Effective TRX Suspension Trainer Coaching

Paul’s essential guide on effective TRX Suspension Training Techniques, plus a complete list of the Top 106 TRX Suspension Exercises.

This TRX Suspension Training guide draws heavily upon the three TRX Suspension Trainer Courses that I have taken, plus the many hours of training time I have spent working with some of TRX’s premier coaches such as Fraser Quelch.  For more on TRX Suspension Training, I highly recommend you read their blog.

The Eleven TRX Movement Patterns of Exercises

The Eleven Main Types of TRX Exercises. ¹

1. Plank: neutral spine, level pelvis, alignment of the ear ears, shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles. Feet in dorsiflexion, feet spaced 6 inches apart.  Glutes tight. Lats Tight.  Shoulder away from ears
2. Pull: rows and curls
3. Push: triceps extensions and presses
4. Rotate: two main rotation exercises, most TRX Suspension Trainer exercises are anti-rotation.  With only two rotation-based exercises, this group probably should just be dropped.
5. Squat: notable variations are the plyo squat and pistol
6. Lunge: TRX is excellent for teaching the lunge pattern
7. Hinge: The pike and hinge to press are excellent
8. Hamstring Curls: hamstring runner and hip thrusts are excellent
9. Lateral Flexion: Sideways tilting / side bends
10. Core Flexion: sit-ups / crunches
11. Combos: two or more TRX exercise chained together.

Some TRX Exercises incorporate more than one type, and nearly all exercises involve the plank position.

Good TRX Movement

TRX has a saying:

Conditions Change but Standards Remain

That is an extremely powerful phrase.  It means that even when you scale up an exercise, you must perform it at the same level of control and execution as you with an easier version.  These 5 simple words apply to all exercises, not just Suspension Trainer exercises.

Example: an Air Squat has certain points of execution.  A single arm kettlebell squat has the same points of execution, even though have one kettlebell in the front guard creates an additional rotation load on your hips.  It doesn’t matter.  You don’t get to do the exercise sloppy because it’s harder.  Conditions Change – But Standards Remain.

This principle applies to load as well.  Your deadlift should look the same whether it’s at 135, 225, 315, or 405.  Conditions Change – But Standards Remain.

The Six Positions of the TRX

Every exercise has exactly one position from which the exercise can be performed.  There are six positions for TRX Suspension Training.

1. Standing Facing Anchor (SF)
2. Standing Facing Away from Anchor (SFA)
3. Ground Facing Anchor (GF)
4. Ground Facing Away from Anchor (GFA)
5. Standing Sideways (SSW)
6. Ground Sideways (SSW)

Names of the Adjustment Lengths

Performing the TRX Suspension exercises properly requires one to properly adjust the strap length.  There are five adjustment heights to know.

1. Over shortened: for the Inverted Row or L-Hold
2. Fully Shortened: Row Exercises
3. Mid Length: Standing Exercises
4. Mid-Calf Length: Mid-Calf Length.  Mid-calf refers to the height of the foot cradle being at the middle of your calf.  You can also position the handle at your knee.
5. Fully Lengthened: Pressing Exercises

Five Essential TRX Suspension Trainer Techniques

1. Shorten the TRX Suspension Trainer: Depress the cam buck with your thumb and grasp the yellow adjust tab with the other hand. Draw backwards on the buckle and pull the tab up along the strap.
2. Lengthen the TRX Suspension Trainer: Simultaneously depress both cam buckles and pull downwards away from the anchor point.
3. Single Handle Mode
4. Heels In
5. Toes In

The Seven Sins of TRX

TRX listed Six Original Sins of Suspension Training.  In my experience, there are Seven Deadly Sins a Coach Can Make.  Number seven, substituting names, is my addition to the deadly sins.

1. Starting incorrectly: Example: the low row starts with the arm straight leaning against TRX.
2. Stopping: The TRX is dynamically scalable. We don’t stop if we are getting tired, we adjust the scaling dynamically, by changing our vector or increasing the base of support.
3. Sawing: The TRX Suspension Trainer is designed to require athletes to provide even pressure on the cradles and the handles. No sawing, the TRX is not a pulley.
4. Scraping: The straps should never touch or scrape against your arms.
5. Slack: The TRX Straps should always have tension. There is no TRX exercise that involves putting slack into the straps.
6. Sagging: Shoulders and Hips cannot be allowed to sag. Sagging degrades movement quality and creates risk of injury.
7. Substituting Names: TRX exercises have specific names. As a coach, it’s your job to know the real names of each every TRX exercise.  Don’t make up new names, because you don’t know the official names.

Adjust Resistance of the TRX Trainer

1. Adjust Vector of Movement
2. Adjust Base of Support.
3. Adjust Starting Position to Adjust Resistance. The pendulum principle.

