Hello- I'm planning to purchase my new TRX Force kit this afternoon.  I'm 24 yrs old, about 6'2 and approximatly 240 (most of that is gut )..... I'm out of shape and I'll be the first to admit it.  I do jog/run at least every other day for at least 45 minutes.  My question is what kind of results can I expect to see in the coming weeks from using the TRX along side of my running?  I plan to step up to running every day/evening for at least my 45 minutes.  I know where I would like to be 3 months from now as far as the way that I look. However, I also realize that individual bodies react differently to exercise than others.  I guess... generally speaking... what kind of results (physical appearance, muscle size, running endurance, etc) would be realistic for me to expect to see 1 month from now... 2 months from now.... etc?  Thanks.

Mudkey,

 First off, congrats on taking action!  Most people identify an issue and spend the rest of the their life saying "I wish I had done xyz...." or "If I only had more time I could..."  you are taking control of your situation, which is the most important part. 

The TRX will help you with regards to all aspects of your fitness; flexibility, strength, conditioning, etc.  My advice, though, would be to focus on the health aspects rather than the aesthetics.  Often, we let our physical goals get in the way of what is really important; improving our general health.  To shed the extra weight and get in the shape of your life, focus on creating a sensible and balanced life.  That means a healthy diet, proper hydration, plenty of sleep, dedicated strength training and cardiovascular activity, etc.  I think you already have a realistic understanding that everyone's body reacts different, and the fact that you are already running is great.  If you want to really step up your cardio, follow the running plan outlined in your Force kit; it's a smoker. 

 As for "results," I can only speak from personal experience.  During the first month, I noticed a real difference in definition of my abs, especially the obliques (but remember, it doesn't matter if you have abs of steel if you can't see them- goes back to the whole diet/exercise balance thing) as well as a general toning in my legs and arms.  You will probably not build a lot of mass using the TRX, but will rather "tone up" (which I gather is your goal).  You can definitely stimulate muscle growth, though, by increasing your body angle, holding weights or using a weighted vest, etc. if that is your goal.  I have noticed a considerable increase in my aerobic conditioning as well, but it is important that you adhere closely to the decreasing rest times between sets as you progress through the program to take full advantage of the cardio benefits.   

Overall, I think you are going to find that your energy, health, confidence, and posture are going to improve with the TRX.  Keep in touch on this forum as it will help keep you motivated and stimulate your creativity- an absolute in avoiding exercise boredom and keeping you excited about the program.  Keep your eye on the REAL goal: a healthy, fit lifestyle, and I think that you'll find the physical appearance part will come before you even realize what is happening! 

Good luck, keep us informed of your progress!

 The Force training kit will be perfect for you, especially if you are planning to integrate running to your workouts. As you are already able to run at a consistent pace for 45 min, you will be able to integrate the run intervals that are prescribed in the Military Fitness Guide. These will be highly effective at taking your running far beyond where it currently is so prepare yourself to be running much faster by the end of 12 weeks 

In terms of what you can expect from the TRX. To begin with if you haven't been doing much strength work you will be sore. I'm not going to try to sugar coat it or lie to you. If you expect it you know that it's ok and you'll get through it just fine. Your core especially will tell you in no uncertain terms that you've asked it to do something it is not accustomed to   Now I tell you this not to scare you off. You shouldn't be crushed with soreness and not be able to move but don't be surprised if you are unpleasantly sore after the first couple of workouts. This phase will pass quickly as your body will begin to adapt almost immediately.

Now that we have the negative one out of the way we can talk about the positives. You will almost immediately begin to feel more energy and within the first couple of weeks you will start to feel stronger. You will find that you can use deeper body positions for most exercises and that your muscular endurance starts to kick in. The exercises that might have felt a little unstable or awkward the first time will start to feel natural to you. This is because your neuromuscular system is learning fast how to coordinate the movements and stabilize the forces. By the 3 week period you should start to see physical changes in your appearance. Weightloss begins immediately (providing you are practicing sensible nutrition which is the equally important other side of the equation) but it usually takes about 3 weeks for you to see it. As an aside you will notice my choice of words was "sensible nutrition" and not "diet". Very generally speaking, drink lots of water (up to 3 l per day) have lots of vegetables and a bit of meat / protein and some healthy fats with every meal. Eat small and frequent meals and avoid sugars. Beyond this there is some great information at www.precisionnutrition.com and an absolutely fantastic cookbook.

From an exercise standpoint, weightloss has a bit of a "rich get richer" syndrome... This means that the fitter you are, the higher your output can be during the session and generally speaking the higher metabolism you will have. This is even more true as your lean body mass goes up which it will as you train. One of the nice things about the Military Fitness Program is because of the relatively short rest periods and its general intensity you will find it will drive metabolism pretty hard for up to 3 hours after the workout. This is where the bulk of your additional calories will be burnt off. So if you train before bed and wonder why you can't get to sleep... That is your revved metabolism talking

To begin with you may find that it is greater but once you are in rhythm, you can expect to be losing between 1 to 2 lbs per week. 1 lb per week is basically a 500 cal per day deficit. Any greater than 1000 cal per day deficit starts to send some really negative and counterproductive messages to your body. Another important note is that you need to be certain you are recovering properly from the workouts. While there is recovery built into the workout there may be times when you feel you need a bit more. Your nutrition will go a long way to help this and make sure you are getting good rest. The increased cortisol levels that are associated with insufficient recovery will affect your body's ability to shed the fat so this piece is important.

