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Pilates exercise is great for building kinesthetic awareness and teaching basic movement patterns. When teaching Pilates, TRX Senior Instructor PJ O'Clair likes to add the TRX Suspension Trainer to create a dynamic workout that mimics the demands of life and sport. "My clients have tried all of these exercises," says PJ. "I combine them with the traditional repertoire, and we have fun! Some of my clients have no idea they are doing Pilates until I tell them. They love the diversity, creativity and of course the results." The following TRX Pilates exercises are perfect for clients of all levels. TRX Shoulder Bridge Benefits: Activates posterior chain, improves lower kinetic chain mobility, and because this exercise is performed unilaterally, there is an increased challenge to avoid rotation of the pelvis which is ideal for strengthening the core stabilizers Adjust your Suspension Trainer to mid calf position and configure into single handle mode. Lie on the ground facing the anchor point and place one heel in the foot cradles and the other flat on the ground with both knees bent. The suspended foot is directly under the anchor, arms long by sides. Phase 1 - Inhale and press firmly into the suspended foot. Exhale and engage the glutes and hamstrings and lift the hips off the ground and then lower back to the start position. Repeat five times. Phase 2 - Inhale and press firmly into the suspended foot. Exhale and engage the glutes and hamstrings and lift the hips off the ground. Inhale and hold the hips in the extended position. Exhale and lift the ground leg to the table top position, not allowing the pelvis to drop or rotate. Repeat five times. Phase 3 - Inhale and press firmly into the suspended foot. Exhale and engage the glutes and hamstrings and lift the hips off the ground. Hold the hips in the extended position, inhale and bend and extend the ground leg through table top position to the fully extended position, holding the leg directly above the hip. Exhale and lower the leg straight down toward the opposite knee, only going as low as you can go without dropping or rotating the pelvis. Repeat the lowering and lifting phase three times and return back to start position. Repeat each set of three two times. TRX Control Balance into Teaser Benefits: Strengthens core musculature, increases spine and hip mobility, activates the entire posterior chain, improves endurance of the core, breathing and coordination Adjust your TRX to the mid calf position. Lie on the ground facing the anchor point, with your forehead directly under the anchor point. Hands are in the foot cradles with arms extended out by the hips. Bring both legs straight up to 90 degrees, directly over hips. Activate the abs to slightly imprint the pelvis so the spine is supported in the open chain position. Phase 1 - Inhale and press down into the cradles. Exhale and roll the spine off the floor, bringing the legs overhead. Inhale to start, rolling back down. Exhale to return to the start position. Repeat three times. Phase 2 - Inhale and press down into the cradles. Roll the spine off the floor, bringing the legs overhead. Exhale and reach the legs up toward the ceiling, extending the hips into the jackknife position. Inhale and stay in the extended position. Exhale an d scissor the legs, maintaining the shape. Breath normally while performing the scissoring action in and out. Repeat the scissors four times, alternating the legs and then roll back to the start position. Phase 3 - Inhale to lower legs away from the body to approximately a 45 degree angle. Exhale to articulate the spine to roll up to the V position. Inhale and start rolling back down again. Exhale to return to the start position. Combine this movement with Phase 2 and repeat three to five times. TRX Magician Leg Series Benefits: Strengthens spine and hip extensors, promotes ankle, knee and hip mobility, gives the sense of traction to the spine With your TRX in the mid calf position, lie on the ground facing the anchor point. Both heels are in the foot cradles. Slide the body away from the anchor so the feet are on the down slop side of the Pendulum Principle. Lift hips up, extending t he hips and bringing the body in one long line, resting on the shoulders with the thoracic spine flexed, arms resting long by sides. Phase 1 - Inhale to prepare, exhale to swing body in pendulum fashion, side to side first with the legs adducted. To increase the challenge to the core stabilizers, swing the legs with them abducted. Keep a normal breathing pattern throughout the movement, inhaling and exhaling as legs move through space. Repeat three to five times. Phase 2 - When swinging the legs to each side, do a hamstring curl, flexing the knee of the same side leg, bringing it in toward the shoulder. Maintain core stability throughout the pattern without dropping the hips, laterally flexing the spine or sawing. Repeat five to 10 times in each direction and then roll back down. Want more TRX Pilates workout ideas? Download TRX Essentials: Flexibility here. PJ O’Clair is the owner of Clubxcel & Northeast Pilates, one of the largest STOTT PILATES Licensed Training Centers in the US. In addition to her work as a program developer and Master Instructor Trainer for STOTT PILATES, she is a TRX Senior Instructor, a published author and the recipient of the 2008 IDEA “Program Director of the Year” award.

