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How does an exercise tool become a global fitness phenomenon? It must be intuitive, effective, and accessible. That's why the TRX Suspension Trainer has grown from an under-the-radar workout secret into a worldwide obsession. From athletes to seniors, the Suspension Trainer has become essential equipment for personal trainers who coach clients of all abilities. Want to discover the best TRX workout for your fitness level and goals? Take our quick assessment quiz for a personalized training plan. But you don't have to take our word for it; here are three groups of professionals that rave about the Suspension Trainer. TAKE OUR TRAINING QUIZ Trainers Personal trainers love working with the TRX Suspension Trainer. Florida-based trainer TA Anderson of Better Every Day said, “I have a professional athletic background, and I work with a lot of athletes now: NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball, and Olympians. I have Hall of Famers and Super Bowl champions on down to the everyday folks: the seventh grade kid who just wants to make his lacrosse team, moms of three, and every kind of client in between. TRX has helped me connect with every single one of those people—no matter what their level is—and they get tremendous value out of it.”  Texas-based trainer Priscilla Barrera-Cintro shares Anderson’s enthusiasm for the Suspension Trainer. “It doesn’t matter if I have 6-year-old kids or 70-year-old adults; it’s a tool that allows me as an owner, trainer, and coach to take my clients from easy workouts to challenging workouts,” she said. Researchers It’s not just fitness pros who rave about the TRX Suspension Trainer; wellness experts and researchers agree that Suspension Training is a top-notch workout. According to a study published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine in 2014, the TRX Suspension Trainer is as effective as traditional weights for strength training.  More recently, an American Council on Exercise study published in 2016 found that “TRX training improves muscular fitness while simultaneously eliciting positive modifications in several major health risk factors” like waist circumference, body-fat percentage, and resting blood pressure. Celebrities Celebrity workouts can be a great resource for new workout ideas. Think of it this way: many celebrities—whether they’re athletes, actors, or models—have access to personal trainers and the latest, most cutting-edge fitness equipment.  When you see celebs turning to the same tools or brands repeatedly, it’s because those tools work. And celebrities of all stripes turn to the TRX Suspension Trainer. Jennifer Lopez, Gisele Bundchen, Gwen Stefani, and the Kardashians all incorporate TRX into their training routines because it really works. (Khloe Kardashian even used it while pregnant, and Olivia Munn told Muscle & Fitness that she travels with her Suspension Trainer.) There’s not a body part that you can’t hit using the Suspension Trainer. People who know fitness know that the TRX Suspension Trainer is a foolproof tool that exercises all the major muscle groups. From coaches to pop stars to PhDs, experts agree it’s the ultimate, anywhere strength-training solution.

