Make Your Body Your Machine : chris frankel

Ask the Trainer with the 'TRX Professor'

Fitness Anywhere — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:31:00 GMT

In this month's Ask the Trainer, Chris Frankel, the 'TRX Professor' (and FAI Director of Programming), hits on a well talked about, but not often illustrated topic...proper form. A lot of TRX users are not sure about:

1. The best way to check their form while performing TRX exercises and
2. How to correct their form to achieve maximum results.

Watch the video below to see the 'TRX Professor' breakdown how to do a TRX Suspended Lunge from the ground up.

Be Your Own Lab Rat, Experiment 1

Fitness Anywhere — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:00:00 GMT

Post by Chris Frankel

Director of Programming, TRX Professor

Before I started working full time at Fitness Anywhere I taught Exercise Science to undergraduate and graduate students. I have always been a gym rat, nick named Willard in college because I spent all my free time (and some class time) in the gym. While there are different levels of scientific investigation all are based on the scientific method.

The scientific method can be broken down to four stages:

You observe and describe some phenomena in the environment.
You formulate a hypothesis, or best guess at an explanation based on the information you have.
Based on your hypothesis you make predictions.
Collect more controlled information (data) to test your hypothesis.

Now, knowing most of us in the Fitness Anywhere community tend to be type A, high intensity workout fiends I have a hypothesis for you to test for yourself. But first here is a little background. I go around the country working with people of all fitness levels. If I show them four or five progression of an exercise they almost always remember the hardest one. And those that cannot perform the highest level of intensity strive to get there. Once most of us get to a higher level of intensity of an exercise or program we hardly ever look back.

So here is the premise of this first installment of Be Your Own Lab Rat. Just because you can perform a certain progression of an exercise don’t be fooled into thinking you always have to be working harder and striving to make it steeper or more unstable. There is a concept in training called periodization which basically means systematic loading and unloading of training variables, traditionally volume (number of reps and sets) and intensity (amount of resistance).

Here is the experiment. Select one workout every four to five workouts and perform your exercises at a lower progression than usual. For example, if you are used to doing TRX Suspended Lunges at a fast tempo or with a hop, do them a little slower, without the hop and really perfect your form. Focus on the quality of the movement and sequencing the body. This will provide an unloading stimulus and an opportunity for perfecting form and motor learning. I often purposely do an entire workout, Ropes and Straps: Bootcamp for example, at the lowest progressions. I still get a great workout and I can perfect my form.

Try this approach for a couple of weeks and see if your overall performance improves.

TRX featured at the Perform Better Summit.

Fitness Anywhere — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 22:30:00 GMT

The Fitness Anywhere Team represented at the Perform Better 3-Day Functional Training Summit this past weekend in Long Beach… a must attend event for every trainer or coach who wants to improve their skills. The Summit featured the top experts in the industry and the TRX was a crowd favorite with ongoing demonstrations and daily workouts led by Chris Frankel, our Director of Programming.

A big thank you to our partner Todd Durkin who incorporated the TRX in his circuit workout which as usual rocked the convention center. Shout outs to Alwyn Cosgrove, Robert dos Remedios, and Mike Boyle for their TRX presentation mentions and support.

TRX Professor: Fitness Experiment Results are In

Fitness Anywhere — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:07:00 GMT

Post by Chris Frankel

Director of Programming, TRX Professor

Earlier this year John Berardi and Alwyn Cosgrove joined forces with Fitness Anywhere’s own Fraser Quelch to design and launch an informal fitness experiment. Everyone did the same weightlifting program designed by Alwyn Cosgrove 2-days a week. On two additional days each group performed a steady state, interval or TRX based workout for 30 to 45 minutes. The results are in! http://www.precisionnutrition.com/8-wks-cosgrove-jb-results

Overall it was a successful experience with 54 participants losing over 165 pounds collectively. These were not typical out of shape couch potatoes but experienced exercisers already in good shape. For this group of people to drop weight it takes good programming and hard work. In addition, everyone improved in physical performance tests. Congrats to the participants, Alwyn, John and Fraser!

While there were not “significant” differences in weight loss and performance across the groups I do notice some “substantive” findings. The TRX group demonstrated similar improvements in the strength measures, which is as expected. What may be surprising to some (not to TRX users) is the fact the TRX group demonstrated similar improvements in running performance (Tmax and Vmax tests) as both the interval training and steady state groups. Keep in mind, two additional days a week for eight weeks the interval and steady state groups trained on the treadmill and the TRX group did not. From a metabolic and work capacity standpoint the TRX training was just as effective as the sport-specific skill, running in this case, without subjecting the participants to the pounding and potential overuse injury risk! What a great case for effective cross training.

These results have already started a stir in the popular media as the interval training versus steady state conditioning advocates defend their turf. The take home message here is TRX Suspension Training is an effective part of any training program. You will continue to see Suspension Training being studied and dissected by academics, clinicians, coaches and trainers. Fitness Anywhere will continue to lead the charge to determine the related science and best practices that maximize TRX Suspension Training. We will continue to deliver products, exercises and programming to help you to reach your potential and “make your body your machine!”

