Why You Can’t Find a TRX Suspension Trainer for Sale?
What is the TRX Suspension Trainer?
There are a few different types of TRX Suspension Trainer for sale. However, they all work on a very simple concept. Take one main strap that you can attach to a stationary object like a tree, door, or any type of sturdy crossbar. Then have another two straps that extend out from that main strap with a couple of handles that the fitness enthusiast can hold while doing a whole bunch of different types of bodyweight exercises.
The real benefit of the TRX is that it adds a whole other dimension to the bodyweight training that is very popular right now. Think about taking your standard push up, and doing them while holding two handles that want nothing more than to shoot outward given the pressure the user is placing on them. The extra core and other muscle recruitment that is required to complete a full-motion and strict pushup on the TRX is unfathomable until you actually give it a try. The first time I was able to do one, I was only able to get three pushups in a row until my body gave out. Now I can do around twenty in a row, but that takes much longer than regular pushups.
As another example, I really enjoy the TRX for doing low and high rows. I simply lean back as far as
possible on my heels while holding the handles row my body up. For high rows my elbows stay high and away from my body working my upper back. On the low rows, my elbow come in close to the body as I row up. Both work different parts of my back and have allowed me to gain a lot of strength.
If you look at the picture to the right, you will see people doing a low row. It is easy to assume that you will be able to go very close to perpendicular with the floor, but the strength required to do that for more than 1 or 2 at first is crazy. Over time your goal needs to be getting as close to the floor as possible, but go slow at first or your arms, back and even legs will tell you that that was not a good idea!
Types of Exercises You Can Do
With all TRX Suspension Trainers for sale, the exercises that one can do are somewhat limited to your imagination. As long as you are not putting your body into unnatural or unsafe positions (easier to do than you think!), you will be working a number of different muscles.
That being said, there are a number of standard TRX exercises that a user should consider mastering before moving on to the crazier ones. Here are just a few of the ones you can try:
- Bicep Curl (one arm or two)
- Squat
- Lunge
- Tricep Extension
- Suspended Crunch
- Suspended Pushup
- Plank Hold
- Leg Extension
- Lying Leg Curl
- Hi/Low Row
- Front Raise
- Side Plank
- Low Back Extension
- Single Leg Squat
- Pushup
For many of these, as you vary the angle of your body they will either get easier or harder. Play around with it but remember to push yourself for maximum resistance.
How to Build the TRX Into Your Workout Program
At my gym (best gym in Calgary), our coaches do offer sessions dedicated to the TRX. Essentially it is a 45 minute circuit of different TRX exercises that will blast the whole body.
However, that is not what I like to do. Instead, the coaches build it into our 3x per week strength and conditioning routines. For example, during one morning we might do something that looks like this (after a proper warm-up of course):
Box Jumps
30 seconds on the Curve
Sled Push
TRX Atomic Pushup
Sledge Hammer
Tire Flips
Wide-Grip Pullups
Ab Roller
Sandbag Slam
TRX Low Row
We would do each section for 60 seconds for as many reps as possible moving through the circuit 4 to 5 times depending on how much time it was taking us. After doing this the group I train with are spent and ready for some post-work nutrition.
Can You Get Strong on the TRX Suspension Trainer?
Before you go looking trying to find a TRX Suspension Trainer for Sale, you need to ask yourself if it is possible to get strong using a TRX. My personal experience has told me that I can – although that has been part of an overall strength and conditioning program that I have been undertaking for a couple of solid years now. I still have a LONG way to go, but I am definitely stronger and fitter than I have ever been. I will not attribute that solely to the TRX, but it is definitely part of the equation.
Without getting too promotional here, this video from TRX highlights some of the benefits of the TRX:
TRX on the Road
I don’t travel a lot these days, but have had to head out of town for work every now and then. A few times I have been able to take a TRX with me and I love it because I can actually get a real hard strength workout in my hotel rooms. As long as you have the door anchor (which is sold separately which does suck) then you simply put it on a door and do your workout. Mind you, hotel rooms are not always that conducive to working out in, but in a pinch it can do. Not all hotels have good gyms, and this is a good alternative.