The greatest key is consistency. There will be times when it feels hard, you will be unmotivated or when you don't think you have enough time (Read the attached link for more on this http://community.fitnessanywhere.com/forums/t/505.aspx). Find a way to do it and you will be rewarded with great results. A close friend of mine's mantra used to be "weights before dates"  Employ this type of approach and you are bound to succeed.

Good luck with it and please keep us updated as to how it is going. 

Thanks a ton guys!!  I'm really excited to start the program and I realize that there's going to be a lot of work.  Touching on a few of the things that you mentioned.  In regards to the burn... believe it or not, I've been anticipating a large amount of muscle burn (ache) the first couple of weeks and I'm actually kind of excited to feel it!!  In the last week or so (in preperation) I have all but cut out completely the amount of pop/soda that I drink.  I've switched over to a lot more water as well as some "active" drinks (gateraid, poweraid) to throw a little bit of flavor in there.  I've also stopped completely eating junk food.  I wasn't eating a lot of junk to begin with, but I figure that even if it's a little bit it's still not doing me any kind of good as far as health and well being. 

 Hearing now what you've both had to say about what I can expect to see as far as results (both physical and mental) I'm even more excited to get started.  I'm up early every morning for work, but always have a difficult time waking up for a couple of hours.  I've always tried to counter this feeling with caffiene, but I think once I start working out in the morning first thing that I'll be a lot more energized sooner and that feeling will last longer. 

 I'm alright with where my weight is right now as far as the number is concerned.  Though I wouldn't mind dropping the number a little bit.  I'm more concerned with getting into better physical condition and 'toning' up.  I would really like to build some muscle mass, but that's not my primary concern at the moment so I'll worry about that at a later time.  Bottom line right now is that I just don't feel healthy and I'm ready for that to change!

 "Weights before dates" is a great one... but I'm married so I don't think the dates part is going to be much of an issue.   She really does make a great motivator though.  Also, I read your post earlier in regards to time to train vs. tv time.  First off, WOW!!  That really stunned me for a minute when I saw the numbers.  Then I started to do the math and quickly came to the sad conclusion that I'm one of those "tv people"....   It was at that moment that I decided that today is the day that the TRX is being sent to my front door and not someone elses!!  I really can't wait to get it and being using it.

Two other quick questions.  First, about how much time am I looking to spend with each workout session (average)?  I'm just curious and can't what until I have the equipment to find out.  Second, how many different excersises are there that can be performed with this one piece of equipment? I've heard (through various research) that there's about 50, other places I've seen only 25 or so, while other sources have said more than 300!!  Again.... just curious excitement!!

-Matt

 Sounds like you are off to a great preparatory start Matt. As an aside, don't be fooled by the sports drink marketing. There's not much in there that's good for you. 

As for the "weights before dates"... sounds like you have to take that wife of yours out. Don't have to be single to be on a date :-)

I'm excited for you on the training front. It looks to me like you are coming at this from a great mind set. The workouts vary in length and get progressively longer, the deeper you get into the program. The first sessions will take around 20 min. By the end they are closer to an hour. As for the various exercises, it is almost endless. To begin with people will only see the obvious 4 or 5 but as you start to play with variations of exercises the number escalates very quickly. Even more so when you begin to apply some creativity and using it in combination with other tools and movements, single handle mode etc. The answer to your question is 100s.

Most people will never use anything close to that many but they are all there for you to explore.

Have fun and let me know how it goes. I would love to see your thoughts and results here on the site as you roll through the program.

RIP IT UP!  :-)

Well.  I got my new TRX Force Kit yesterday in the mail.  I must say.... WOW!!!!   I'm very impressed with how simple yet productive the equipment is.  I have not yet officially started my 12 week program, I'm taking a couple of days to learn the equipment and how to safely and most effectively perform the exercises.  I spent about an hour last night most just playing around with the TRX, learning how deep I can go in each exercise and what kind of resistance I get at that depth.  Even though I was pretty much "just playing around" with it last night I can definitely feel a reaction in all my muscles in both my upper and lower body.  Sure it hurts a little bit, but at the same time my muscles feel totally energized!

 My wife also played around with it last night and she really likes the way the system works as well.  That's saying a lot!  She's always been in great shape, but she really dislikes workouts involving traditional machines or free weights.  She's already thinking about getting one for herself so we can workout together in the afternoons.

Great product here guys, you've really figured out how to make workouts a great deal of fun.  I'm very excited to start my 12 weeks and can't wait to take my TRX outside the house to enjoy the great outdoors in a way that I never have been able to before!!

 Thank you!

Matt

Matt: If you do get one for your wife you should get one of the other bundles. Such as the home training bundle. That way you will get other DVDs and guides. As long as she doesn't mind the yellow and black color scheme that is

So Matt how are things going for you? You should be at around week 3 I think based on the date of your last post. I am excited to hear about the results that you've been getting and if you have been integrating both strength and running elements or just the strength.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

 All the best

Fraser