In the video below, Doug Balzarini from Fitness Quest 10 in San Diego has taken some traditional exercises on the TRX Suspension Trainer and modified them to be done with a partner, for an intense workout that’s equal parts fun and effective. So if you or your friend or partner frequently find yourselves fighting over one TRX, we’ve got a compromise for you: TRX partner drills. Research shows you are more likely to stick to a fitness program if you have someone motivating you and relying on you. And partner workouts provide a great social experience as well, which is perfect for people with busy schedules... and it's healthier than happy hour. Before starting your partner journey, take our quick compatibility quiz to get customized workout recommendations that match both you and your workout buddy's fitness goals. TAKE OUR TRAINING QUIZ   1. TRX Burpee (with Knee Drive )With one foot suspended in the TRX foot cradles, Partner A performs a TRX Burpee while Partner B stands in front of her. After getting up off the ground, Partner A grabs the shoulder or behind the head of Partner B while driving her knee up and into a target (either hands or mitts). 2. TRX Elevated Row (with Hip Adduction)“Performing traditional TRX Rows with your feet elevated makes the exercise more challenging due to gravity,” says Doug. “Now, we’ve taken it a step further by involving the lower body more.” Partner A begins by lying on the ground directly under the TRX anchor point. In the first progression, Partner B holds Partner A's feet as he performs TRX Rows. If you want to make the exercise more challenging, Partner A can secure his feet and ankles around the hips of Partner B; this works to engage the hip adductors during the movement. This exercise is also a challenge for Partner B who must work to stabilize through the core. “A couple sets of these, and your inner thighs will be talking to you for sure,” says Doug. 3. TRX Plank (with Perturbations)Partner A gets into a TRX Plank position with while engaging the abdominals and maintaining a neutral spine. Partner B then gently pushes and pulls Partner A’s feet to challenge her balance and stability. This exercise will engage the shoulder stabilizers, abdominals, erectors in the posterior chain and even the quads and glutes. “I like to refer to the core muscles as ‘anti-movement muscles,’” says Doug. “By adding these small pushes and pulls to your partner’s feet, they really need to fight you in order to stay in a solid, strong position.” 4. TRX Burpee RaceFor this exercise, Doug recommends pairing up individuals who are relatively the same size. Both partners will have one foot in one of the TRX foot cradles and perform a set number of TRX Burpees as fast as possible. The partner who achieves the target number of reps first, wins. (NOTE: Do not allow the TRX to saw during this exercise.) This drill is sure to become a new favorite, especially among your more competitive friends or clients! Do you use the TRX with a friend, or have you trained two clients on it at once? Tell us about it below. Doug Balzarini works at Fitness Quest 10 (www.fq10.com) as a personal trainer, strength coach and Operations Director for Todd Durkin. A Massachusetts native, he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science with a minor in Business Management from Westfield State College. Since moving to San Diego, he has completed some graduate work in Biomechanics at SDSU, obtained an ACE Personal Trainer certification, the NSCA-CSCS certification, a Spinning certification, TRX instructor training, EFI Gravity instructor training and FMS training. He has also appeared in eight fitness videos, written numerous fitness articles, completed a MMA Conditioning Coach certification program and has competed in multiple grappling tournaments.

Welcome to the second TRX partner workout.  In this video, TRX Professor Chris Frankel introduces us to the Ladder. Ladder training is an excellent tool for increasing overall training volume, which can be applied to pretty much any exercise and provides a great way of performing a much higher volume of work than would normally be possible training in a more traditional way.

In this series on partner drills, we looked at a great drill to challenge strength and conditioning and manage work to rest ratios of exercise. We'll also learn the Plus 1, one of the TRX Professor Chris Frankel's favorite drills. Here, your work to rest ratio stays 1:1, but your exercise volume goes up.

Fraser Quelch and Randy Hetrick demonstrate the TRX Overhead Back Extension, a great back extensor exercise that targets the erector spinae. Want to find the right TRX exercises for strengthening your back? Take our quick assessment quiz to get a personalized training plan. TAKE OUR TRAINING QUIZ

The TRX Suspension Trainer can be used to ignite your pursuit of size, power and functional strength. We developed this free training program to showcase how you can build muscle and develop total-body strength using the TRX Suspension Trainer as your primary tool.   When you train with the Suspension Trainer, every movement is a core movement and you develop real strength that will help you perform better in any activity, sport or other training that you do. It can be used in conjunction with your current training program to complement traditional movements like the bench press, deadlift, squat and other lifting you’re currently doing with barbells, kettlebells, dumbbells or other strength implements. Perfect for anyone who wants to keep their training consistent on the go, the TRX Suspension Trainer weighs less than two pounds and can be set up indoors or outdoors anywhere you can find a sturdy overhead anchor point in a matter of seconds. Get the all three workout videos and our PDF guide when you create a FREE MyLocker Account, here.  

