Here TRX Director of Programing and Education Fraser Quelch shows you a few excellent variations to the TRX Squat for an intense lower body and core workout.
A squat can be defined as any movement where one flexes through the hips, knees and ankle. While the squat appears to occur primarily in the sagittal plane of movement, the movement available at the spine, hips, knees and feet/ankle usually involves all three planes (sagittal, frontal and transverse) of movement. The TRX can be used to tweak the squat movement pattern so that we can focus on all three planes of movement and promote more functional, proprioceptively enhanced joint and muscular function at the foot/ankle, knee, hip and spine, improving one’s ability to move and function. Below are some squat variations using the TRX.
TRX Single Leg Squat to Crossing balance Lunge
This exercise combo below provides a challenging variation on the standard squat. Whether you use it as a warm up or part of your routine, this combo can inspire endless possibilities.
TRX Overhead Back Extension to TRX Overhead Squat
This video below takes two powerful movements, the TRX Overhead Back Extension and the TRX Overhead Squat, and combines them for one intense move that creates thoracic extension and improves postural strength.
This cool combo below, featuring the TRX Single Leg Squat and the TRX Crossing Balance Lunge, can be done slowly or powered through quickly, depending on your comfort level and focus. Pay special attention to form and function to maximize the benefit of combining these two great TRX exercises.
The number of foot positions is endless when it comes to squatting. You can adopt a side by side or staggered stance for the sagittal plane variations, wide stance or feet close together for frontal plane variations and internally rotated or externally rotated feet for the transverse plane variations. While these are some of the more common ways of altering foot position during the squat, the ability to combine some of these positions means there are actually multiple ways to modify a squat.
The same can be said for the arm/hand positions during a squat. Altering your arm or hand position during the exercise can allow us to focus the squat on a particular plane of movement and perhaps specific area of the body. Typically, overhead arm/hand positions are more likely to reduce hip/pelvis movement and focus the squat more on foot/ankle and knee structures. Arm/hand positions at waist to ground level will focus the squat more on the hip/pelvis structures.
Designing Your Training Program
When squatting with the TRX, look to incorporate the squat variations in your workout as either movement-based warm ups or specifically within a planned workout to focus on improving overall general squatting ability. These exercises are just a sample of the different ways you can use the TRX to improve your squatting ability.
