Adding TRX to the toolbox

I have been wanting to get my certification in TRX training for a while but have not found any courses being offered in Ottawa. So I travelled to the next closest city and that turned out to be Toronto. Toronto has their own TRX Instructor and as a result there are more frequent courses offered there. Since I began seeking fitness accreditations, I have taken courses from three different organizations: RMAX International which provided my Circular Strength Training course, Agatsu Inc., which provided my Kettlebell Instructor course as well my Upper and Lower Body Mobility training, and most recently, group training from TRX.

All have proven educational and useful to me both in my personal training and as an instructor.

Circular strength training focused on restorative movements in all planes of movement. Both the bodyweight and the clubbell exercises had to be executed at speed without compromising form. This was the physical challenge. They were also concerned with how well you could teach and coach someone to do the movements correctly, one-on-one and in a group setting.

Agatsu Kettlebell training focused on executing basic kettlebell movements with proper form for peak efficiency and injury prevention. There was physical test of the movements taught as well as a cardiovascular fitness test at the end. Agatsu also taught us how to teach.

TRX training focused on foundational movements, basic TRX exercises, and coaching to the individual and to the group. Through application of TRX’s Group Coaching System, we learned to deliver TRX workouts that are adaptable to all fitness levels.

And yet, despite the differences in modality (clubbell, kettlebell and TRX) there is a common thread to all these systems: That being bodyweight exercises. You must master a basic movement without weight if you can expect to be able to properly execute that same movement under load. All three systems worked on bodyweight movement in addition to the specific tool being learned.

The one exception to the bodyweight rule is the TRX: certain movements can be made easier to do on the TRX than with just bodyweight alone. For example, someone who cannot perform one full push up could conceivably perform a chest press on the TRX. This is because the TRX allows you to work at an easier angle (called a vector) - one that is not horizontal. This reduces the load on the muscles. It is my guess that this single unique factor accounts in some way for the exploding popularity of this particular training tool. However, if that person cannot maintain the foundational movement that the push up is based on, which is the plank, then it follows that the plank must be worked on first. 

Similarly, the kettlebell swing is based on the foundational movement called the hinge. One must be able to hinge forward at the hip properly before adding load in the form of the kettlebell. Clubbells also have a swing exercise that requires the exact same foundational hinging movement as the kettlebell swing.

These similarities make logical sense because when you are discussing body movement the basics are the foundation: proper body alignment and structure, mobility, flexibility, stability, and movement. The basics don’t change. What changes is the way you apply them, whether for the purposes of variety or for stressing different systems of the body – cardiovascular, nervous, and muscular.

The TRX Group Training course was informative and reinforced concepts and practices I learned in previous courses. It definitely built on a solid foundation of best practices which I have noticed to be a growing trend in the fitness industry: One which places health and pain-free movement, and muscular systems not individual muscles, at the core of any fitness program. To quote the TRX mantra: “Movement is a skill you practice, strength is a skill you practice, better is a skill you practice.” Conclusion, you must practice!