A review of TRX suspension system trainer

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I decided to write a TRX Suspension Trainer System review to provide answers to five of the most frequently asked questions regarding this popular exercise system:
1) What is the TRX Suspension Trainer?
2) Why is the TRX special?
3) Is the TRX Suspension Trainer worth the money?
4) Is the TRX safe?
5) How can you anchor the TRX?
What Is The TRX Suspension Trainer?
The idea for the TRX originated with the US Navy SEALS. These military athletes believed it was essential to have a portable, versatile and effective means of keeping in peak physical shape wherever they went and in whatever conditions.
The TRX Suspension Trainer is a clever exercise system that is essentially an adjustable strap suspended from a single anchor point with hand grips for the hands and incorporated stirrups for the feet. The TRX is made with industrial strength materials and extra stitching equivalent to what is found in the mountain climbing equipment industry. The straps are put together from high grade nylon webbing that is tested to 1400lbs. The design includes a suspension anchor strap with a carabiner and several incorporated anchor loops making it quick and simple to suspend the TRX from any proper overhead structure such as a stable tree branch, soccer goal crossbar, monkey bars, swing set or even a vertical structure such as a tree trunk or telephone pole. Anything sturdy enough that can support your body weight and allow unrestricted movement will do. The combination of the non-slip cam buckles and pull tabs facilitate easy adjustments to the strap lengths making transitions between exercises quick and fluid - great for interval and metabolic training.
Fitness Anywhere, the business that designs and sells the TRX Suspension Trainer, warranties it's merchandise for one-year against any defects in materials or workmanship as well as a 30-day satisfaction guarantee if you should change your mind about owning the product.
Why Is The TRX Special?
What makes the TRX Suspension Trainer out of the ordinary among the vast majority of fitness equipment is it's versatility, portability, and effectiveness and it does all three very well. In all my years of fitness and sports training, I personally have not found a single piece of equipment that was so compact and lightweight, yet allowed users to perform practically hundreds of exercises. Following this further, the TRX system is versatile enough to be helpful for everybody from the absolute novice to the pro athlete.
The TRX Suspension Trainer takes the common exercises like pushups, rows, twists, and squats (and many others) and makes them more effective and challenging by engaging the core muscles. The often neglected core muscles are unbelievably vital because they provide a sturdy base and foundation for your body to function and move.
On the other hand, some of the same challenging exercises can be made easier by providing support and a means for proper form so beginners or even rehabilitation patients can start slow and gradually increase resistance to build strength. Just moving the location of the feet or hands (depending on the exercise) and altering the body angle increases or decreases resistance. Moreover, narrowing ones stance can further engage the core muscles, while widening ones stance offers more stability and disengages the core area. This degree of control allows users to adapt exercise routines to their current fitness level and over time easily increase resistance to gain muscle strength, core stability, flexibility and metabolic conditioning. From the shear amount of different exercises and routines available, working out with the TRX should never get boring. This is an extremely important factor for many people including myself. If exercise becomes boring and tedious, it's all that much harder to stick with it.
Is The TRX Suspension Trainer Worth The Money?
The TRX idea sounds simple and in the beginning the almost $200 price tag doesn't seem quite justified. Still, the TRX allows users a great variety of exercises as well as the ability to perform these exercises in diverse locations: at home, the park, while travelling, at the local rec center, etc. A mere change of setting can add considerable liveliness to any workout regiment. Keeping your workouts fresh and fun is essential. When you buy the TRX, you not only get the straps, but you get the support of the TRX community as well. There are literally thousands of blogs, forums, articles, and YouTube videos in cyberspace that support the TRX system. There is sport specific training DVD's and videos for surfing, multisport, running, golf, football, and many others. Moreover, the TRX is engineered to handle the extreme and constant use found in busy fitness clubs, military bases, and the rugged outdoors. The TRX is a great piece of equipment and in my opinion, a sound investment.
To this day, I use the TRX on average 3 to 4 times a week for about 20 to 30 minutes per session to supplement my training for triathlons as well as a number of other sports like squash, half marathons, and hiking. Before finding the TRX, my triathlon training consisted exclusively of swimming, cycling, and lots of running. Over time, I found the benefits and gains I once enjoyed diminishing because my body was adapting to the same type of exercise repeated over and over. Not surprisingly, I experienced the dreaded "plateau" in my training more often, was prone to repetition type injuries, and quite frankly, I was getting bored. After trying many ways to mix up my training with varied results, it was my wife who turned me on to the TRX after she had signed up for a class at the local recreation center. My wife found the TRX classes fantastic and suggested I give it a try it.
