Exploring Suspension Training and Exercises

May 26, 2023 6 min read

Exploring Suspension Training and Exercises

Suspension training is a type of bodyweight training that uses two straps or ropes attached to a high anchor point. The straps or ropes are then used to support your weight while you perform a variety of exercises. Suspension training  is a great way to build strength, improve balance, and increase flexibility. It is also a low-impact form of exercise, making it a good option for people with injuries or limited mobility.

Here are some of the benefits of suspension training:

  • Builds strength: Suspension training can help you build strength in all of your major muscle groups. This is because you have to use your own body weight to resist the pull of the straps or ropes.
  • Improves balance: Suspension training can help you improve your balance by challenging your core muscles. When you are suspended in the air, you have to use your core muscles to stabilize your body.
  • Increases flexibility: Suspension training can help you increase your flexibility by stretching your muscles and joints. When you are suspended in the air, you have a greater range of motion than you would if you were standing on the ground.
  • Is a low-impact form of exercise: Suspension training is a low-impact form of exercise, which means that it puts less stress on your joints than other forms of exercise, such as running or jumping. This makes it a good option for people with injuries or limited mobility.

If you are looking for a challenging and effective way to improve your fitness, suspension training is a great option. It is a versatile form of exercise that can be tailored to your individual fitness level and goals.

TRX Suspension Home Kit

The TRX has led the way for Suspension Training

TRX stands for Total-body Resistance Exercise. It is a type of bodyweight training that uses two straps or ropes attached to a high anchor point. The straps or ropes are then used to support your weight while you perform a variety of exercises. TRX is a great way to build strength, improve balance, and increase flexibility. It is also a low-impact form of exercise, making it a good option for people with injuries or limited mobility.

The TRX Suspension System was developed by former Navy SEAL Randy Hetrick. Hetrick was looking for a way to stay in shape while deployed in remote locations. He came up with the idea of using two straps or ropes attached to a high anchor point. This allowed him to perform a variety of exercises without any equipment.

TRX has since become a popular form of exercise for people of all fitness levels. It is a versatile form of exercise that can be tailored to your individual fitness level and goals. If you are looking for a challenging and effective way to improve your fitness, TRX is a great option.

Some of the best TRX exercises are:

  • Pushup
  • Row
  • Squat
  • Pistol
  • RFSS
  • TRX L-Sit
  • TRX Biceps Curl
  • Triceps Extension

In the following we explain which exercises can be used for training and how.

Pushup

Starting position
Beginning the routine from a standing position, arms extended, users can decide the intensity of the exercise by the angle of lean. For beginners, only a slight forward bend is necessary, while more advanced users can assume a plank-like position. Muscles in the arms, elbows, and shoulders are then engaged and abdominal stiffness is cultivated.

Interim position
Beginning in the starting position, we steadily move our body from the arms to the low push-up position in the TRX, keeping constant tension. Thereafter, we resolutely move back to the top by extending our arms forcefully.

Row

The only TRX exercise for which we need a tool. In the simplified version, the TRX can also be replaced by a door frame, for example.

Starting position
At the beginning, we emphasize tension from a standing (for novices) or prone (for experts) position. To do this, we inhale and pull the shoulder blades back. Our arms remain extended in the TRX or on a doorframe or ledge.

Interim position

The Face Pull is a TRX Row variation that targets the upper back and shoulder external rotators. It improves posture by strengthening the muscles that help open the thoracic spine. Unlike the Row, we can't go as low and the pulling direction differs; elbows move towards the neck and face. A short pause of roughly one second is taken before slowly returning to the start position.

Squat

The TRX-based squat is an exercise known to activate both the hip and legs muscle groups. Depending on one's anatomical makeup, the movement can be executed with either a narrower or wider stance. Difficulty often arises in pushing the knees to the advanced position required to reach an ideal depth of flexion. However, the TRX can help enable a backward lean, resulting in the knees positioning above the feet with ease. With time, effort should be taken to increase mobility, allowing for the performance of a traditional squat. The TRX Pistol Squat can additionally be used to build strength.

Starting position
Begin with the legs slightly wider than shoulder width and feet turned outward. Pull the shoulder blades together and tense the abdomen.

Depth Position
To get into the low position we extend our knees in front while simultaneously pushing our hips back. We ensure balance by leading with our arms. It is critical that the spine remains upright. Keeping the chest lifted, we gaze ahead. A powerful extension of the hips and legs then pushes us back up.

Pistol Squat 

The Pistol Squat is widely regarded as a superior type of squat. However, the significant mobility and strength requirements make it difficult for many to perform. Utilizing the TRX, individuals can support their own bodyweight and gradually increase their strength and flexibility until performing the Pistol Squat unsupported is achievable.

 

Starting position

We stand in the TRX in a one-legged stance, arms bent. We raise one foot and position it forward, gripping the ground with our toes for stability. By modifying the seat position, we transition to the low position. During this, we remain with our abs tensed and back straight, bending only from the hips.

Interim position
When lowering down, we use the TRX to support ourselves with our arms while we sit on our heel. We extend the other leg forward and hold it in the air for a brief pause. Then, with the help of our arms, we push ourselves back up from the bent leg. However, the emphasis is on the leg doing the majority of the work. We should exercise both sides.

Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat (RFSS)

The "Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat" is an advanced one-legged strength and balance TRX exercise wherein the rear foot is guided by the TRX offering an unstable foundation for a single-legged knee bend. This exercise is an effective way to promote symmetry in strength and balance while also strengthening the hip flexors, which may become weakened due to extended sitting.

Starting position
We stand one-legged there, our back foot is threaded in the TRX. First we lift our knee upwards into the hip flexion. In the next step the hip goes back into extension and we bend our standing leg.

Depth Position
In the low position we have stretched our back hip and the back knee taps the ground briefly without resting there. The front hip and the front knee are bent. From here we push ourselves powerfully upwards from the supporting leg and return to the starting position. Of course we train both legs in this way.

L Sit

The L-Sit is a static core and upper body TRX exercise. Here we can either hang in the chin-up as shown or hold ourselves in the stretched arm as in the dip in the TRX. From this position we bring the legs stretched forward.

This leg position must be kept out of the abdominal muscles and hip flexors. A demanding stabilisation exercise that also challenges the upper body - and looks cool on top of it.

Triceps Extension

Two TRX triceps training options exist: a high elbow position and an elbow-in-front-of-chest position. Alternating between these two techniques enables users to reap optimal results.

Starting position
We stand with high or chest high elbows and bended arms leaning into the TRX. We pay attention to a solid abdominal tension and slight tension also in the triceps and shoulder. From here we move our arms into a stretch in front of our face.

End position
The end position in both variants corresponds to a stretched arm at head height. Here we do not spend too much time, but return relatively directly at a slow pace to the bent arm position. A slow return provides a light stretch and good tension in all parts of the triceps.


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