Walk into any gym or TRX® class and you’ll see people of all ages and fitness levels using the now-famous yellow and black Suspension Trainer™. Women and men, teens and octogenarians, professional athletes and fitness neophytes, anyone can adapt the TRX workout to their own fitness level.
The TRX® Suspension Trainer™ is a lightweight, portable and scalable tool that delivers a fast, effective, and fun total-body workout. Users rave that it helps them build a rock-solid core, increases muscular endurance, and it’s easy to pack and set up anywhere so you never miss a workout.
Here are three more ways that TRX can work for every body.
Core Strength and Stability
Harvard Healthbeat describes the core muscles as the central link that connects upper and lower body; a hub through which practically all movement either originates or passes. According to Healthbeat, “Weak or inflexible core muscles can impair how well your arms and legs function. And that saps power from many of the moves you make. Properly building up your core cranks up the power. A strong core also enhances balance and stability.”
The experts at Mayo Clinic agree. Staffers say “Core exercises train the muscles in your pelvis, lower back, hips and abdomen to work in harmony. This leads to better balance and stability, whether on the playing field or in daily activities.”
Stability improves performance and helps people avoid or minimize injuries. Particularly as we age, stability becomes more important in preventing falls and broken bones. Exercising with the TRX® Suspension Trainer™ constantly challenges the core and improves stability by training you to use your core strength to generate and transfer power throughout the body.
Flexibility
When we refer to flexibility, we are talking about the total available range of motion. Much like stability, flexibility also boosts performance and helps prevent injury. “A well-stretched muscle more easily achieves its full range of motion,” Healthbeat reports. “This improves athletic performance—imagine an easier, less restricted golf swing or tennis serve—and functional abilities, such as reaching, bending, or stooping during daily tasks.”
The American Council on Exercise (ACE) notes that flexibility is often overlooked, but flexible joints are vital for pain-free and independent movement. According to the ACE, the TRX® Suspension Trainer™ makes flexibility workouts more accessible by allowing users to unload bodyweight and move through a greater range of motion, adding resistance and leverage to help safely pull the body to a range of motion that might not otherwise be achievable. With this tool, the user can manipulate the difficulty and intensity of a stretch, making any move appropriate for an individual’s fitness level.
Customization
There are very few pieces of exercise equipment that are as easily adaptable as the TRX® Suspension Trainer™. Unlike work with traditional weights, a TRX exercise can be modified by adjusting the user’s vector, (also called the angle). For example, someone performing TRX rows can make the exercise harder by taking a step toward the anchor point, or easier by taking a step away from the anchor point. These micro-modifications minimize the psychological barrier to scaling back mid-workout. In a group or public gym setting, that means that athletes at every fitness can confidently do the same workout, catered to their individual needs.
Fitness should be about individual performance and progress, not competition. With a tool like the TRX® Suspension Trainer™, it’s easy to take an exercise and make it personal. It’s the great exercise democratizer, truly made for every body.
