It was 2010 and Miguel Vargas was finishing up his first bodybuilding show when he decided to take a position with TRX. The company’s straps, which suspend from a fixed anchored point and allow the user to perform a host of bodyweight-centric exercises, weren’t nearly as popular as they are now in gyms around the country. But Vargas was tasked with procuring clients for the studio, and so the self-described “middle linebacker” was out there on the sidewalk trying to entice prospective members to their small studio in San Francisco. “They’re walking by the studio, and they see the straps hanging, and this big guy coming out,” he says, laughing at the memory. “It was a hard sell.”
But in the last decade, TRX has boomed in popularity, and one session is all it takes to see why. The first and maybe biggest reason? “We’re all core, all the time,” Vargas says. As soon as your hands touch the straps, your core engages, regardless of whether you’re pushing, pulling, squatting, hinging, lunging, or rotating. Like jump ropes and resistance bands, it’s also incredibly portable — the TRX Home2 System kit mounts in a doorframe and packs down smaller than a dopp kit, making it great for studio apartments and hotels without fitness centers. It requires no additional weight to get a killer strength session, and unlike those sets of bicep curls you’ve been doing while staring into your own eyes, all its movements are functional, assisting in your rec league performance and getting out of bed alike. “It’s not just about how much you can lift,” he says. “It’s about how well you can move.”
Vargas, who has since moved from luring curiosity seekers off the street to TRX’s training and development manager, has assembled the best TRX workouts that will get you started as you build strength, balance, and definition. All workouts last just over 20 minutes but will leave you huffing and puffing to the point that someone may need to get you an oxygen tank.
Total Body 1
Start here. This total-body strength session is the perfect intro to the pain of TRX, which targets all muscles, including the ones you didn’t know you had.
Targeted Muscles: All
Execution: For 45 seconds on, 15 seconds of rest, complete
- Squat Row
- TRX Lunge to Chest Stretch
- TRX Chest Press
- TRX Triceps Press
- TRX Y-Deltoid Fly
- TRX Squat Row
- TRX Lunge to Chest Stretch
- TRX Chest Press
- TRX Triceps Press
- TRX Y-Deltoid Fly
- TRX Squat Row
- TRX Lunge to Chest Stretch
- TRX Chest Press
- TRX Triceps Press
- TRX Y-Deltoid Fly
Then, for the finisher:
- TRX Chest Press +Triceps combo
Execute 10 reps, repeating the finisher for 10 sets and resting as needed. Focus on quality, not speed, and reduce reps if necessary.
Lower Body Burn
Say goodbye to walking up a set of stairs the next day with this 25-minute session.
Targeted Muscles: Glutes, core, quads, hamstrings
Execution: For 45 seconds on, 15 seconds of rest, complete
- TRX Squat High Row
- TRX Lunge to Chest Stretch
- TRX Hamstrings Curl
- TRX Hip Press
- TRX Pike
- TRX Squat High Row
- TRX Lunge to Chest Stretch
- TRX Hamstrings Curl
- TRX Hip Press
- TRX Pike
- TRX Squat High Row
- TRX Lunge to Chest Stretch
- TRX Hamstrings Curl
- TRX Hip Press
- TRX Pike
Then, for the finisher:
- TRX Sinigle Leg Squat
Perform 10 reps on each side, resting as needed. Repeat both sides five times each.
Total Body 2
Think you’re ready for the next level? Check out this full-body torcher and we’ll see how strong you’re feeling.
Targeted Muscles: All
Execution: For 45 seconds on, 15 seconds of rest, complete
- Runners Stretch (no straps)
- TRX Squat to Y-Fly
- TRX Atomic Push Up
- TRX Hip Press
- TRX Low Row Biceps Curl Combo
- TRX Alternating Side Lunges
- Runners Stretch (no straps)
- TRX Squat to Y-Fly
- TRX Atomic Push Up
- TRX Hip Press
- TRX Low Row Biceps Curl Combo
- TRX Alternating Side Lunges
- Runners Stretch (no straps)
- TRX Squat to Y-Fly
- TRX Atomic Push Up
- TRX Hip Press
- TRX Low Row Biceps Curl Combo
- TRX Alternating Side Lunges
Then, for the finisher:
- TRX Side Plank Hip Taps
Though it hurts, move slowly through the finisher. Perform 10 reps on each side, resting as needed. Repeat both sides five times each.
Upper Body with Core
True, all TRX exercises engage your core. But after your upper half is dead, it’s time to directly target those abs and make them truly beach-body-worthy.
Targeted Muscles: Shoulders, pecs, lats, biceps, triceps, core
Execution: For 45 seconds on, 15 seconds of rest, complete
- TRX Squat Row
- TRX Lunge (Right foot in straps)
- TRX Burpee (Right foot in straps)
- TRX Lunge (Left foot in straps)
- TRX Burpee (Left foot in straps)
- TRX Squat Row
- TRX Lunge (Right foot in straps)
- TRX Burpee (Right foot in straps)
- TRX Lunge (Left foot in straps)
- TRX Burpee (Left foot in straps)
- TRX Squat Row
- TRX Lunge (Right foot in straps)
- TRX Burpee (Right foot in straps)
- TRX Lunge (Left foot in straps)
- TRX Burpee (Left foot in straps)
Then, for the finisher:
- TRX Crunch
Perform 10 crunches, resting as needed. Repeat for 10 rounds.
Lower Body Burn
Ready to have your lower body set on fire? Check out this total leg burner!
Targeted Muscles: Quads, core, glutes, hamstrings
Execution: For 45 seconds on, 15 seconds of rest, complete
- TRX Squat High Row
- TRX Lunge to Chest Stretch
- TRX Jump Squat
- TRX Over Head Squat
- TRX Low Row
- TRX Squat High Row
- TRX Lunge to Chest Stretch
- TRX Jump Squat
- TRX Over Head Squat
- TRX Low Row
- TRX Squat High Row
- TRX Lunge to Chest Stretch
- TRX Jump Squat
- TRX Over Head Squat
- TRX Low Row
Then, for the finisher:
- TRX Hip Press
Perform 10 reps and rest as needed. Repeat for 10 rounds.
Total Body 3
Ready for our final challenge? Try out this intense total-body blaster, and we’ll see how strong you’re feeling afterward.
Targeted Muscles: Chest and triceps, back and biceps, core, shoulders
Execution: For 45 seconds on, 15 seconds of rest, complete
- TRX Squat to Biceps Curl
- Runners Stretch (no straps)
- TRX Chest Press
- TRX Triceps Press
- TRX Crossing Balance Lunge R
- TRX Crossing Balance Lunge L
- TRX Squat to Biceps Curl
- Runners Stretch (no straps)
- TRX Chest Press
- TRX Triceps Press
- TRX Crossing Balance Lunge R
- TRX Crossing Balance Lunge L
- TRX Squat to Biceps Curl
- Runners Stretch (no straps)
- TRX Chest Press
- TRX Triceps Press
- TRX Crossing Balance Lunge R
- TRX Crossing Balance Lunge L
Then, for the finisher:
- TRX Hip Press
- TRX Atomic Push Up
Perform 10 reps of each and rest as needed. Repeat the pair exercises for five sets.
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