Fitness @home with the gym-in-a-bag

One way to stay fit at home is «Total (Body) Resistance Exercise», or TRX for short. Put simply: full-body suspension training using your own weight. Functional training using the wobbly slings activates your muscles and sense of balance. It’s a mini fitness centre in a bag.

TRX was developed by U.S. Navy SEAL Randy Hetrick for effective training even in confined spaces, like on ships or submarines.

Resistance bands

EUR228,11

TRX Burn

0.17 m, Body weight

35

Resistance bands

EUR291,95

TRX Force Gym

1 m, Body weight

74

Resistance bands

TRX Pro Kit incl. Xmount

5

Resistance bands

EUR228,11

TRX Burn

0.17 m, Body weight

35

Resistance bands

EUR291,95

TRX Force Gym

1 m, Body weight

74

Resistance bands

TRX Pro Kit incl. Xmount

5

Train like in a submarine

My place is currently just that: submarine-ish. Unfortunately, I don't have the luxury of placing something like a rowing machine in my apartment. Unlike my colleague, Restin, who’s wont to indulge in such lavishness. Lucky him.

So, I ordered a TRX band with an Xmount. That’s a solid steel mount that can be screwed into any wall. It’s supposed to be able to withstand up to 350 kilograms. Sounds good. But during assembly, one of the included screws breaks after only a few turns. Less good. The screws are Boy Scout level at best, not Navy Seal Quality. No offence to any Scouts out there. Oh well. So be it. I’ll just use the door anchor instead and pray the door frame withstands my 80 kilos. No hard feelings, dear Mr. Landlord.

It comes down to correct execution

Short after, I find myself tangled in the ropes – slings – for the first time. And I really have no clue what I’m doing. That’s not good. Correct technique isn’t just important on the rowing machine. TRX exercises done incorrectly are just as poisonous for my lower back. At the gym, I've become pretty confident in terms of doing the workouts correctly. But here, at home? I’m still a little (read: very) shaky.

And even the leaflet included with the product offers me little help. My brain can't seem to convert the pictograms of the individual exercises into the right signals to send to my muscles.

Suddenly, I remember that some time ago we produced a video series about TRX and correct exercise execution. Aha – here it is:

First impressions

After a few weeks of «Total (Body) Resistance Exercise», I'm slowly getting the hang of it. I still miss training with barbells and the like, and I would rather do deadlifts instead of TRX hamstring curls. But as long as gyms are closed and my dream of having my own weight room has not (yet) come true, my hands are tied. I have to do with other forms of training. And suspension training using your own weight is certainly not a bad alternative. The fun doesn’t come cheap, though. But in return, I’ll always have my own mini gym-in-a-bag – no matter where I am.