Workouts during the workday reduce stress, increase productivity, and create bonds between co-workers. Those are just a few of the reasons exercise has been part of our TRX® corporate culture from the very beginning. Sure, TRX is a fitness brand, but plenty of non-fitness companies followed our lead in bringing wellness to the office.
For years, office gyms and trainers have been among the holy grail of corporate perks, but an increasing transition to remote work means rethinking those benefits to create affordable, accessible wellness programs that employees can actually do in their homes. It’s a problem TRX is uniquely positioned to solve, and—not to brag—we think we nailed it with TRX for Employee Well-Being.
Movement Makes Everything Better. (Science Says So)
With TRX for Employee Well-Being, every enrolled employee within an organization gets a TRX Suspension Trainer™, unlimited Live and On-Demand classes through TRX Training Club®, and discounts on TRX products. Employees can schedule classes together, participate in unique wellness webinars, and more.
Remote work can make it tempting to hustle non-stop through the day, but research shows that employees need breaks to stay engaged with their tasks. Offering workouts through TRX for Employee Well-Being helps teams make time for exercising and recharging. It’s a win-win: improving employee happiness and increasing productivity.
“The opportunity to sweat and laugh and be with your peers is really uplifting; it lets you forget about work for a little bit,” Miguel Vargas, TRX Training and Development Manager, said.
As a trainer who led TRX office workouts for years, Vargas is an expert on the subject. “I always try to lead with humor and a challenge, and also try to make it as inclusive as possible. Making everyone feel welcome, making sure everyone's having a good time while they're also working their butt off.”
The Evolution of TRX Employee Well-Being
Over the last decade, businesses have increasingly transitioned to remote work, which—for many employees—meant giving up those office sweat sessions. TRX is one of the many companies that made that switch, giving employees the chance to work—and work out—from anywhere.
We know TRX for Employee Well-Being works because it’s the same program we use with our own team.
Brynne Elliott, Senior Director of Training and Education, and a long-time TRX employee, has experienced both iterations of the TRX for Employee Well-Being experience—in the office and through the TRX Training Club streaming service. While she enjoyed TRX office workouts in person, she thinks they’re even more important for virtual teams.
“I think virtual has allowed people to feel even more safe and secure if they're not super confident in working out. The coaches are really great. Turn the camera on or don't turn it on, there's not that social pressure to be experts. Just move with us. Just enjoy the time,” Elliot added.
The Team That Started It All
TRX team workouts started in 2004, when the “company” was little more than the founders and a couple of part-time staffers in a space that could barely be called an office. “We would meet in this little park, and we'd hook up to these tetherball posts with our straps,” TRX founder and CEO Randy Hetrick said. As the team grew and moved into larger facilities, there was always a space for group workouts, a factor frequently cited when TRX landed on Best Places to Work lists.
Beyond encouraging employees’ wellness, Hetrick said daily workouts were a fundamental piece of TRX company culture. Starting and finishing workouts together also keeps employees energized.“I think it’s a really great thing for your productivity when your people are all running around, coming off an endorphin high from having just worked out together,” Hetrick added.
Workouts Designed With Everyone In Mind
Whether you’re a Navy SEAL, a septuagenarian with bad knees, or anywhere in between, you can use the TRX Suspension Trainer. Suspension Training® is accessible: anyone, at any fitness level—including people with mobility or vision impairments—can use the TRX Straps to improve their strength and mobility.
In Suspension Training, the user determines the “resistance” by adjusting how close they are to the anchor point. For standing exercises, that means stepping forward or back, (the closer your feet are to the anchor, the heavier the load), or their foot stance, (wider is easier; narrow or single-foot is harder). For exercises on the ground, closer to the anchor point is easier, and further away is more difficult.
Thanks to the foolproof progression method, you don’t have to worry about plateauing at a specific “weight” level. Everyone can use the same piece of equipment to perform the “same” exercise, but at different levels of difficulty.
And the Suspension Trainer doesn’t take up a lot of space or require special installation.
Face it: The average worker doesn’t have the space for a dedicated home gym. That’s one reason why so many people embraced the TRX Suspension Trainer, and why Suspension Training is the obvious choice for remote team workouts. TRX Straps weigh about 2 lbs, and can be stored in their small mesh bag, so any space becomes a workout space.
If you have a hinged door, a tree, a basketball pole or a play structure, you can set up the TRX Suspension Trainer—no tools required—and get a full body workout. Lots of TRX fans even pack their Suspension Trainers when they travel.
Workouts Beyond Suspension Training
We love Suspension Training, but it’s not the only type of workout available through TRX for Employee Well-Being. Our TRX Training Club On-Demand library has more than 500 workouts, with options like kettlebells, bodyweight, yoga, and resistance bands. There’s something for every employee, whether it’s a session with the rest of their team, or streaming a class whenever it’s convenient.
Investing in employee wellness is good business. Employees who are happy stay with a company longer. Employees who take the time to exercise, meditate, and decompress are more productive, and less likely to burn out. Companies that set aside time for team-building are more successful.
Remote workplaces have disrupted traditional office dynamics and socializing opportunities, but TRX for Employee Well-Being is forging a new path for happy, healthy, remote teams.
