TRX is equipment that allows exercises to be performed using one’s own body weight, resulting in greater resistance and increased muscular strength, in addition to promoting body awareness and improving balance, posture and cardiorespiratory capacity, in addition to promoting strengthening the muscles in the abdominal region.
The TRX, also called suspended tape, is a piece of equipment widely used in functional training, as it allows you to perform different exercises with different intensities, such as push-ups, squats, abdominals, biceps, triceps and kicks, for example.
Suspension training, which is the type of training in which exercises are performed on the TRX, must be recommended by a physical education professional according to the person’s objective and training level, in addition to the instructor being able to give instructions to make exercise more intensely and have more benefits.
Main benefits
The main benefits of training with TRX are:
- Strengthening the core, which are the muscles in the abdominal region;
- Increased strength and muscular endurance;
- Greater body stability;
- Promotes improved posture;
- Joint stabilization;
- Increased flexibility and motor coordination;
- Promotes the development of body awareness.
Furthermore, suspension training is capable of promoting an increase in cardiorespiratory capacity and physical conditioning, as it is a complete functional aerobic exercise. Check out other benefits of functional exercise.
Exercises on the TRX
To perform suspended training on the TRX, the tape must be attached to a fixed structure and there must be space around it for the exercise to be performed. Furthermore, it is necessary to adjust the size of the tapes according to the person’s height and the exercise that will be performed. Some of the exercises that can be performed on the TRX under the guidance of the physical education instructor are:
1. Push-up
The TRX push-up is interesting for working the back, chest, biceps and triceps, as well as the abdominal muscles, which need to be contracted throughout the activity to maintain the body’s balance and stability.
To do this exercise on the TRX, you must rest your feet on the handles of the tape and spread your legs shoulder-width apart and place your hands on the floor, as if you were going to do a normal push-up. Then, flex your arms, trying to touch your chest to the floor, and return to the starting position by pushing your body weight upwards.
2. Squats
The squat, in addition to being able to be done with a barbell and dumbbell, can also be performed on the TRX, and to do this, you must hold on to the strap handles and perform the squat. A variation of the TRX squat is the jump squat, in which the person squats and instead of fully stretching their legs to return to the starting position, they do small jumps.
This variation makes the exercise more dynamic and stimulates strength and muscle mass gain, ensuring greater benefits.
3. Sit-ups with leg curls
The sit-up on the TRX requires a lot of activation of the abdominal muscles to ensure more stability and strength for the body. To do this sit-up, the person must position themselves as if they were going to do the push-up on the TRX and then draw their knees towards their chest, keeping their body at the same height. Then, you must extend your legs and return to the starting position, repeating the exercise according to the instructor’s recommendation.
4. Biceps
The biceps curl on the triceps is also an exercise that requires stability in the body and strength in the arms. For this exercise, the person needs to hold the tape, with the palm facing up, and keep the arms extended, then place the feet forward until the body is inclined and the arms remain stretched. Then, you must pull your body upwards by simply flexing your arm, activating and working your biceps.
5. Triceps
Just like the biceps, it is also possible to work the triceps in TRX. To do this, you need to adjust the tape according to the intensity and difficulty you want and hold the tape with your arms stretched above your head. Then, lean your body forward and flex your arms, doing the repetitions according to the instructor’s instructions.
6. Kick
To do the TRX kick, you need to stabilize your body well by activating your abdominal muscles to avoid imbalance and be able to perform the movement with maximum amplitude. To perform this exercise, you must rest one of your feet on the tape and the other must be positioned in front at a distance so that you can flex your knee to make a 90º angle with the floor. After completing the number of repetitions recommended by the instructor, you must change the leg and repeat the series.