Summary
The TRX was invented by some Navy Seal guys who needed a way to train hard without equipment while posted in remote and desolate areas. Unlike some of the other digital weight loss items I talk about on this blog, this rather-low tech device is the best of both worlds. It took some excellent innovation and creativity from some people who had no other option but to create a simple fitness tool that could work in any environment. To me, that is technology even if there is no chip in it.
Fitness Training Weight Loss and Strength Training Ebooks
The Problem: The Marketing of Online Programs
There are so many programs available online, with what seems to be a new one every week. Many of these programs are great and can help people with their fat loss goals (or muscle-building goals). The problem is not with the programs themselves.
The problem is with the marketing of these programs
Every time a new fitness training weight loss ebook comes out the blogosphere bands together to intensly market and sell the new ebook or online program. And each and every time this new strength training ebook is described as the next best thing; the answer to all your fat loss and body recomposition problems. It is very easy to fall for the hype, sign up for that new program and be insanely motivated for the next couple of weeks as you start that new program and dial in your nutrition and lifting to match the methodology outlined in the ebook.
And then you check your Google Reader and there is a push on the internet for a new fitness training weight loss ebook that sounds awesome with a clear call to action to buy the program and answer all your fat loss and muscle building problems with this new revolutionary program that promises to change your life. You buy the ebook and drop that last program and start this new better one.
And the cycle continues….
The Issue Is a Lack of Focus
The problem with the new program cycle is that at no point do you allow the program to do the work it was designed to do. That is the key here – each of these fitness training weight loss programs that you buy on the internet can and probably will work. However, that will only happen if you follow the program as outlined and follow it for at least 6-months to get the benefits.
Most (not all) of the online ebooks being sold for fat loss and body recomposition can and will work if you let them. However if you do not focus on that one program and instead jump from fitness training weight loss program to program you will spin your wheels constantly and not get there.
How to Use Online Resources
The key, as already alluded to, is to pick a program you want to follow, and stick with it for at least six months. Really work the fitness training weight loss program to the tee and follow the instructions exactly as outlined in the ebook. Let is do its work. At the end of six months if you are seeing the results you expected, great.
If at the end of the six months you are not seeing the results, check to make sure you are doing everything as outlined in the book. If you are sure you are following it to a tee, then the program is not for you and now it is a good time to find a better program for you.
Which Programs to Focus On
As I look back at the fitness training weight loss programs and online resources I have purchased in the past, there are two nutrition programs that really stick out that have worked very well for me and provided me with the foundation to see positive gains.
The first is Lyle McDonald’s Rapid Fat Loss. This fitness training weight loss program was the quickest and safest way to lose a lot of the initial weight really fast. It provided me with the best foundation with which to build on and get in better shape. It spells out exactly what you need to do to see fat loss (not muscle loss) over a very specific amount of time and then how to transition out to a maintenance or regular diet plan.
The second ebook is Brad Pilon’s Eat Stop Eat. This program provides a very simple to follow method for managing your weight without getting into too much detail with respect to counting calories, macros, or meal timing. Essentially, a couple of times a week you do a 24-hour fast where you consume no calories. This fitness training weight loss method has provided me with a very easy way to manage weight.
In terms of a strength training ebooks I actually don’t have one to recommend. The reason is that the ones I have seen are really based around diet as that is the most important factor to losing fat and getting ripped. The above two ebooks will help you with that. There are number of free resources available online that can help you build an effective program. Check out Max-OT or Layne Norton’s Power/Hypertrophy Routine. Both of these are designed to put on some muscle, if you have your diet in check. There is enough free stuff available that you do not need strength training ebooks to see results. Just focus on the fitness training weight loss ebooks focused on weight loss and you will be set up.
A final recommendation on the exercise front is to find a gym like a cross-fit facility that does all the exercise selection for you. My gym has three times a week metabolic conditioning program that adapts as I do. Cross-fit facilities do the same.
A Scale That Motivates You To Get in Shape – The Withings Wifi Body Scale
A weight scale is a weight scale right? Step on, look at some sort of display that is either analog or even digital, and read your weight in pounds, kilograms, or stones. Simple product that would be hard to improve upon. That is what I thought until I saw the Withings Wifi Body Scale
. The folks at this company took a simple product that no one thought could be improved upon, and improved it.