The first couple of weeks with the TRX taught me how badly I had neglected my core area. Overtime, I gradually started to adjust my body angle to add more resistance and experimented with some of the more challenging exercises. After a couple of months of progressive TRX use, I found my running and swimming times considerably improved not to mention my recovery time after a race. The most important benefit of all, was a renewed passion to train. I didn't swim and run as much and replaced these workouts with short TRX sessions. My overall fitness and susceptibility to injury actually improved with less training. It was less training, but more effective and diverse training. Training was fun once again.
Is The TRX Safe?
Genuine TRX products are designed to exceed requirements needed for use in facilities such as busy health clubs, military bases and I've personally used the TRX at outdoor bootcamps where usage is constant and demanding. As mentioned previously, the TRX is tested well beyond normal weight loads. With suspension trainers, trust in the equipment is an absolute must or the equipment will not be used and the makers of the TRX products recognize this fact and it shows in the quality of the product.
Moreover, because of its popularity, the TRX has become the object of bogus and knock-off sellers who use shoddy materials with virtually no quality control measures. This keeps knock-off prices low, but the product is inferior and often unsafe. If you decide to get the TRX Suspension Trainer or other TRX products, pay money for the product from the Fitness Anywhere site, from Amazon or one of the authorized resellers in your vicinity. For a list of near by dealers, have a look on the official Fitness Anywhere site.
How Can You Anchor The TRX?
Basically, the TRX has three mounting options. First of all, you can use the TRX by wrapping the anchor strap around any safe, weight bearing horizontal or vertical structure. This could be anything from beams, chinup bars, gym equipment, trees, goal posts, etc. To be safe, make sure the structure is secure and plenty strong enough to support many times your weight. With this choice you don't need to pay money for anything extra. Secondly, the TRX Door Anchor attachment can be used to anchor the system in any hinged door. I personally only use this option when traveling and it's a fantastic accessory for that purpose. Nevertheless, at home I find the areas around doorways too confining for most of the exercises I prefer. The last option is the TRX Xmount ceiling mount. The Xmount is a nice option if you have an area in your home specifically for your TRX, but no exposed beams or anything to wrap the anchor strap around. The TRX Xmount must be secured into the supporting structure of the ceiling whether it's wood joists or concrete. If you don't feel comfortable doing this, you may have to have the Xmount professionally installed.
Summary
As you probably noticed, I couldn't hit upon much wrong with the TRX system. When I first heard about the TRX Suspension Trainer, I was a little skeptical. Even though the concept of suspension training intrigued me, I thought almost $200 dollars for "a set of straps" was pricey and I didn't feel like spending more money on something I'd probably only use for a few weeks. Thankfully, good sense prevailed and I purchase the TRX Suspension Trainer with the Door attachment from Fitness Anywhere and have been enjoying the system ever since.
On the negative side, the mesh carrying bag included with the TRX could have been bigger, so the straps are easier to pack away for travel. As well, I found the foot straps could have been made a bit bigger to accommodate larger running shoes, but these issues are trivial and easily dealt with.
The TRX suspension trainer is a versatile and convenient exercise system for quick effective workouts for strength training, core stability, flexibility, and metabolic training. The TRX Suspension Trainer is exceptionally portable so users can exercise anyplace: at home, while travelling, at the park, or at the gym.
In my view, the TRX can be used as a all-inclusive home gym, but where it really excels is as a valuable addition to an existing exercise regiment. This simple yet incredibly versatile exercise system keeps exercising fresh and fun! When it's fresh and fun, you're more likely to keep at it.
I appreciate your interest in this TRX Suspension Trainer Review. I hope you found the information useful...
Regards,
The information in this article is the authors own point of view and constitutes recommendations only. The author is an actual user of the TRX. Before beginning any new exercise regiment, consult a doctor for professional medical advice.
Darin of fitness culture is an avid triathlete, runner, climber, hiker, squash player and a kind of "jack of all trades, master of none" when it comes to many other sports. For over forty years, he's pursued his life-long passion for fitness, physical activity and exciting endeavors. In his spare time, he reviews some of his favorite fitness tools like trx suspension trainer review. "There's never enough time for it all, but I'll try!"