Yes, I can throw heavy weights around quite easily. I have, on occasion, loaded the leg press with 2X my body weight and comfortably worked my legs. I also work my body diligently with Pilates on a regular basis. I call it functional, cross-training and I’ve been doing it for about twelve years as a health and lifestyle approach to fitness. I am a Pilates studio owner/teacher and certified personal trainer so now, with my new found love of TRX Suspension, there will be no need for weights anymore.It’s not that I have ended my love affair or desire to use them, its just that over the years my use of functional training equipment and cross training with tools such as BOSU Balance Trainer, resistance bands, stability balls, Pilates equipment/apparatus and now the TRX Suspension system, has grown so much more that many of my clients actually prefer to work and move their bodies outside of the traditional gym environment, and without the use of weights.
The TRX System was developed by a U.S. Navy SEAL as a revolutionary method of leveraged bodyweight exercise allowing one to perform hundreds of exercises that build power, strength, flexibility, balance, mobility, and prevent injuries, at an intensity level chosen by the user. While it may not be new to gym rats or personal trainers, it is a unique tool for Pilates studio owners and teachers. However, its core-based, total-body resistance functional training is so complimentary to the healing movements that Joseph Pilates had in mind when he created the method of training that bears his name.
For example, a 27-year old teacher that has lost over 25 pounds using purely functional training programs in the past year commented recently,
“When first introduced to the TRX Suspension in our Pilates Movement Boot Camp class, I didn’t know what to think about them. They appeared daunting, uncomfortable, and unmanageable. However, after using them for a couple of workouts, I have really begun to notice a difference in my body. The straps have added resistance to my exercises and I can feel the burn as I exercise with them. I feel that my core is stronger, I know I have more balance, and that my body is changing for the better. I absolutely love the results that the TRX Suspension straps are creating and I am happy they can be incorporated into Pilates Mat classes.”
Functional Training
All functional training allows one to move easily with the equipment, maximizing the body and mind’s training and minimizing the injury to joints and overworked muscles. Functional training involves (body)weight bearing activities targeted at the core muscles of the abdomen and back.
Rather than isolating a single muscle, which may not necessarily bear any relationship to the movements people make in their regular activities or sports, functional training attempts to adapt or develop exercises which allow individuals to perform these activities of daily life more easily and without injuries.
It is for this reason that I love the fusion of Pilates with the TRX Suspension straps in the Pilates studio for “total body movement” training. I believe that functional, cross-training, particularly with the TRX Suspension equipment and Pilates-based movements, can lead to better muscular balance and joint stability, possibly decreasing the number of injuries sustained in an individual’s performance in a sport. This is due to the fact that the training emphasizes the body’s natural ability to move in three anatomical planes of motion.
While stationary equipment/machines can sometimes be safer to use, they restrict movements to a single plane of motion, which is an unnatural form of movement for the body and may potentially lead to faulty movement patterns or injury. When stationary equipment is essential however, students will be moved to the floor or the Pilates Reformer to begin safe movement exercises. As strength and body connections are attained, additional planes of motion and movement are safely added into the exercise regimen and program.
The most common remarks from newcomers are, “I am so thrilled to be using the TRX Suspension straps during my strength training and Boot Camp sessions. I have really noticed my core strength increasing. This system is more challenging and less boring to me than traditional free weights and, I am happy to be getting a break from the gym.”
Many people erroneously equate strength training with bodybuilding. Additionally, many individuals involved in endurance or flexibility-based sports (tennis, golf, basketball, football, skiing) may not use traditional forms of strength training for fear of gaining too much bulk and losing flexibility. This is why Pilates and pilates-based movements that utilize functional training equipment, are my choice for creating adaptive training workouts that build strength and flexibility and make returning to one’s sport of choice a joy.
For example, an avid international, globe-trotting golfer states from his experience with TRX Suspension functional training, “TRX Suspension straps are now an essential part of my strength and core workouts. They are key to improving my performance on the golf course as they have simultaneously increased my strength, balance, and flexibility so I can now make a full turn with power.”
So when looking for a new way to work your body or add a new challenge to your workout, consider adding a little body weight resistance to the mix. Check out the stuff we are playing around with using TRX Suspension and Pilates.
It is not just for girls!
Gina Jackson, is a classically trained Pilates Teacher and has been teaching along the Gold Coast of Hudson and Bergen County, NJ for the past fifteen+ years.
Certified by Power Pilates of New York, Gina has trained with Master Teachers Bob Liekens, Susan Moran and Brett Howard; loved workshop training with Cary Regan and Blossom Leilani-Crawford and has particularly enjoyed listening to the personal stories as told by Pilates Elders, Kathy Grant and Lolita San Miguel.
An active teacher and blogger, Gina manages a private personal training business supporting a myriad of clients, teaching all to honor their health, strength and life with the principles of Pilates at its core.