.
Exercise five: Back inverted row
TRX inverted rows are the perfect way to develop back strength by first mastering your own bodyweight, great as a stepping stone to chin-ups and pull-ups. Using a TRX rather than a bar for these works the back muscles constantly through both the upwards and down phases of the move, as muscles lengthen and shorten.
Anchor the TRX and adjust the straps to mid-length. Hold the handles and hang down directly under the straps, starting at roughly a 45-degree angle. Brace your core, squeeze your glutes and drive shoulders down away from your ears, forming a straight plank position with just your heels touching the ground. With your palms facing inwards, pull your body up to the handles just below your chest. Make sure your shoulder blades go down and your shoulders roll back, elbows staying into the sides. Lower yourself back down while keeping your core engaged. This can be progressed simply by advancing to the low row.
Exercise six: Incline press
One for the more advanced exercisers here as, again, a good working capacity with the plank is required to perform this exercise, but with many benefits. Similar to an incline push-up, this exercise has an added rotational force running through the body, due to only one foot bound within the TRX strap. Therefore, this exercise is not only a great upper-body exercise but a challenging core stability exercise, incorporating both sagittal and transfer planes of movement.
Begin by forming a strong incline plank position with your head below your feet level. TRX straps are set to mid-calf height and combined into one. One foot is in the foot cradle and the other foot is held up next to it. With your head below the anchor point and your hands set in front of your head, strongly engage your core. Lower yourself towards the floor in a straight line towards your hands in front of you and when your head almost touches the floor push yourself back up, keeping shoulders down away from your ears. Repeat the movement and don’t forget to regularly alternate which foot is in the TRX stirrup.
Care must be made to mitigate the stress in the shoulder joint. The ability to properly stabilise the shoulder by activating the rotator cuff muscles, scapular depressors, serratus anterior is essential to benefit from this exercise.
Katie Anderson, head trainer at Fly LDN
Exercise one: TRX row
Start with the TRX handles at hip height then loop your hands through the handles and lean back. The more vertical you are the easier it is and the more horizontal you are underneath the TRX the harder it is as you’re using more of your bodyweight. With the knuckles facing together, inhale and then as you exhale pull the arms in tight past the rib cage. Slowly release and repeat.
Exercise two: TRX pull-up
Start with the TRX handles about hip height. Holding on with your hands, sit back as if you are sitting down to the floor. Keeping the pressure in your heels and the knees and hips at 90 degrees, rotate the knuckles to face forward and engage the lats by bringing the handles down to the hips as you pull yourself up, keeping the arms in an open “W” shape. Slowly release and repeat.
Exercise three: TRX squat (jumps)
Start with TRX handles about hip height. Hold on to the handles then step back to add resistance. Sit back into a low squat so that there is a long line from your tailbone up to the axis of the TRX. Inhale as you lower and then exhale to drive up through the heels to standing, utilising the arms by pulling on the TRX if you need to. Want to take it further? Add a jump at the top. Use the TRX to help you perform more reps and practice the depth of your squats, especially when adding a jump, as the arms can assist you.
Exercise four: TRX reverse split lunge
Start with the TRX handles about mid shin height. Put one foot in the TRX (you can use both handles for more stability) and stagger the standing leg forward – hips and toes in parallel. Bring the knee that’s in the TRX forward until you feel balanced, then slowly reverse the leg into a suspended lunge, creating a 90-degree angle on the standing knee and hip joint. The knee that’s in the TRX should also be aiming for a 90-degree angle. You can progress this for strength by adding a dumbbell or kettlebell weight either cradled or hanging. You can also progress this for cardiovascular training by adding an explosive, upward jump at the top.
Exercise five: TRX pike/tuck
Start with TRX handles about mid-shin height. Bring yourself into four-point kneeling in front of the TRX, then reach behind and put both feet into the loops of the TRX. Once the feet are in, send your body into a suspended plank, keeping the hands underneath the shoulders. The first option is to try a tuck, which is bringing both knees into the chest and sending them back out to plank. The advanced option is to keep the legs, torso and arms straight and controlled, then lift your hips up to the ceiling, tucking the head under and looking back at your feet, then slowly control lowering back to plank. Up for a challenge, alternate both movements together for that extra burn, but remember to breathe!
For all of these exercises you can repeat anywhere from ten to 30 reps per exercise at a time, depending on your fitness levels and what option you’re taking (if you’re jumping or adding extra weights). Whatever reps you choose, repeat four times, taking a 60-second rest between sets. Or, if you’re up for a full-body workout, repeat all of these exercises back to back every minute on the minute, doing as many reps as you can within that minute!