NAPSMR

NAPSMR is an acronym for the way you need to coach the TRX Suspension Trainer.  It’s a game-changer in how coaches should coach the TRX.  Use NAPSMR when explaining every exercise.

• NAME of the Exercise
• ADJUSTMENT of the TRX
• POSITION relative to the anchor point
• START posture
• MOVEMENT: line of Action
• RETURN to Start.

---

Example of NAPSMR

• N: TRX Low Row
• A: Fully Shortened
• P: Standing facing the anchor point
• S: Shoulder blade down and back, elbow bent, hips extended, knees straight
• M: Maintain planks position and you pull your body towards the handles.
• R: Reduce the pulling force to return to the starting point.

---

Top 106 TRX Suspension Exercises

TRX Planks

1. Plank on Elbows
2. Plank on Hands
3. Hip Abduction (in Plank)
4. Leg Extension (one foot in the cradle)
5. Incline Press (one foot in the cradle)
6. Pushup
7. Low Rollout
8. High Rollout
9. Kneeling Oblique Rollout
10. Plank Single Leg
11. Supine Plank on elbows
12. Supine plank on hands
13. Supine Plank with Pull-through
14. Mountain Climber
15. Pendulum
16. Body Saw
17. Body Saw to Push Press to Crunch

TRX Squat

18. Squat
19. Squat Jump
20. Single-Leg Squat: Pistol Squat
21. Single-Leg Squat with Hop
22. Overhead Squat: note the backs of your hands are in the cradles

TRX Lunges

23. Assisted Lunge / TRX Split Squat
24. Step Side Lunge / Lateral Lunge
25. Step Back Lunge
26. TRX Balance Lunge / Skater Lunge
27. Balance Lunge with Hop and Knee Raise
28. Crossing Balance Lunge / Curtsy Lunge
29. Abducted Balance Lunge (foot in cradles)
30. Bulgarian Lunge
31. Bulgarian Lunge with Hop
32. Crossing Lunge: Curtsey Lunge into Knee Raise
33. Abducted Lunge
34. Side-Step Lunge
35. Sprinter Start
36. Standing Hip Extension (hold the strap with your hands)
37. Cycle Jump

TRX Presses

38. Chest Press
39. Low Chest Press
40. Chest Press Single Leg
41. Chest Press Single Arm
42. Chest Press with Inside Grip
43. Chest Fly
44. Triceps Press / Skull Press
45. Kickbacks / These are basically standing triceps extensions facing the anchor point.  Better with Exercise Tubing.
46. Triceps Extension (kneeling) / Weak Exercise
47. TRX Clock Press / Archer Press
48. TRX Plank Press

TRX Hinges

49. TRX Hip Hinge
50. Hinge to Plank
51. Hinge to Chest Press / or 1 Arm Hinge to Chest Press
52. Overhead Back Extension
53. Pike

TRX Rows

54. High Row
55. Mid Row
56. Low Row
57. Single Arm Mid Row
58. Power Pull
59. Low Fly / A Fly
60. T Fly
61. I Fly
62. L Fly
63. W Fly
64. Split Fly
65. Y Deltoid Fly
66. Biceps Curl Supinated Grip / TRX Bicep Curl 2
67. Biceps Curl Pronated Grip
68. Biceps Clutch
69. Biceps Curl Single Arm
70. Inverted Row
71. Inverted Row Single Arm
72. Curl to Press
73. Corkscrew

TRX Hamstring Curls

74. Hamstring Curl (hips grounded)
75. Hamstring Curl (hips elevated)
76. Hamstring Runner
77. Hip Press
78. Hip Press Single Leg
79. Curl to Hip Press
80. Supine Hip Abduction

TRX Rotations

76. Torso Rotation
77. Resisted Rotation / Hip Check

TRX Lateral Flexion

78. Standing Hip Drop
79. Side Plank |
80. Side Plank with Hip Drop
81. Side Plank with Reach
82. Side Plank on Elbow
83. L – Hold

TRX Core Flexion

84. Assisted Sit-ups
85. Bent Leg Raise
86. Oblique Leg Raise / Straight Leg Raise
87. Supine Runner
88. TRX Situps
89. Resisted Situps
90. TRX Crunch on elbows
91. Crunch on hands
92. Oblique Crunch
93. TRX Knee Sweep
94. TRX Pot Stirrer
95. TRX Spiderman

Combos

96. Squat to Y Fly
97. Hip Hinge to Squat
98. Pushup to Pike
99. Plank with Chest Taps
100. Crunch with Chest Taps
101. Pushup to Pike
102. Body Saw to Crunch
103. Atomic Pushup
104. Oblique Atomic Pushup
105. TRX Burpee
106. Muscle-up: Pistol Start to Row to Triceps Press