Sometimes the mere thought of
getting into shape or beginning and exercise program can be so daunting; it
leads to failure before one even gets started.
There is the time commitment, the various clothing, shoes, electronics,
and costly health club memberships not to mention which one to choose and then
there is all the equipment. For many, this can be overwhelming enough that the
easiest choice so to grab another bag of chips and opt for the couch and a
marathon rerun of Seinfeld. Well at least it’s a marathon of some sorts, right?
It is true; exercising can be
a complicated task if you allow it to be.
The cost of gym memberships, equipment, personal fitness electronics and
clothing can add up, but the savvy consumer can get a great workout with
minimal investment. While functional strength
training appears to be one of the most costly and involved, a TRX suspension
training unit can provide an affordable, portable and highly effective strength
training workout for the entire body.
So what is functional
training? According to Michael Risner
with Life Time Training, functional training means moving your body the way it
was meant to move—using all your joints and your full range of motion–so you
can enjoy all the activities of daily life. We humans are designed to move
ourselves through space, but our lifestyles don’t reflect this. We sleep lying down, we sit down to eat, we
sit down to drive, we sit down at work, we sit down to eat, we sit down to work
some more, we sit down to drive home, we sit down and watch TV, and then we lie
down to sleep.
A TRX suspension training
system is ideal for increasing functional strength. While TRX (Total Resistance
eXercise) might seem complex at first, the concept behind it is simple.
Suspension training leverages gravity and the user's body weight to enable
hundreds of exercises for every fitness goal. This straightforward concept of
body weight vs. gravity is the definition of functional training.
So how does it work? Holding
the body rigid in space against gravity forces the muscles of the core and back
to work as they should to hold the spine in proper alignment. In addition to
building strength, stability, endurance and balance, the TRX is also a great
tool for increasing mobility and range of motion. There isn't a muscle group you can't target
using the TRX.
I'll often use the TRX to
increase core stability and strength along with leg and upper body strength.
The fantastic thing about the TRX is that the exercises are so easy to progress
and regress to fit your needs. A simple shifting of the feet forward or
backward can take a challenging exercise that can only be done with partial
range of motion to an attainable exercise performed with full range of motion
and proper form. You simply cannot achieve something like that so easily on a
bench press.
While setting up the
equipment is simple and easy to learn, it’s important to make sure the TRX is
securely attached to its anchor point (a tree branch, pole, or door attachment).
You’ll also need to adjust the TRX straps to varying lengths for different
exercises. A TRX unit costs about $175
dollars and comes with a DVD showcasing different uses of the equipment. There
are also numerous video tutorials on TRXTV available on Youtube.com.
HERE’S TO
BEING FIT FOR LIFE!
Chris is a Certified Personal Trainer, USA
Triathlon Level 1 Coach, Group Exercise Instructor, exercise and endurance
enthusiast. He competes yearly in
numerous running races, marathons, ultra marathons, triathlons and other
endurance events.
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