On countless occasions we have heard about suspension training . Surely many of us think that it is about hanging ourselves with ribbons and doing exercises on them. Basically we are not off track, but on this occasion we want to stop at getting to know it better and highlighting a full-body routine to start working.
For its development we must get a TRX equipment , since it will be the way to be able to carry out the vast majority of suspension exercises. We will do the rest with our own body and with the different postures that we are going to carry out. To do this we must follow some points to take into account.
What is suspension training?
First of all, it is very important that we know perfectly what suspension training entails and the benefits that this sporting practice will bring us:
- This type of training allows us to work on strength in all planes of movement , because the movements are more natural and free.
- It is a good way to work the stabilizers , since their intervention will be necessary in each movement to maintain the posture and work the required muscle group. This will imply greater control of posture and even better joint work.
Suspension training will help us increase the range of movements and improve the work of the body stabilizers
- This discipline allows us to adapt to the needs of each one, since we can increase and vary the inclination , as well as the support points and increase or decrease the tension, depending on what we are looking for and the moment we are at.
- Neuromuscular control is greater than with more stable exercises , since we must take care at all times that the posture is correct in each case.
- With these points we will achieve more richness of movements , while improving and increasing the general strength of the body.
- Body coordination is another point that we will improve, in addition to gradually achieving a much more suitable posture for the body.
First of all, it is essential to keep in mind that when performing this type of exercises, it is always advisable that we start with an inclination and movements that adapt to our physical form . In this way, what we will achieve is to adapt perfectly to the movements, to little by little, continue evolving.
Let’s not forget that the core, and its stabilizers, will play an important role in the entire development of the exercises. For this reason, it is necessary that we be very aware of this part and its operation throughout the time we dedicate to this activity, since it will depend on this part that we manage to maintain a large part of the stability when we are working in suspension. Suspension training allows us to adapt perfectly to our physical form, through the inclination of the body and the posture that we are going to adopt.
In addition, it will allow us to keep our back upright and maintain correct posture , to avoid bending it and not working properly. Therefore, it is necessary that we take care of this at all times in order to achieve better results .
Suspension Training With Trx: A Full-body Routine With Exercises to Work Your Entire Body.
1. Squat with pull to work the lower body.
First of all we are going to stop at an exercise to work especially the lower body . This is the pull squat . To do this, what we will do is face the TRX straps. We will place our feet parallel, separated, without the legs exceeding the hips. The feet will be well secured to the ground, especially the heels.
Your hands will grip each of the TRX handles and your back will remain straight throughout the exercise. The movement that we are going to perform will be to sit in a kind of imaginary chair . To do this, we will bring our butt back, without bending our back and keeping our legs apart without lifting our feet off the ground. The squat will allow us to work the lower ten with our own weight, simply maintaining the proper posture to do so.
Starting from this position, and with the butt slightly below the hips, we will rise through the action of the leg muscles . When performing the lifting movement, we will bring our arms to the sides, so that the ropes and hands are against the chest when we are completely standing. It is important that throughout the entire journey we contract the abdomen to guarantee correct posture.
2. Chest press to work the pectoral part.
Secondly, we are going to stop at an exercise to work especially the chest part. This is a chest press , which we will do in suspension. For this we will use the TRX. We will place each hand in one of the grips and we will make the body completely straight.
We are going to rest our feet on the ground only by the tips, to achieve greater instability and better suspension . In this position, and with each of the hands at chest height, somewhat separated from the side, we will raise and lower the body through the action of the pectoral muscles.Placing your feet on tiptoe and your body perfectly stretched will help us achieve greater instability.
Throughout the exercise, the body must remain straight by contracting the core muscles. All the tension should be concentrated on the pectoral part , and on maintaining balance. The more we lean downward, the more intense the exercise will be and the more difficult it will be to carry it out.
3. Suspension row to work the dorsal part.
Thirdly, we are going to stop at an exercise to work the dorsal part. This is suspension rowing. To do this, we will face the tapes, holding one of the TRX handles with each hand. We will place the body leaning backwards and the feet forward and fully supported on the ground.
