TRX Functional Training Benefits: Physics You Can Feel
TRX isn’t magic but rather it’s gravity with handles
Suspension training turns your own bodyweight into adjustable resistance. Shift your body angle a few inches and the exercise gets meaningfully heavier or lighter. There are no plates, no intimidation, just physics you can feel. When readers understand that, TRX stops being a “gadget” and becomes a reliable, scalable training system.
A History of TRX
TRX started as a field-expedient hack. In the late 1990s, Navy SEAL Randy Hetrick needed a way to train anywhere while deployed. He rigged a jiu-jitsu belt and parachute webbing over a door and realized the setup let him load push, pull, and core patterns by simply changing his body angle like a portable “gravity gym.”
After leaving and earning an MBA, Hetrick began refining the prototype and commercializing the idea. He founded Fitness Anywhere, LLC (the company behind TRX) in 2004–2005 in the San Francisco area and started educating trainers on “suspension training” while improving the hardware (handles, webbing, adjusters).
Like many fitness companies, TRX hit turbulence after the pandemic boom faded, filing Chapter 11 in June 2022; a few months later, Hetrick reacquired TRX and returned to steer the brand. Regardless of the corporate twists, the core idea never changed: simple straps that let you scale bodyweight training by inches.
The physics: angle → intensity
With TRX, the anchor point sets your lever and your body becomes the load. The closer your body gets to horizontal, the greater the fraction of bodyweight you must move. Recent work comparing TRX push-ups and inverted rows to their stable counterparts shows that position and setup (feet on floor vs. in straps, body angle, isometric vs. dynamic) shift both muscle activation and % of bodyweight supported. This is exactly why a tiny foot adjustment changes difficulty so much. (PMID: 37738266)
Practical takeaway: want a heavier row or push-up? Walk your feet forward/back a few inches. Want an easier set? Stand taller. It’s a built-in micro-loading system which is perfect for beginners and efficient for advanced lifters.
Stability you can use
TRX adds controlled instability. On moves like push-ups, single-arm rows, and fallouts, your trunk must resist extension and rotation. EMG studies consistently report higher activation of prime movers and trunk/shoulder stabilizers during suspended push-ups versus the stable floor version and useful when you need more stimulus without adding external load. That said, adaptations are specific: you improve what you practice, not everything at once. (PMID: 24511343)
Find your 8–12RM angle
Here’s the simple method I use with new and experienced clients:
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Set a solid mount. start in an easy angle: taller for rows/push-ups; knees bent for hamstring curls.
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Test 8–12 reps. If you finish 12 with 2+ reps left, make the angle a touch harder (2–6 inches more horizontal). If you hit fewer than 8, back off slightly.
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Lock that angle for today. Progress next session by nudging the angle, adding tempo (e.g., 3-1-1), or inserting a brief pause at the hardest point.
This works because angle and setup measurably change bodyweight distribution and muscle demand so you’re not guessing; you’re using physics to find today’s dose. (PMID: 37738266)
Four staple TRX moves
1) TRX Row
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Feel: ribs down, long neck, elbows drive back with the shoulder blades gliding down, not shrugging.
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Angle dial: walk feet forward for “heavier,” back for “lighter.” Keep your belly button roughly under the anchor for a strong working angle.
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Fix a fault: shrugging? Think “put your shoulder blades in your back pockets” before you row.
2) TRX Push-Up
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Feel: one straight line from ear to ankle; exhale to keep ribs from flaring.
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Angle dial: step feet back to increase load; keep hands under shoulders at the bottom.
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Why it works: suspended push-ups show greater pec/delt/triceps and core activation than stable push-ups with more stimulus without adding external load. (PMID: 37738266)
3) TRX Hamstring Curl
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Feel: heels drive down, hips stay lifted, hamstrings, not low back, do the work.
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Angle dial: scoot hips farther from the anchor or increase knee extension to progress; regress by bending knees more and keeping hips slightly lower.
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Coach tip: keep your ribs “heavy” as you extend to avoid lumbar sway.
4) TRX Y-Raise
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Feel: “thumbs up to the sky,” ribs stacked over pelvis, glutes lightly on.
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Angle dial: tiny foot moves matter; prioritize slow lowers over big, sloppy ranges.
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Fix a fault: if you arch to hit the “Y,” reduce the angle and own the position.
Who TRX serves
Beginners (and the gym-shy): TRX feels non-threatening and no clanking plates, no guesswork. You can see progression (one step changes load), which helps dismantle myths like “weights hurt you” or “I’ll look silly.” Good coaching plus self-scaling equals confidence and consistency.
Experienced lifters: TRX shines as joint-friendly accessory work and for unilateral strength/balance. Clean up scapular control, own end-ranges with tempo, and rack up high-quality volume on cranky days—then go crush your barbell lifts.
Older or deconditioned adults: Early trials and short programs using suspension training report improvements in balance, stability, and functional performance when progressed sensibly—another sign TRX scales down and up well. PMID: 38256308
Quick myths to retire
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“Weights hurt you.” Poor progression hurts. TRX makes progression obvious: stand taller to de-load, step back to reload. EMG and setup studies show you can increase stimulus by angle and control, not just by piling on load. (PMID: 37738266)
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“I’ll look silly using straps.” You’ll look like someone who understands physics. Pro and gen-pop clients use the same “find your angle” method to personalize difficulty in seconds.
Final nudge
If you’re nervous about “weights,” TRX lets you start exactly where you are and progress by inches. If you already lift, TRX is the cleanest way to build control, stability, and quality volume that makes your heavy work better.
Ready to try it? Book your free assessment and we’ll set your perfect starting angle.
References
- Blasco, J. M., Domínguez-Navarro, F., Tolsada-Velasco, C., de-Borja-Fuentes, I., Costa-Moreno, E., García-Gomáriz, C., Chiva-Miralles, M. J., Roig-Casasús, S., & Hernández-Guillen, D. (2023). The Effects of Suspension Training on Dynamic, Static Balance, and Stability: An Interventional Study. Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania), 60(1), 47. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina60010047
- Snarr, R. L., & Esco, M. R. (2013). Electromyographic comparison of traditional and suspension push-ups. Journal of human kinetics, 39, 75–83. https://doi.org/10.2478/hukin-2013-0070
- Vural, F., Erman, B., Ranisavljev, I., Yuzbasioglu, Y., Ćopić, N., Aksit, T., Dopsaj, M., & Ozkol, M. Z. (2023). Can different variations of suspension exercises provide adequate loads and muscle activations for upper body training?. PloS one, 18(9), e0291608. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0291608