Back On The TRX

It's been a damn long time since I strung up the TRX and got after a solid body-weight workout.  If you don't know what this thing is, you are missing out on what I comfortably claim is the single greatest fitness tool anyone can own.  It is basically a suspension system you can hook up to any bar, tree branch, basketball hoop, doorway, truck and so on to use against your own body weight to perform practically any movement under the sun.  Utilizing this style of training is beneficial is practically every possible way: building strength, mobility, stability, balance and power.  To hold your body in set positions, and to move through a range of motion in those positions, you must demonstrate great core stability.  In addition, the pressure your own body weight puts on your joints calls for the most functional sort of strength and stability training you could ever ask for.  Control your body, and controlling anything else will be that much easier.

To better understand the benefits of body weight training, ask yourself these generalized questions: how many muscle ups could your average body builder perform?  And how much could your average gymnast deadlift?

Easy answer: pretty sure your typical bodybuilder couldn't even come close to getting a muscle ups.  And...yup, pretty sure your typical gymnast could pull a double body weight deadlift with ease.  Conclusion: do more body weight work and you will be freaking strong as hell!

So, back to the workout.  I set up a 15 exercise circuit and blasted through it twice through.  I got every body part, every plane, crazy range of motion and tons of stability.  The workout was sandwiched between 250 double unders for time which was just flat out challenging!  I was able to get 3:24 on the first effort (getting 120 unbroken, not bad I would say), and then 3:34 after the TRX circuit.  All around I felt damn good with the work, and have been fully inspired to get the TRX back into the training program on a more regular basis.  I will use it in this full body circuit manor every now and again, but I generally like to use it for support work around other exercises.  It just adds so much to a typical program.

Here is the video from yesterdays workout:


Never Stop, GET FIT.

Josh Courage