Anyone using TRX. Looking for a strength training program to do at home. Did P90X in the past but found I gained too much bulky muscle. Lost a bit of muscle and strength training for an IM this year. Would like to get some strength back but without the bulky muscle.
For anyone using it. Would I be able to use it in my basement with a 7’8" ceiling or do you need more height to set up the straps?
Suspension straps are a great tool. Everybody should have a set. I have 7’ ceilings and it limits some things I can do but frankly they are exercises I probably would not be doing anyway. Its still very useful and you can do almost all the basics. It came in real handy when I broke my collar bone and needed to do some rehab work. It is great how you can adjust the intensity of a particular exercise just by where you stand.
Thanks. Could I use the TRX as the only strength training program or would I have to supplement it with anything else?
There are literally 1000’s of youtube videos on how to workout with TRX so if you have not seen the range of exercises or workout options, check some out. You can do strength training or move more towards cardio.
For me, I am getting all the strength training I need with it although its not going to give you the same options as you’d get with a hard core weight workout since you are, at most, limited to lifting your body weight. And in some positions, you are not even going to get that. For example, you can do a suspended push up but that is never going to be the same as putting 200# on a bar and bench pressing it. But, doing 45-60 seconds per exercise and switching gets to be a very hard workout pretty quickly.
FWIW-The “real” TRX is nice but there are quite a few TRX knockoffs around that are way cheaper than the original TRX if you want to save some money or check it out on the cheap. Seriously, for $37, everyone human should have one in the basement. http://www.amazon.com/WOSS-3000-Equalizer-Trainer-Black/dp/B005CV8LBW/ref=sr_1_1/181-8207790-5721744?ie=UTF8&qid=1414423414&sr=8-1&keywords=suspension+trainer+straps
7’8" is plenty high enough. It’s a great system and so versatile that I don’t think you would need much else for strength work.
I only started using TRX about a month ago, so I don’t have a great deal of experience with it, but I would say that it would depend on the results you are looking for. My opinion would be to use it to supplement and still use free weights for the bulk of your strength training. I am using it to rehab a biceps/elbow problem and it is working great. The difference that I see when comparing TRX to free weights is the muscle stress at peak contraction…for example: if you are doing TRX bicep curls, the closer your body comes to vertical, the less muscle force required. When using dumbbells, an xx lb dumbbell weighs xx lbs throughout the entire range of motion (yes, I understand that geometry comes into play as well, but I’m just giving a basic “for instance”).
Anyone using TRX. Looking for a strength training program to do at home. Did P90X in the past but found I gained too much bulky muscle. Lost a bit of muscle and strength training for an IM this year. Would like to get some strength back but without the bulky muscle.
For anyone using it. Would I be able to use it in my basement with a 7’8" ceiling or do you need more height to set up the straps?
The gaining of “bulky” muscle has a lot more to do with genetics than the P90x routine; with the volume and loads, it definitely isn’t designed for that purpose. Switching to a TRX is not necessarily going to change how your body progresses with resistance training, as opposed to P90x. That being said, your ceiling is plenty high enough and you should definitely give it a shot. And yes, get the WOSS at 1/5th the cost of the TRX; the two pieces of equipment are functionally exactly the same, in fact I’ve found the WOSS products to be more durable.
My ceiling is similar or shorter than that, and it works just fine. I use it mostly for core work, and it works really well for that. Between some of the exercises and P90x ab ripper vid I feel sufficiently thrashed. I think you could use it as the sole piece of equipment depending on your goals, but I enjoy matching it up with dumbbells and pullups. I’m not an olympic lift kind of person so I ignore the big lifts likely at my own demise. It is suprising how much harder it can be than what you think it is just looking at it, and do think you will find the strength over mass sort of gains.
Thanks for the tip on the WOSS. Just ordered one for $37 on amazon.
This is the only strength training I do now. Lost my straps in the move and my gym doesn’t have a free pair lying around, but it did wonders for my back pain and injury prevention. As a former power lifter, I approve these. I set it up with an Eye bolt on a block wall just short of an 8 foot ceiling. It worked perfectly. There are some good alternative that are cheaper. Go to amazon, WOSS is just as good. Only drawback is they do not lock so you have to do some special stuff if you want to do one handed. A lot of the crap that comes with TRX will not be used. You can also find every possible workout on youtube.