In this position, with the arms against the body, at chest height, the abdomen contracted to keep ourselves straight and control our balance. In this way, what we will do is let our body fall backwards , while we stretch our arms. When we have completed the route, we will raise the body again through the action of the dorsal muscles, which will return us to the initial position. The weight of the body will go backwards and we must overcome it through the action of the dorsal muscles
Throughout the movement we must keep the body straight and stable. We only have to move our arms and activate our dorsal muscles . The feet are only a point of support, never a means of propulsion. As always, the abdomen will be a stabilizing point that will help us maintain the posture. It is very important not to put your shoulders forward or shrink them when rising. If we do it, we will have to lean less so that the intensity is lower and we do it correctly.
4. Shoulder abduction in suspension.
As the next alternative we want to stop at the shoulder part. To do this we will highlight an exercise known as suspension abduction. To do this we will face the ropes of the TRX. With each hand we will grasp each grip, leaning backwards with our feet resting completely on the floor.
The hands will be facing shoulder height and the arms will be slightly stretched , since we must concentrate all the tension of the exercise on the shoulders. The body will be completely straight and the movement we are going to perform will be, starting with the hands together in front of the chest, opening them to the sides, while the body rises forward. The movement will be concentrated in the shoulders, since the rest of the body will remain motionless and in total suspension.
In this way, by opening your arms and moving your body forward, all the tension will be concentrated in the shoulder muscles . This movement must be concentrated and we must not involve either the arms, which will only be a grip, or the legs, which will only be a point of support. In this way, the core will be contracted at all times and we can play with the inclination to give it more tension, since the more we lean back, the more difficult it will be to perform the exercise.
5. Suspension biceps curl to work this part of the body.
Fifthly, we want to highlight an exercise to work the biceps. This is the suspension biceps curl , which we are going to perform with two hands. In this case we must face the tapes and we will grasp each of the grips with each of our hands. We will lean the body back and place our feet on the ground by the ankles, so that the suspension is greater.
For this exercise, positioning is important, since we must place our arms in front, resting against the trunk to start. The body must remain straight and stabilized, through the action of the core. The heels will only be a point of support, since it will be the arms that will withstand all the tension of the exercise. All the action will fall on the biceps. To do this we must make a totally concentrated and controlled movement.
On our backs, we will begin with our arms stretched out, which we will contract by resting them on the sides of the trunk and drawing our hands towards us against our chest, so that the body will oscillate and move closer to the ropes. The action will be completely supported by the biceps part, and the resistance will be the body, since it is the load and depending on the inclination, the tension of the exercise will increase.
6. Suspended triceps curls.
To work the triceps we will position ourselves in a totally different way than we have seen to do biceps. In this case the body will be with its back to the waistbands and the feet will rest on the ground only by the tips. In this position, the trunk should be straight and the core contracted throughout the exercise.
The arms will support the entire movement, as in the previous exercise. In this case we are going to place them leaning against the trunk, bent at the elbows and with their hands down, holding onto each of the strap handles. In this position, what we will do is stretch our arms forward through the action of the triceps. The entire exercise will revolve around the triceps. For this reason, it is necessary to change the posture and make the triceps intervene at all times.
Throughout the entire movement, the body will oscillate, and in this case when stretching the arms, it will move upward . As we have seen before, the greater the downward tilt, the greater the tension that will accumulate in the triceps. It is important that the triceps are the ones that hold the tension at all times throughout the exercise.
Bottom Line.
With this simple routine, we can work the entire body through suspension exercises. It is true that there are many other exercises, but we wanted to highlight one from each muscle group. What we do want to focus on is the importance of posture and especially suspension.
Maintaining suspension will be essential at all times, and it is what will make the difference to the rest of the training sessions. To increase instability in suspension, we can only stand on one foot and elevate the other. In this case the core will support more tension, since the greater the instability, the greater the concentration.
The important thing at all times is to keep the body straight and know if the tension we are applying to the exercise is appropriate . It is necessary to control this, since if it is not done properly, the effectiveness of the exercise will not be what we are looking for, much less its development.