Like many people I have a TRX that I don’t really use.
But I got tired of letting it hang out in my gym unused because the reasons I wanted one in the first place are great. It’s a wonderful tool for doing efficient strength training to complement my running, cycling and yoga. It doesn’t require investing in lots of weights or extra equipment, and unlike many bodyweight exercises, you can modify the difficulty of the exercise to very precise degrees of challenging just by changing your distance from the TRX anchor.
Our muscle mass starts deteriorating as we age; there’s even a name for it. Look up “scaropenia” for some workout motivation! I’ve always exercised to increase my quality of life and regular strength training has long term benefits.
But only if I do it.
So I got an illustrated poster of TRX exercises and I watched some YouTube videos, but neither of these resources answered three big questions I had.
- What are the best exercises to balance out my running, cycling and yoga?
- If I have 10 minutes to strength train 3 times a week, what on earth should I do?
- Am I doing any of this right?
I decided I needed an expert.
So I talked to Joshua Fink, a Personal Trainer I know and respect from taking some of his group fitness classes at Equinox, including Boot Camp, Iron Tabata, and Tabata Circuit. He agreed to give me a targeted personal training session to teach me exactly what I wanted to know so I can get the most out of my TRX.
Josh came to my house, showed me how to set up my TRX, and created a custom workout for me – here’s how our session went!
Getting set up:
Josh showed me exactly how to set up my TRX to the correct heights for each type of exercise. We aligned the handles to my mid-thigh for upper body exercises like the close grip row, and lined them up with my mid-calf for exercises like the plank, saw and suspended lunge. For the suspended lunge, Josh showed me how to loop the handles together so the straps could cradle one foot. He helped me learn exactly how to adjust it based on my ceiling height and my height to be perfect for me, and I made notes and we took photos so I’ll remember.
TRX Basics:
Josh ran me through some basics for TRX and explained why it’s such a great tool. Exercises are either a form of suspension or assistance. Suspension means the TRX is allowing you to use your body weight in an exercise to increase the number of muscles that are engaged. Assistance means using the TRX to make an exercise easier by using it to add balance or reduce the amount of body weight you’re engaged in lifting or pulling, like holding the handles in a TRX squat or doing a TRX row where the distance from the anchor controls the difficulty level.
Exercises:
I knew that in one session I wouldn’t be able to learn and remember how to do a lot of different exercises correctly and that if I had even a 20-minute routine I probably wouldn’t do it. I decided to be super realistic and ask Josh to prioritize what I should do on the TRX if I committed to 10 minutes on it 2-3 times a week.
Josh kept it super simple but excellently curated. He told me exactly how each exercise was going to help with my running, why he’d chosen them based on the activities I do, how to do them correctly, where I should feel the exercise, and common issues with form to watch out for.
Here are the exercises he recommended for me:
- Plank
- Saw
- Suspended Lunge
- Close Grip Row
3 sets of 10-12 each done in a circuit to rest the muscle groups slightly in between efforts. Complete 2-3 times per week.
If pairing with cardio, Josh recommended doing the TRX work first. A brief strength training routine can enhance your run by engaging those muscles and getting them fired up before you begin and would be a good part of your warm-up after foam rolling. Josh said the long version of why has to do with ATP depletion etc., but suffice to say he recommends doing it before your run and frankly that sounds more fun than trying to plank afterward when you’d rather cool down and shower!
If it becomes easy, it is better to add an additional circuit repeat than to add to the number of each exercise. Ie, don’t start doing 20 close grip rows, instead, do an extra circuit of 10-12, or increase difficulty by moving your feet closer to the anchor. If an exercise really feels easy, seek out a progression or variation.
I took notes and Josh took photos of me doing the exercises so that I would remember what I’d learned.
Plank: Core and stability.
With the handles at calf height, Josh showed me how to get into the loops easily (lie on your back with your knees to your chest, hold the loops up so that the bottom curve of the strap is towards the ceiling, slip your feet in, roll over keeping your feet in the straps). For plank, he emphasized straight posture and not letting the hips sink or rise. Start at holding for 10 seconds and work up to longer periods of time aiming to hit 60 seconds eventually. You know you’ve hit your limit if you feel lower back pain or you can’t maintain proper form.