  Trevor "Coach TA” Anderson, TRX Master Instructor and Golf Performance expert takes taking over this week's edition of  TRX “Moves of the Week” ! With the 120 th US Open Championship at the amazing Winged Foot Golf Club upon us, he's taking this opportunity to share three of his favorite golf performance moves on the TRX Suspension Trainer to help with mobility for golf.   These three simple, but effective moves can be done by anyone, anywhere , with just a few of our TRX tools. For a consistent, safe, and powerful golf swing, we must consider establishing and reinforcing the three base aspects of the swing: stability, mobility, and coordination. All three are important, but our focus here is the mobility aspect of the swing.   EXERCISE #1 - TRX Advanced Golf Rotation Start with the straps of the Suspension Trainers at mid - length and stand facing the anchor point. G rab   the handles with your right hand with your palm up, and your left hand with palm down (for right-handed  players). Pull the straps tight, and maintain tension on the straps throughout the entire movement. R otate your torso to the right while keeping your left arm straight,  allowi ng your right arm to bend. B ring your straight left arm up to join the right at the top to complete the backswing. S tart the downswing by shifting your lower body to the left, and allow your upper body to follow to complete the swing (remember to mai ntain tension on the straps!). Perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions (just on your swing side).   EXERCISE #2 - TRX Kettlebell Rotational Press Start in a great golf posture, with a light TRX Kettlebell in your right hand. Begin the movement by rotating your tors o and hips, then pull the kettlebell straight up your body line, reaching it directly overhead (bell side up), and look up at the kettlebell at the top. Bring the kettlebell straight back down your body line to the original golf posture. Perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions on each side.   EXERCISE #3 - TRX RIP TRAINER Golf Sequence Start by standing in a good golf posture sideways to the anchor point, with the anchor point on your right. Hold the TRX RIP TRAINER with straight arms just below your waistline, grabbing it in the “mid-zones”, with your right palm facing up, and left palm facing down. Rotate to the right to get to the top of the backswing, allowing your right arm to bend, and your left arm to work under and across the body. While maintaining tension on the RIP Trainer Resistance Cord, start the downswing by shifting your lower body to the left, and allow your upper body to follow, finishing with both arms extended straight down the “target line” (away from the anchor point). Be sure to maintain a proper spine angle, and finish in balance. Perform 3 sets of 10 on both sides.    Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Moves of the Week. For more exercises like this, be sure to check out our workouts on TRX Live + on Demand here!    Trevor Anderson, CSCS is a TRX Master Instructor, and the Owner and Founder of the Better Every Day® Performance Institute in Orlando, Florida, where he coaches and educates athletes to achieve excellence at every level. “Coach T.A.” has worked with Under Armour since 2009 as a member of the UA Training Team, Brand Ambassador, Director of On-Field Performance for “UA All-America Football”, Director of Golf Performance. Coach T.A. is a former professional athlete that has been blessed with the opportunity to train, work with, and learn from NFL, NBA, and MLB Hall of Famers, Super Bowl Champions, Heisman Trophy winners, NBA All-Stars, MLB All-Stars, and Gold Glovers, World #1 Golfers, World Long Drive Champions, Tennis Grand Slam Winners, Olympic Sprinters, and Gold Medalists, and many of the best athletes in the world. He mentors the youth educates teachers and trainers, and presents at major conferences worldwide with TRX, amongst other companies. He has been named one of the Top 50 Golf Fitness Instructors in America multiple times by Golf Digest, has been featured frequently on the Golf Channel, and has had monthly featured fitness and performance articles in Golf Week Magazine. Coach T.A. has also created GOLFleticism®, a comprehensive training and education program designed to help improve the performance of golfers, instructors, and trainers alike.  

