Two internationally ranked boxers, Russian fighters Natascha Ragosina, the #1 ranked super middleweight female boxer in the world, and Alexander Povetkin, have been using the TRX to prepare for their upcoming bouts. We recently spoke with their trainer, Jim Barcena, who has long been a proponent of the TRX and took it with him to Russia last year when he started working with Povetkin and Ragosina. “With boxers, all of their punching power comes from the legs and the hips, and power transfer is all core strength, so the TRX is an awesome tool for them.”
Barcena puts the fighters through grueling 60 to 90 minute circuits that incorporate the TRX and other modalities. Some circuits feature three to five different movements that include a pushing movement, a pulling movement, an all body athletic or functional movement and a movement that focuses on sheer strength. Other circuits cycle through 12 different movements, always starting each circuit with a different movement on the TRX. He often supersets different TRX movements within one block of the circuit. For example, he'll have them perform the TRX Chest Press/Chest Fly Combo or have them superset the TRX T Deltoid Fly, TRX Y Deltoid Fly and TRX I Deltoid Fly.
When he’s in LA, Barcena often trains clients at the track at UCLA where many other trainers work with clients. “I was there the other day and Barry Bonds was working with his trainer. I could tell Barry and everyone else there was checking out what we were doing with the TRX. It's such a versatile tool. There are more uses than meets the eye.”
Povetkin's next projected fight will be against heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko in September.
If you're a fighter or train fighters, check out the TRX Performance: MMA Workout download. How has the TRX helped to evolve, transform and grow your own training or your personal training practice?
