When Christian Thibaudeau was training a pro bodybuilder at the T Nation gym, we were surprised to see him pull out the TRX. Weren’t these things just for grannies and people who train in their spare bedrooms? Nope. Turns out that anyone can benefit from the challenge of suspension training.
You can pretty much train your whole body with the versatile TRX. And unlike most of the other copycat suspension trainers on the market, the TRX is built for abuse and able to handle 350 pounds of resistance. So it’s even good for fat powerlifters. Um, I mean STRONG powerlifters. – Chris Shugart
How did you @Christian_Thibaudeau train the pro bodybuilder with TRX? Assistance work? Metabolic phase? Volume density? Or were you just provoking him, making him angry for more aggressiveness in the gym?
I have this set and it is a great addition to a home gym, especially for the price. Somehow, it works grip and forearms a lot harder than rows or pulldowns. I can attest that it will hold up 340 lbs.
It wasn’t a large part of his training to be honest. It was used for what Westside Barbell would call “extra workouts”. The TRX exercises were a small part of those sessions. Mostly I wanted him to do a bit more volume with as little eccentric loading as possible.
I used the TRX mostly for upper body work on the sled/prowler. Attaching the TRX to the prowler, curling it or rowing it, then taking two steps back, pulling or rowing again, etc.
This was close to 10 years ago, I don’t remember the exact specifics of the workouts.
I’ve done TRX stuff before. They’re legit. Single leg squats are great on them. Inverted rows and pushups are good because your shoulders can follow their natural path. If I had a home gym I’d have a set of them for sure.