Don’t freak out, but your body is not symmetrical...and that’s totally normal! There are tiny differences between the left and right sides of your face, one of your legs is probably a little bit longer than the other, and maybe your shoes have always felt a little more snug on one of your feet. Just as you have physical differences between the two sides of your body, your strength may also vary. While those strength differences could affect your stability in the long run, there are some clever TRX Suspension Trainer moves to help improve balance. One reason athletes around the world swear by the Suspension Trainer is that it’s an all-core-all-the-time tool. The stabilizing loop—that circle at the top of the Suspension Trainer—will slide back and forth if you don’t engage your core, so you have to keep your core tight, no matter what kind of exercise you’re doing. That’s already huge for improving balance, but single-side TRX exercises take it a step further: they also help you identify and correct imbalances.  Most standard TRX exercises—squats, rows, planks, bicep curls, and more—can be modified to isolate a single side of your body. While some people like single-side exercises because they pose a greater challenge, others like them because they reveal which side of your body is stronger.  Let’s use TRX Single Arm Low Rows as an example. Adjust your straps to mid-length, and either thread the handles into single-handle mode, or just grab one handle in your left hand. Set a timer for 30 seconds and count how many reps you can complete before the timer expires. Next, repeat the same 30-second challenge, at the same angle, counting the number of reps you complete on your right side. Were the numbers the same? If you’re left-hand dominant, you probably completed more reps on your left side.  If there was a significant difference in the number of reps, (think three or more), consider adding extra work for your weaker side to create balance between the two sides of your body. You can repeat the same challenge with TRX Single Leg Squats, TRX Single Arm Bicep Curls, TRX Single Leg Planks, and TRX Lunges to help identify strength imbalances through your body. Keep in mind, your dominant hand and dominant leg may be different, so don’t assume that your right leg is stronger just because your right hand is. If you're feeling ready to go wild with single side exercises, here’s a 20-minute superset workout that targets your upper body, lower body, and core in six-minute segments, with a focus on single-side isolations. We divided this workout into 30-second intervals, so using an interval app like Seconds or Gym Boss—both are available in free versions with in-app purchase options—to keep you on track. There will be three exercises in each section of this workout. Want to find the perfect workout progression for your fitness level? Take our quick assessment quiz to get a personalized training plan. Complete all three exercises on your left side, followed by your right side, and then repeat each side for a second round. You'll have one minute of recovery between sections. TAKE OUR TRAINING QUIZ Upper Body Burnout (x 2) TRX Single Arm Bicep Curl Left (30 seconds) TRX Single Arm High Row Left (30 seconds) TRX Single Arm Power Pull Left (30 seconds) TRX Single Arm Bicep Curl Right (30 seconds) TRX Single Arm High Row Right (30 seconds) TRX Single Arm Power Pull Right (30 seconds) Lower Body Challenge (x 2) TRX Single Leg Lunge Left (30 seconds) TRX Crossing-Balance Lunge Left (30 seconds) TRX Single-Leg Squat Left (30 seconds) TRX Single Leg Lunge Right (30 seconds) TRX Crossing-Balance Lunge Right (30 seconds) TRX Single-Leg Squat Right (30 seconds) Complete Core Finale (x 2) TRX Side Plank Left (30 seconds) TRX Side Plank + Thread the Needle Left (30 seconds) TRX Side Plank + Hip Dip Left (30 seconds) TRX Side Plank Right (30 seconds) TRX Side Plank + Thread the Needle Right (30 seconds) TRX Side Plank + Hip Dip Right (30 seconds) You don’t have to spend your entire isolation workout counting reps—unless you want to!—but the benefit of single-side intervals is you can quickly identify major imbalances. Here, the diagnosis and the treatment are the same: if one side is significantly stronger than the other, additional reps on the weaker side will help you find balance.  

The TRX Tactical Training Locker  TRX's most comprehensive deployable training solution, the TRX Tactical Training Locker, delivers fully-integrated gear, programming and education, anywhere. Want to find the right tactical training program for your unit? Take our quick assessment quiz to get a customized plan tailored to military and first responder needs. Using cutting-edge training methodologies programmed on the highest quality, field-tested gear, the Locker provides a complete training solution for all branches of the military and first responders. TAKE OUR TRAINING QUIZ   The Locker is an 8-foot Tricon ISO container that transforms into a fully-functional, multi-modality training center in less than 45 minutes. When not in use, the Locker securely stores all of your training equipment and can be modified to also include an LSA™ (Land, Sea, Air) Adapter device so it can be deployed on military aircraft with 108” 463L cargo systems. The Locker comes with three independent functional-training racks to facilitate each of the Lift / Move / Recover stations in our tactical training program. For more information on the TRX Tactical Training Locker, or how to purchase, click here. For more information on TRX Tactical Training, click here.

You know what they say: If something is easy, then everybody would do it. For no daily, or weekly, ritual does this adage hold more weight than working out. And nobody understands this better than those responsible for motivating their clients to do just that.  Whether you’re a personal trainer, group class instructor, Bootcamp leader or anyone in between, the motivational power of a great workout playlist simply cannot be denied. Strike the right chord in your studio and the positive response is immediate: Clients’ heads start bobbing, bodies hopping, fists clenching…it’s go time. Understanding that musical tastes vary, especially amidst a mixed gender audience, and that the right playlist can elevate going-through-the-motions to powering-through-the-movements. Want to find the perfect workout soundtrack for your training style? Take our quick assessment quiz to get personalized playlist recommendations. We polled the entire TRX office and culled our favorites from a list of hundreds into The Ultimate TRX Playlist.  TAKE OUR TRAINING QUIZ Just push play, and watch the excuses melt away. Can’t Stop - Red Hot Chili Peppers Stronger - Kanye West Seventeen Years - Ratatat Quiet Dog - Mos Def Fader - Temper Trap Empire State of Mind – Alicia Keys & Jay-Z Right Round - Flo Rida Dreams - Van Halen Just Dance - Lady Gaga Feel Good Inc - Gorillaz Lyrics to Go - A Tribe Called Quest Delirious – Prince Numb/Encore - Jay-Z & Linkin Park You Wreck Me - Tom Petty Concrete Schoolyard - Jurassic Five Download these tunes, and hopefully, when confronted with the choice of hitting snooze or the couch, or grunting through a fierce sweat session, this will be just the motivation you and/or your clients need to choose the latter. What’s your ultimate playlist? Share it here. We promise, no judgments.

