Watch strength coach Josh Henkin shows you some movements combining kettlebells with the TRX Suspension Trainer, to create exercises that are dynamic, powerful and purposeful! Josh examines why combining these two training methods will allow for almost endless progressions that can be adapted for any fitness level.
TRX Training first became so intriguing because it offered coaches and fitness enthusiasts the opportunity to train movement in such unique ways. It wasn’t the standard weight room exercises. No, these were drills that actually addressed the way people move and perform. As one delves deeper into the program, you begin to see how it is not just about training movement but correcting it as well!
Kettlebells offer some similar benefits in different ways. Teaching people how to move properly, while training angles and positions that are unfamiliar to most trainers, makes for a more resilient athlete. Kettlebell training teaches two primary foundational skills; the power of moving from the hips to spare the low back and the ability to lift overhead are two of the more simple yet powerful concepts in kettlebell training.
When looking to combine kettlebells and the TRX, we have a host of options from creating programs that utilize complimentary exercises to creating new drills that can reinforce the principles of proper movement skills. But first we must understand the goal of each of the drills within the program.
“Movement training” is more than just performing pulling, squatting, pressing and lunging. It is understanding that these patterns happen in more than one plane of motion and often while we are moving in one plane while resisting force in another. The ability to move one plane and resist another is something most programs lack. Multi-planar movements generally have the lifter and the weight moving in the same direction, which falls short in providing truly “functional” training.
This is where we can see the real benefit of integrating TRX Suspension Training with kettlebells. We can use specific exercises to teach important principles in regards to proper lifting technique and integrating the body more efficiently, to create a workout that increases efficiency, reduces the risk of injury and improves our overall well being.
For more on the powerful pairing of TRX and kettlebells, check out TRX Kettlebell: Iron Circuit Conditioning.
For more functional training workouts, click here.
Strength coach Josh Henkin (www.ultimatesandbagtraining.com) is the creator of the Ultimate Sandbag and L.I.F.T. training certification. He has lectured at national and international conferences about the use of sandbag training in both corrective and performance fitness programs.