The toughest Infantry Marines feel the burn on the TRX

Fitness Anywhere — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 03:44:00 GMT

From running hills in the desert heat to carrying hundreds of pounds of gear on “humps” up to 20km long, the Marines of the Infantry Training Battalion at the School of Infantry (West) are always looking for new physical challenges and ways to improve their combat effectiveness.

On June 2nd, Fitness Anywhere’s Chris Frankel and Alex Roodhouse introduced the TRX to the instructor staff at ITB, and the Marines took to the training with the same ferocious tenacity that has made them feared and respected around the world. Having survived the same challenging situations and environments which gave birth to the TRX in the SEAL teams, the Marines instantly recognized the value of having an individual training system that is highly portable and functional. Yet seeing the TRX initially as “just a couple of straps”, some of the Marines were skeptical if the TRX was such a system.

Undaunted by the skepticism (as anyone would be who intimately knows the burn of Suspension Training), Chris and Alex challenged the Marines to an introductory competition: suspended burpee’s and atomic push-ups. Shortly after the first few sets, the Marines began to believe. At the end of the challenge, they were TRX disciples. After such a grueling challenge, most of us would dust off, grab some water, and call it a day. But that is why most of us aren’t Marines.

After burning themselves out on burpee’s and atomic push-ups, for the next 6 hours the Marines diligently set about the task of learning the ins and outs of Suspension Training. With the completion of the Military Suspension Training Course, the instructors at ITB will now take the TRX to the students at SOI: new Marines fresh out of boot camp, eager to learn the ground combat skills that are the foundation of every Marine’s training. The TRX will provide these Marines the ability to exercise anywhere and anytime during their grueling training cycles, enabling them to maintain and improve their combat fitness.

Drop Sets and Pyramid Sets on the TRX

Fitness Anywhere — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Fraser Quelch and Chris Frankel discuss how to apply these advanced set arrangement with instantaneous adjustments in resistance using the TRX.

How to avoid cheating on the TRX

Fitness Anywhere — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Watch as Chris and Fraser have an interesting discussion and show some TRX specific examples of the difference between good and bad movement cheats and how to integrate the concept into your training.

Speed Up Your Workout

Fitness Anywhere — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 21:42:00 GMT

Be quick but don't hurry.

The Core of Your Golf Game

Fitness Anywhere — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:44:00 GMT

Golf has become a game of high technology equipment. One often overlooked key piece of equipment is the golfer’s body.

Is it stable and strong where it needs to be?
Is it mobile and flexible where it has to be?

A golfer will always perform better and reduce the risk of injury when properly conditioned. The question is how to most effectively and efficiently train for golf.
The drive is one of the most intricate skills in all of sports. A powerful swing places a lot of force on the knees, hips, back, shoulders, elbows and wrists. The lower back is often the site of acute and chronic pain for recreational golfers and can be a career ender for professional tour players. One way to both improve performance and reduce the risk of injury is “core” training. The easiest way to think of your core is your body minus your arms and legs. From your hips to your shoulders that’s your core, your power center and your key to performance and longevity.

Golf is obviously a game that depends on rotation of the body to deliver power from the ground through the core to the club and finally the ball. Most golfers find it surprising that the lower back, or lumbar spine, is not designed for a lot of rotation. However, you continue see golf exercises that target flexibility and range of motion in the lower spine. The more effective training strategy is to build stability in the lower spine while working to optimize mobility and power in the hips and upper, or thoracic, spine.

Low back pain and injury are often a result of movement restrictions in the upper spine and hips. Once movement is limited in these regions the lower spine is forced to produce rotation in the golf swing. The result is at best reduced distance, accuracy and consistency in shots and at worst, injury. A more effective approach is to train stability in the lumbar spine and mobility in the hips and upper spine.

Core strength for golf can be effectively trained from a standing position with exercises that promote lower back stability with hip and upper back mobility. Suspension Training is uniquely suited to deliver these qualities. Movements such as the TRX Golfer’s Swing exploits reflexive core engagement for lower spine stability allowing proper hip and upper spine movements required for golf. The TRX Balance Lunge and the TRX Suspended Lunge exercises integrate single leg balance and stability with core engagement. The TRX Suspended Plank and Side Plank variations train core stability and body alignment.

TRX Suspension Training has become an essential exercise tool for the cutting edge golf performance and injury prevention for coaches, trainers and athletes at all levels. The benefits in flexibility, strength and power are seen almost immediately. Core conditioning is vital for golf and Suspension Training is vital for fast and effective core performance.

Tailor the TRX FORCE Program to your Goals

Fitness Anywhere — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 16:42:00 GMT

Fine tune the TRX FORCE Program to what you want to accomplish, whether that is endurance, power or just a focus on strength.