Dan Baby, strength and conditioning coach at PerformancePro
Exercise one: TRX T, Y and I raise
The TRX training system has many uses and can aid with rehabilitation, injury prevention and improving our posture. During our daily lives our stabilising muscles of the shoulder blades are often neglected and therefore can become weak. It’s important to train them through a range of angles to recruit all our smaller muscles. Not only will we develop stronger shoulders, but also this exercise will help us achieve great posture.
Holding onto the handles of the TRX, bring your arms into a “T” position and walk backwards away from TRX (the anchor point) until there is tension in the straps. Maintaining tension in our core and a neutral spine, start by pulling your arms overhead until a “Y” shape is achieved. To increase the exercise intensity, continue pulling arms overhead until an “I” shape is achieved. Slowly return to starting position to complete one repetition. To adjust the difficulty level, simply stagger your feet position and use your back leg to aid with your shoulders mobility.
Perform three sets of ten to 12 repetitions, with a minute rest in between.
Exercise two: TRX plank
A TRX Plank is essentially the same as a traditional body weight plank, just with elevated feet. You may have seen plenty of people performing a plank in gyms, but this is an easy exercise to perform with bad technique. Establishing a strong core is essential for all. It will provide our bodies with the correct alignment and ability to perform all exercises safe and successfully. Besides, done correctly you’ll be able to achieve those abs of steel while implementing more intensity into each workout.
Adjust the TRX straps to mid calf length and lie on your stomach facing away from the anchor point. Put your toes into the foot supports – easier said than done! Once in, push your heels back towards the handles and focus on squeezing your core, glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings and calves, ensuring a perfectly flat plank from shoulders to heels.
Perform this for as long as you can, or up to 30 seconds. Rest and repeat for a total of three sets.
Exercise three: TRX low row
With so many people suffering from back pain, the TRX row is essential for building upper body strength and improving our posture. As the TRX is scalable, adjusting the difficulty couldn’t be easier. Just by moving your feet closer or further away from the anchor point we can easily adjust the exercise intensity, therefore this exercise is perfect for all ages and abilities.
Begin by adjusting the handles to the desired height, the further away from the floor the easier the exercise. Keep the handles either side of your rib cage and your body straight and braced – just like our TRX plank position. Start by slowly straightening your arms to lower your body, ensuring you maintain a straight line from head to toe. To return, bend your elbows and begin to pull the handles back to either side or your ribs. Perform eight to ten reps, three sets with a minute rest in between.
Exercise four: TRX push-ups
The bench press is a widely known exercise for developing our upper-body strength. However, performing a TRX push-up enables us to teach the pushing movement with the correct body alignment in addition to recruiting more muscles. Therefore, we require much more core engagement, resulting in more core strength and spine stability.
Adjust the TRX straps to your desired difficulty length. Begin by standing on the balls of your feet, with your hands holding onto the handles and your arms fully extended directly below your shoulders. Ensure your body is braced and in a straight plank position. Start by bending your elbows and lowering yourself towards the floor until your elbows are at 90 degrees. Return by straightening your arms, while keeping tension in your core as you press back to the starting position.
Perform eight to ten reps, three sets with a minute rest in between.
PerformancePro is an exclusive, performance-based PT studio in the heart of London’s West End. Find out more at performancepro.fitness
Richard Hart, Another Space
Exercise one: Low row
For each exercise, repeat each move for eight to 12 reps, for three to four sets.
Adjust strap to the highest point, position your feet shoulder-width apart and lower your body to your anchor point with your arms straight. With your knuckles facing forward, pull yourself up into a concentric contraction until your hands reach your chest. Release back, straighten your arms and repeat.
Exercise two: Seated pull-up
Hold both stirrups and adjust the strap until your arms are fully extended while seated on the floor. With your palms facing each other, pull your bodyweight up until your chin reaches the height of the strap. Release, sit back down and repeat. For beginners, adjust the strap to the highest point and do the movement from a squat position, ensuring the movement comes from the upper body and not the legs. This is a great exercise to work up to a full standing pull-up.
Exercise three: Squat and fly
Hold both stirrups and sit into a squat with straight arms. Drive up using your legs, spreading your arms apart as you rise. Bring your hands back together and sit back to squat, then repeat.
Exercise four: Pike
Adjust straps to the lowest point and adopt a press-up position with both feet in the stirrups. Keeping your legs straight and tensing your core, raise your backside and squeeze your traps, bringing your head through your arms, looking towards your feet. Straighten your back and repeat.
Exercise five: Torso rotation
Place both hands in the stirrups, lock the hands together and position your feet shoulder-width apart. Keeping your arms straight and squeezing your traps and shoulder blades, pull your body into a standing position, twisting your body and arms to the side as you rise. Lower your body back down and repeat on the other side.
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