The TRX Suspension Trainer can be used to ignite your pursuit of size, power and functional strength. We developed this free training program for Muscle and Fitness Magazine 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 My Locker Account, here.

Watch the TRX Lower Body Challenge. Work out your lower back, abs, glutes, hips, quads, hamstrings, calves with this dynamic challenge involving the TRX Lunge and the TRX Hip Press.

The TRX Crossing Balance Lunge is an excellent exercise to build single-leg strength and core stability for soccer, MMA or any other activity with unilateral lower body movement. Want to find the perfect TRX exercises for your sport? Take our quick assessment quiz to get a personalized training plan. To perform the TRX Crossing Balance Lunge, adjust your TRX Suspension Trainer to Mid-Length, grasp the handles and stand facing the anchor point.  TAKE OUR TRAINING QUIZ Plant one foot firmly on the ground and raise your opposing leg until your knee is parallel with your hip   Lower yourself down and cross the knee of your non-working leg behind the knee of your working leg   To stand back up, extend your hips forward while keeping the shin of your working leg vertical As you perform this exercise, keep your bodyweight equally distributed between your arms and planted leg. Brace your core and keep your eyes on the anchor point throughout the entire movement to help you stay balanced. 

By Chris Frankel, TRX, Head of Human Performance Let's start out with the end of the story – the new TRX Duo Trainer was developed to round out the TRX Suspension Trainer so anyone, anywhere could get a tremendous bodyweight workout. Yes, gymnastic rings have been around since the early 19th century and other equipment with two anchor points is available. We waited to bring our dual-anchor trainer to ensure it met our standards for equipment that can wear the TRX badge. We needed a compelling reason -- and product innovation -- to add to the TRX product line... the new TRX Duo Trainer is both. Not sure which TRX equipment is right for your fitness level and goals? Take our quick fitness assessment quiz to get personalized recommendations tailored to your needs and receive custom workout solutions that will help you make the most of your TRX gear. TAKE OUR TRAINING QUIZ It all started with a relationship and identifying opportunities. I met Kelly Starrett, DPT several years back when we were presenting at a conference. At the time I was living in Palo Alto and working for TRX in San Francisco.  The Frankel family eventually moved north to San Rafael, CA. One of our first days in the new town, I was dropping a couple of my kids off at their new school and I ran into Kelly dropping off his children.  We struck up a conversation, which led to a solid friendship. During a visit to Kelly’s gym, San Francisco Crossfit, he mentioned that the Suspension Trainer constrains certain moves in his “archetype position” approach. Fast forward a few months and several iterations with TRX product development, we had a solve for several constraints on bodyweight training. Never satisfied resting on laurels, TRX prides itself on always trying to push towards better. Kelly Starrett and his coaches were instrumental in developing best practices. It is not often easy to find such authentically passionate professionals willing to collaborate. But we sure did find a great partner in Kelly and MWOD. What’s old is new again and sometimes it was right at the start. Around 1842, Adolf Spiess introduced an early version of what would become the gymnastic rings of today. “ Ringeschwebel,” roughly translating to “ring swivel,” was an apparatus used for gymnastic exercise, including swinging motions and hanging positions (schwebe also translates to hover). Spiess’ version would become “flying rings” and were replaced in the 1960s with the round rings we see today. The design of ringeschwebel included “metal stirrups” for handles. The stirrup design may have been simply borrowed from stirrup irons used for riding horses. The straight handle design of ringeschwebel -- updated for the TRX Duo Trainer  --solves for several common issues experienced using the round ring design. The round handle is not an ergonomically-friendly shape for many people. It is even worse for people with hand or wrist injuries/limitations when the use of a false grip may not be possible on the round handle. In addition, for most people the round handle-hand interface becomes the weak link or limiting factor in the system. If your grip gives out or the more focused pressure points on your hands with rings limits the amount of force or duration of exercise you can handle (see what I did there?) you are not getting the full benefit of the exercise. Going back to the straight handle makes gymnastic-type exercises more effective and more accessible for more people. A little innovation goes a long way. On its own a straight handle is not new, but we did our homework on the diameter and length.  