by Fraser Quelch, Head Coach and Director of Training and Development at Fitness Anywhere
If you’re already
following a metcon program, then chances are you’ve wondered if
the TRX can be effectively implemented as part of your metcon
training program. In short, the answer is unequivocally, yes.
Consider that:
1. The perfect amount of
resistance every rep, every set, every workout.
There are hundreds of
exercises you can perform on the TRX that are functional, whole body
movements ideally suited to metcon. The TRX’s ingenious design
allows you to instantly, infinitely scale resistance with a simple
step towards or away from the TRX for
2. The TRX trains the body in all three planes of movement.
The vast majority of
exercises prescribed in typical metcon programs involve moving the
body in a single plane of motion, like dead lifts, cleans, pullups,
or squats. These are all fantastic whole-body exercises, but in the
real world, virtually every movement a human makes engages the body
in all three planes of movement—forward and back, side to side,
and rotationally. A planar training program should be incorporated into your metcon program.
Therefore, functional
training by its very definition should train the body to move in all
three planes of motion. The TRX is an unparalleled tool for training
the body in all three planes of movement, including rotationally. The
suspension training concept makes it possible to move your body in
training exactly the way you do in the real world—in 3-D. FA’s
educational products like the All Body Express train the body in all
three planes of movement, the same way the body has to move in real
life.
3.
Using the TRX for metcon saves time and
keeps your workout flowing.
It’s simple and
easy to transition from one exercise to the next on the TRX. There’s
no waiting for someone to get off the machine or drop a barbell so
you can have a go. There’s no futzing with pins or weight
plates between exercises.
4.Whether your goal is broad, general fitness or
training for your favorite sport, the TRX is for you.
TRX workouts can be
tailored to meet the functional demands of a specific sport or for
building general functional fitness. That’s why amateur
athletes at all levels, soldiers, and some of the world’s best
professional athletes in the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, and UFC choose the
TRX to forge the functional fitness they need to be game—or
combat—ready.
5. THE TRX IS FITNESS
ANYWHERE. REALLY.
Since the TRX weighs less than two pounds and
comes with its own dob-kit sized stuff sack, you never have to miss a
workout because you weren’t able to carry an armada of gear
with you on your travels. If you can’t make it to the gym, you
can still complete your metcon workout. Just anchor your TRX and
you’re ready to go.
This isn’t to
suggest that metcon exercises that call for Olympic barbells or other
apparatuses are without merit, though. They’re great tools when
properly used, and when paired with appropriate TRX exercises, they
can become even better tools for building functional fitness.