TRX Training

I love following the Kardashians on Snapchat. It’s such a fun guilty pleasure. Kourtney’s workout Snapchats are also SUPER motivational for me. Granted, they have a private trainer coming to their house every day… but it really does make me want to go to the gym and work a little harder. Whenever I’m doing squats, I joke that I hope I get a little more Kardashian-y as far as my butt is concerned. They’re also always using TRX straps in their workouts. We use them in my training class, and I have a love/hate relationship with them. They look pretty simple, but there are SO many ways to torture yourself with them, and you better believe our trainer comes up with new ways to feel the burn.

There are a million ways to use the TRX straps, and I’m going to show you a few of my favorite moves. You could take an entire class or full workout that only uses TRX, or you could incorporate some TRX moves throughout your regular workout. The great part is that you’re using your body weight for the exercise so you can tweak the move as you need to just by changing the angle of your body.

(While I’m showing you a few here, try looking at TRX’s official Youtube channel for inspiration and instruction… and #TRXTraining on Instagram for more ideas.)

ROWS | These are a great place to start if you’ve never done any TRX before. You can go for a deeper angle if you want to go a little harder or a slighter angle if you’re just starting out. Simply start with your legs out and lean back with your arms extended, pulling your chest into your hands.

SINGLE ARM ROW | These aren’t easy, but the hardest part is just getting the handles correct. Put one handle through the top triangle of the other and then put it back through the triangle. (I’m having the hardest time explaining it, but this video shows it well.) Give it a tug before you lower your weight to make sure you have done it correctly– trust me, I’ve ended up on my butt for not doing it right haha! The trick for the single arm row is to think of it like turning a doorknob. Start with your arm extended, fist out parallel to the ground. As you pull yourself up, twist your fist perpendicular to the ground into your side.

SQUAT JUMPS | There are a ton of different squats you can do with the TRX. On the one hand, it helps you stabilize a bit, but on the other hand, it does allow you to go for deeper squats too. Aka, you will feel the burn. For a jump squat, you hold the TRX handles, squat, and launch into a jump, landing back down (softly) into a squat.

CURTSY SQUAT | These are great! Hold the handles and squat with one leg as the other outstretches to the side, just like a curtsy. Kick it up a notch by bringing the leg back up, bent, to the other side as you stand up. After one set, repeat on the other leg.

SINGLE LEG SQUAT | I’m not the best at these squats, and my form is not great so don’t judge me for the photos! They’re hard! With one leg extended, squat and press back up. Do your best to keep that extended leg straight.

PIKE LIFTS | For these, you’ll lower the straps down and slip your feet into the handles. You can keep it simple by doing a plank (you can even go down onto your forearms for it). The plank alone is a challenge. For the lift, use your core to pull your feet in and butt up.

ALLIGATOR PULLS | There are a few different “pulls” you can do. Like “Y” or “T” pulls. The alligator pulls are a challenge, but for the Florida Gators fans out there it should be a breeze 😉 Start with your arms out, one on top of the other, and as you pull yourself up extend the bottom arm down and the top arm up, just like a Gator “chomp.” Repeat with the other arm on top.

CRUNCH | Slip your heels into the handles with your legs extended and hips up. Pull your knees into your chest and then extend your feet back out. Repeat, keeping your hips up.

SIDE CRUNCHES | You can do these two different ways: on your back with your hips up (as shown below) or in a plank with your hands on the ground (as shown above). Instead of pulling your knees straight into your chest, pull your knees into one side, extend your legs back to the center, and then pull them into the other side.

MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS | I normally don’t love the way mountain climbers feels on their own. I have to do something else to engage more muscle groups. Like putting my hands on an upside down Bosu ball or with my feet in the TRX. Keep both legs extended out in a plank and pull your feet in one at a time.

REVERSE MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS | You can also do a reverse mountain climber by flipping over onto your back. With your hips up, pull one knee into your chest, extend back out, and repeat with the other leg.

Photos by Courtney Ann Photography

PUSHUPS | This is just like a regular pushup, but instead of your hands being on the ground, they’re in the handles.

There are SO many ways you can use the TRX straps. Give it a try the next time you’re at the gym!