Saw: Core and stability, activating additional muscles through movement
From plank position, move forward and back like your body is is a saw. Maintain the straight form for plank position. This uses a lot of muscles, trust me, I could feel it! (I can still feel it as I type this.) Which is exactly what I wanted, since I’m looking for a short and therefore efficient strength training routine to complement my other activities.
Suspended Lunge: balance, strength, and stability of lower body including gluteus medius
Josh tailored the exercises to complement my running, and this one he considered especially important because it mimics the motion of running while requiring that you work on your strength and balance. Josh wanted me to focus on engaging the gluteus medius, a muscle that impacts the rotational strength and stability of the hip which is critical for runners. When runners don’t have good hip strength and rotation, their knees and ankles often have to compensate to create balance and stability. This can lead to knee and ankle soreness and injuries.
Close Grip Row: upper body strength including arms, shoulder cuff, and back
We changed the handle height to mid-thigh for the close grip row, and Josh helped me determine where to place my feet to get the angle that was an appropriate effort level for me. Standing further away with your body more upright makes it easier, placing your feet closer to the TRX anchor site and pulling your body up from a lower angle makes it harder.
This was one exercise that really illustrated to me how helpful it can be to have a personal trainer teach you the correct form. I thought I kind of had the row down, but while my posture was good, I was really using my arms to pull and not engaging my back muscles appropriately. Josh taught me the trick of pretending I was squeezing an orange just below my armpit and showed me where I should feel muscles engaging. It changed the entire feel of the row, got me to open up my shoulders more, and made it more of a whole body exercise than when I was trying to haul myself up using my biceps. I would never have realized I wasn’t engaging the right muscles without Josh’s help. When I think about the time I hope to invest in doing these exercises, it really makes sense to have the correct form so I’ll get the most out of it.
This is an action shot so my arms are a little bent because I’m in motion, but you would start with them straightened (but not locked) maintaining that strong plank alignment and then pull up with elbows going straight back engaging your back muscles and opening your shoulders. Please note in the second photo that I am ACTUALLY BREATHING! Josh had to keep reminding me.
And that was it!
I learned four exercises, with great detail on how to set up the TRX, how to troubleshoot my form in the poses, why the exercises complement my fitness goals, and how frequently to do them. I’m thrilled to have such a tailored workout of a reasonable length for the amount of time I’m willing to dedicate to strength training. I feel confident that these are exercises that I can now do correctly, and that if I only have 10 minutes, they’ll be the most helpful.
And when I want to learn more to mix up the routine, I can ask Josh to come back and add new exercises to my repertoire!
I highly recommend using a personal trainer when you have specific fitness questions like I did. The internet is a wealth of information, but deciding which information applies to your goals and experience level can be hard to do. It’s a great investment to ask someone with a wealth of experience to help you come up with a routine that works for you and make sure you know how to do it correctly and safely to get the best results with the lowest risk of injury.
Note: This isn’t a sponsored post and I’m not affiliated with Joshua except as a happy client who has learned a lot from him. I just want to share his info since he’s fantastic and I highly recommend him.
Josh does personal training in Newton at Paramount Performance & Rehab, will travel to you if you have a home gym within his range, and has online coaching services.
He is personable and professional, listens to exactly what you want out of your session, and thoughtfully prepares ahead of time to ensure that you’re going to get the most out of your time with him. He’s knowledgeable, thoughtful, and really took the time to make sure I understood and could replicate what he’d taught me.
Personal training can offer so many things. You can do what I just did and learn how to use the equipment you already own effectively. You can meet once a week to get a targeted workout where you don’t need to memorize the routine and someone else tracks your progress. You can do online coaching where you receive motivation, accountability, and customized workouts or training plans.
Whether you’re interested in a one-time session to learn a new skill and get a targeted workout routine or you’d like someone to track your progress and supervise you doing custom workouts more regularly, I highly recommend Joshua Fink. I loved the classes I took with him at Equinox and I loved working with him one-on-one.
Thanks Josh! This was even more fun than that time you had me do over 200 squats before 7 a.m., and that’s saying something 😉