  Playing is powerful and finding the FUN in fitness is a very important component. It brings out joy, a smile, it leaves us wanting more, and makes us more successful. Making exercise fun helps reveal the celebration of what your body can do. TRX Master Instructor, Britny Fowler, finds joy in exploring and building creative variations on top of basic TRX exercises using a TRX Suspension Trainer.  TRX Pull-up Adjust your straps to over-shortened. Start in a seated position underneath the anchor point with your spine vertical, arms straight, palms facing each other, knees bent, and feet flat on the ground. Pull your shoulders down your back and keep a vertical spine. Pull up using as little or as much assistance with your feet as needed. Control the descent back to start position. For a bit of fun, add a hip press after completing a pull-up. For the hip press, your arms stay straight while holding onto the handles. Drive your feet into the ground, then squeeze your glutes to drive up in a bridge position. Lower your hips back down. For one more level of fun, add an extension of your knees from the hip press position to end in the supine (facing up) plank position. From the supine plank, pull your body back to stack your knees over your ankles in the bridge shape. Control and lower your hips back down to the ground.  TRX Step Back Lunge  Begin with your straps at mid-length and stand facing the anchor point. Bring your elbows by your sides and stand tall, like a pencil. Take a large step back and bend your back knee towards the ground. Keep your chest lifted. Then, push back through your standing heel to drive up to start position. Alternate sides. Here is the fun part: add some athletic footwork between each lunge. Your feet can scissor-switch two times in the middle before dropping down into the lunge. To activate one more level of fun, add locomotion with this movement in an arch around the anchor point.  TRX Cross Back Lunge Start with your straps at mid-length and stand facing the anchor point. Keep your elbows by your sides and your chest proud. Extend one leg behind you diagonally, like a curtsy. Drop your back knee towards the ground. Then drive back up. Alternate sides. Want to step it up a notch? Change the cross back lunge to a forward cross step lunge. Same in the same start position, but step forward diagonally and reach your arms diagonally across your front leg. Press back up to the starting position. For those who find joy in a challenge, add a lift of your back foot once your body is in the forward crossover lunge position. Return to start.  Fun feeds the soul—so try to create room for fun in your workouts. Thanks for checking out this episode of TRX Moves of the Week! For more moves like these, check out our TRX Live + On Demand workouts and be sure to tune in next week for more TRX Moves.   Britny Fowler is an experienced fitness coach and presenter, providing training and education for several education companies including TRX, Your Trainer, Trigger Point, Hyperwear, and Lifetime Fitness. She teaches group strength, cardio, cycle, and pilates classes. Britny has appeared in the A&E series Heavy as a trainer to clients facing life-threatening health consequences as a result of their obesity. One of her accomplishments has been qualifying for the Boston marathon. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sports Management from Texas A&M, and has presented at IDEA East, IDEA West, Empower Chicago, and Dallas Mania. Certifications: NASM-CPT; NASM-CES; Peak Pilates Comprehensive; TRX Senior Course Instructor; TriggerPoint Master Trainer; HyperWear Master Trainer. Britny enjoys working with others helping them move, learn, grow, and flourish.   

  Balance is an important element of fitness to increase body awareness, coordination, and joint stability, and it helps to decrease the risk of injury. When you begin practicing your balance, it's much more than just finding your center of gravity on one limb, but it is also a mindset. In the two exercises above, the TRX Standing Leg Raise (with extension) and TRX Tree leverage the TRX Suspension Trainer to ignite your core and allow your stabilizing muscles to get the call to action.  The Suspension Trainer helps integrate your entire body to work together as one unit to enhance balance.  Your goal is to use the straps as much as you can! Eleanor Roosevelt left us with wise words: “Do one thing every day that scares you.” It is likely when trying new balancing poses, you may wobble, lose your balance, and even fall out of the movement.  At first, it can be frustrating.  I am here to invite you to try again…and again. Soon, you will start to discover it is less about ‘getting the movement’ and more about your willingness to practice.  This is how we practice a positive mindset.  Each TRX movement has progressions that amplify the balance challenge.  For the TRX Tree, bring the straps around your wrists then reach your arms up overhead to make a big 'Y' shape. Then, start to play with your balance and get out of your comfort zone. Bring one foot onto the opposite shin. With practice, you may find that balancing while pressing your foot onto your shin becomes easier. What was once challenging has become the new comfort zone.  So you continue to explore and move out of your comfort zone bringing that foot higher, up to the thigh, creating a brand new possibility. Growth.  Do you see the pattern? It has less to do with ‘getting the movement’ and more to do with your willingness to try again.  Replace negative self-talk with positive affirmation.  Remind yourself that you are capable.  With patience and practice, you create endless possibilities.    Who knew working on your balance could be so rewarding?  Remember, it’s a journey, not a destination. For more moves like these make sure to check out our workouts on TRX Live + On Demand.  Krystal Say, EP-C, is a master trainer for TRX and owner of SWEAT Power Yoga in Massachusetts.  Her advocacy for total wellness, passion for teaching, and wanderlust has inspired her 15+ years of experience in the fitness and wellness industry and as an international educator.  Known for her cuing techniques, Krystal is all things TRX and Yoga.  She has helped develop and launch the TRX Yoga program in 4 different countries, igniting this brand new way to move throughout different communities.  She believes that TRX creates the ultimate opportunity for people to move well and enhance their daily lives.  Get ready to step out of your comfort zone and spark the change to lead you to the version of the life you want to live.