For the product to meet TRX standards, it had to bring more to the table than a handle improvement. In fitness and S&C settings where gymnastic rings are used, another common problem is adjusting the length/height for different people and for different exercises.... enter the “Infinity” strap design. Founder and CEO of TRX, Randy Hetrick along with Mauricio Delgado, TRX Director of Product, huddled-up and came out with an elegant adjustment and anchoring solution. The Infinity Anchors and Mobile Grips on the Duo Trainer enable quick and accurate adjustments for Rock Bottom Chest Presses, Dips, and Pull-ups for people of all sizes. This design also lets you take your Duo Trainer outside to anchor to a tree, at the gym on a pull-up bar, squat rack or on the cross bar of a cable crossover machine.   But will my Suspension Trainer get jealous? For over 10 years TRX has built its reputation on the Suspension Trainer..  There are numerous peer-reviewed studies on the effectiveness of the single anchor-point, limited slip design. The TRX Suspension Trainer provides a perfect mix of instability from the top down to create a proprioceptively rich environment with enough stability to drive high levels of force needed to build strength and power. The Suspension Trainer is a perfect tool for core work (peer reviewed evidence supporting this advantage), unilateral work (one arm or leg at a time) for balanced fitness development, pulling exercises (integrating the entire posterior chain) and even mobility work. The TRX Duo Trainer’s two anchor-point design provides more stability from the top down, allowing traditional strength and conditioning exercises like horizontal pressing (chest press), vertical pressing (dips) and vertical pulling (pull-ups). The TRX Training Philosophy approaches movement-based training by identifying key Foundational Movements including push, pull, rotate, hinge, squat, lunge and step. While the Suspension Trainer holds down the title as “best pulling” piece of gear, the Duo Trainer is fast becoming the “best pushing” piece of gear and expands the bodyweight opportunities for pulling by making hanging, swinging and pull-ups more accessible to everyone. Far from sibling rivalry, the TRX Duo Trainer and TRX Suspension Trainer coexist.  Our pair of Trainers take bodyweight training to levels not easily accessible before by leveraging the TRX Movement Based Training methodology. This is a case of 1 + 1 = 5, where the sum of these two is much greater than their component parts. 

Learn the in's and out's of progressing and scaling your TRX Suspension Trainer workouts with the TRX Principles of Progression. In the course of your research on TRX Training, you may have seen or read something about “the virtually unlimited scalability of TRX Suspension Training bodyweight exercises.” And unless you just took your TRX Suspension Training Course last week, you may be wondering, “What does this actually mean, and how do I use it in my training?” In essence, it means that almost anyone can use the TRX Suspension Trainer, regardless of his or her level of fitness. The principles governing Suspension Training are simple, easy to adjust and vary greatly, depending on your body position. In the video, TRX Senior Instructor Arthur Hsu demonstrates the three principles of progression you can use to modify the intensity of your workouts and those of your clients. Want to find the right exercise progressions for your fitness level? Take our quick assessment quiz to get a personalized plan that applies these key principles.  TAKE OUR TRAINING QUIZ They are: Vector Resistance PrincipleExercise Shown: TRX Low RowThe Vector Resistance Principle refers to your bodyweight versus your body angle.so The higher your body position from the ground, the easier the exercise. The lower your body position to the ground, the more difficult.  Stability PrincipleExercise Shown: TRX Chest PressThe more points of contact your body has with the ground (one foot or two feet) and the farther apart your stance, the easier an exercise will be.  Pendulum PrincipleExercise Shown: TRX Hamstring CurlThink of the ground directly under the anchor point as neutral. The farther away from neutral (toward you) you are, the harder an exercise will be. The farther past neutral you are, the easier an exercise will be. Apply these three principles to your TRX workouts. You can perform the same workout repeatedly for months at a time and make it progressively more challenging. Or, if you find an exercise to be too difficult, use these principles to make the movement easier.