Suspension Training for Beginners: Everything You Need to Know
You come into the gym every day and see ropes hanging off of the wall. They look interesting, and that girl in the Lululemons seems to know how to use them to do some difficult version of a bicep curl. Or, maybe those are triceps? But what in the world are they? Those, my friends, are TRX suspension ropes. Developed by a Navy SEAL in 1999 who needed to stay in shape while not having any access to equipment, he ended up using his jiu-jitsu belt and some nylon webbing to create the first version of what is now known as TRX. Since then, TRX has been used by the military, athletes, and gym-goers alike!
How Does Suspension Training Work?
As you know, you can build strength with just your bodyweight. Just check out our HIIT blogs here, here, and here! But, suspension training takes bodyweight training to the next level, suspending you to challenge your balance, mobility, coordination, and strength. As soon as you try a lunge, you will see how wobbly suspension training can truly make you feel. This type of training allows you to do a bodyweight workout routine that can typically only be done on gym equipment. Moves like chest flies, rows, curls, shoulder flies, chest presses, and even standing planks can all be accomplished with the suspension trainer. The more that you work with suspension training, the more versatile you will see it is. And, after just a few weeks, you will notice yourself becoming substantially stronger with suspension training.
Who Can Use Suspension Training?
Probably one of our favorite things about suspension training is that you are in control of the difficulty level. Suspension training for beginners gives you the ability to adjust your stance or body position to make the exercise meet your needs, regardless of your fitness level. In the same way, an experienced athlete can also adjust their body position to create a much more strenuous exercise. This means that everyone can push themselves beyond their current fitness limits and become stronger.
What Muscles Does Suspension Training Target?
For the quick answer—all of them! But, if we dive a little deeper, we can see that with every suspension training workout, it forces you to strengthen your core. That stability we mentioned earlier gets better as your core muscles get stronger. So, though this piece of equipment is incredibly versatile and can give you a full-body workout, this workout stands out as one of the best for building core strength and stability. We love using the suspension trainer consistently to help us gain better control of our balance, which is so important as we age. By working on movements that force you to stabilize, your core has to engage to keep you upright and safe. The more you do that, the easier it gets. In the end, you will have better strength, balance, stability, and suspension training will make you a far better athlete overall.
Where Can I Get A Guided Suspension Training Workout?
There are plenty of TRX instructions online. You can find guided suspension training exercises on YouTube and tutorials on Pinterest, but if you want to have someone guide you through an exercise in real life, join us in Team Training. Our strength section allows you to work with various tools from free weights to BOSU balls, but we also work with suspension training TRX cables. Our coaches will be there to adjust your form and cheer you through a challenging strength training session. Feel free to speak up and ask for adjustments as needed, we are here for you and want to make sure that you are getting the most out of your Team Training experience.
We hope that the next time you come to the gym, you finally give these ropes a try. They look much more intimidating than they really are, and after you get the hang of this style of resistance training, it might just become your favorite thing to do. You can find suspension ropes at all of our locations. Don’t be afraid to ask one of our team members to “show you the ropes” and point out where to find them. We are always happy to help!