O.K, here we go - my first official blog on behalf of Explosive Nutrition. I was in the process of deciding what topic I should cover first, when I thought that the best place to start would be to cover a modern training principle that has drastically altered not only my physique, but my thinking behind resistance training in general. It's actually a modern take on a well-established exercise system that's been primarily used in Pilates workouts...it's just been made 'cool'.
TRX - "Total-body Resistance 'X'ercise" Suspension training.
The background: Supposedly pioneered by the U.S Navy S.E.A.L.S. (uber hench* hombres) to maintain peak fitness in the field, as the name suggests, it is a total body resistance training mechanism that is amazingly simple in its design and operation to use. Strength, flexibility, balance, definition, vascularity, you name it - TRX will benefit you in all areas. While designed to be extremely portable (the whole thing weighs less than a kilo) and used in the home, Gym-TRX training consists of a large metal A-frame with multiple stations that provide a greater degree of flexibility of movement.
The whole things works with your body-weight. The difficulty of the exercise you perform is dependent on the amount of your body-weight you want to work with, and the angles that your body-weight is applied against. Two straps that are adjustable in length are looped through one main support strap to the A-frame. The two smaller straps end with handles and loop enclosures for both hand and foot usage.
For me, this piece of equipment came along at the perfect time. For financial reasons, I had come off all my supplements - I wasn't even taking a protein shake. I knew that I could not individually train my muscles with the intensity that I had done so previously without giving them what they needed to recover and grow. Knowing this, I decided to begin a circuit-style, super-set training routine on the TRX. I reasoned that it would allow me to maintain my proportionate size and allow for a total body workout in less time. I only planned to switch to this type of training for a month. Well, it's been nearly two and a half months, and it was the best decision I could've made.
I am far leaner, sculpted and more defined than I've ever been before, and while I have lost weight, I believe that my muscle mass has been retained, if not increased by the high-intensity, low-rep exercises that TRX is capable of. I even use it in conjunction with a weighted vest to allow for greater resistance training.
So to those who say TRX is "just a gimmick", I smile, and mentally admire the new abdominal muscles I've acquired with this irreproachable training system. As evidence, I've taken the liberty of including a few amateur shots of my physique after 8 weeks of TRX training. Below is my upper body super-set circuit I designed that has created fantastic results for me. Perhaps if you're interested in using a TRX, this will point you in the right direction. Enjoy!
Workout duration 1hr 30mins
1. Double arm twisting bicep curls / full body triceps extensions - 3 sets @ 12 reps each
2. Chest press (with raised feet position) / Double armed row (with raised feet position) - 4 sets @ 12 reps each
3. Single arm bicep curl (gripping both handles) - 3 sets @ 6 reps / Dips (with raised feet position) - 3 sets @ 15 reps
4. Vertical shoulder press w. wide push-ups - 4 sets @ 8 reps, failure on push-ups / Double armed twisting row, with alternating sets of single armed row (gripping both handles) (4 sets @ 12 reps twisting, 10 reps rowing)
5. 3 Stage shoulder movement, straight armed: low level, rear-deltoid level, overhead level - 4 sets @ 9 reps (low, middle, high)
*hench - apparently, the newest word for being 'jacked'