How it Works
With most scales, you put it on a flat surface, step on and read your weight. With the Withings scale there is a bit more setup involved. First thing you need to do is go to the Withings website and download the initiation software so that your computer can talk to you scale for the initial set up. Once this is downloaded and installed on your system, you use the included USB cable to connect your scale to your computer (Mac or PC). Form there the software you downloaded goes to work and walks you through the setup steps getting your age, height, and most importantly details of your wifi network in your house.
For this step you are going to need the name of your wifi network and the password to join that network.
Once all that is done the scale is good to go – you place it on a flat surface and step on it for the first time. The scale goes through its test, determining your weight, body fat, lean mass, and body mass index (a useless metric). Once complete the scale does its magic – it sends out the readings to the Withings website where it is updated for you.
Your Results Displayed
The scale communicates with the Withings servers and presents the results on your own password-protected area of their site. On this site you will see your weight, body fat, and lean body mass displayed neatly for you. You can see my owns personal results in the image below (click for a larger view):
The beauty is that all this happens behind the scenes – step on the scale in the morning and immediately the scale sends the data to the website so you can view it later and analyze your results.
iPhone App
There is also an good iPhone app that you can view your results on. It works very similar to the website, only formatted better for the iPhone. I actually find I use the iPhone App more than the website as I am out and about. Here is what the app looks like (not my results):
Twitter / Facebook Social Networking
If you were so inclined, you are also able to have the scale Tweet or Facebook your results each time you weight yourself. You would think that someone like me who blogs about his weight loss and fitness journey would be ok with this. However, I have not used it and don’t really like the idea of doing this. Maybe one day I will turn it on – but not right now!
The Body Fat Measurement
It is generally accepted out there that the body fat measurements done by these body fat scales using electro-impedence are not that accurate. However, I have found the results to be generally accurate, as compared to my BodPod results. That being said, I do see the normal swings in body fat from the morning to evening measurements, which is a result of my hydration levels. However, I use the scale at 5:00 am in the morning shortly (30 minutes) after waking up to try to manage out the variables. With these scales the number is not the most important thing – it is the trend. I want to see my body fat going down over a period of a few weeks.
Why The Scale Works for Me
One could argue that a norma body fat scale without the wifi feature could do the same thing, but I find the way the scale sends my data to the Withings website or iPhone app that I can track and analyze very motivating. I like to see the body fat go down and actually look forward to waking up in the morning to step on the scale. I do not worry too about the day-to-day fluctuations that I see, but love to see the longer term trends (now three weeks of reduced fat and weight). This is very motivating and rewarding.
If you are in the market for a new scale, I would recommend the Withings Wifi Body Scale
Where to Get the Scale
I bought mine at the Apple store however I wished I had checked Amazon as the prices are definitely cheaper there. You can view the positive reviews on the scale and buy with free shipping at Amazon. Click here to read more.
Why I Need to Outsource My Fitness and Nutrition
Last time I wrote about being on the Anabolic Diet. Granted I didn’t give it a long time to actually work – this is because my most recent BodPod results were not positive.My Recent BodPod Results
On October 6th I had my third BodPod test. My 2nd test had gone in the right direction. I went from 23.8% (May 2011) body fat to 18% (July 2011) body fat in 3 months. However, my test on October 6th, 2011 saw my body fat go to 21.9%. Better than my May results, but certainly not in the right direction. It was definitely time to re-evaluate my whole program and get some dedicated outside help.
Two Key Products for a Strong Foundation for Fat Loss
Over the past two years during my fat loss and fitness journey I have pretty much done my own research using the internet and the various strategies that I have come across. That includes doing exercise routines such as the 5/3/1 Program and Max-OT. It also includes trying nutrition programs such as Intermittent Fasting and just plain old low carb / low calories stuff.
I know for certain that I got started on the right foot with this research. In fact, there were two main programs / ebooks that got me off on the right foot and were responsible for the majority of my initial loss of approximately 40 pounds of fat.
The first was Lyle McDonald’s Rapid Fat Loss program. This book taught me the true fundamentals of fat loss, how it works, and what is the quickest way to lose a great deal of fat quickly. It is by no means easy as it is very low calorie with high protein, but it works IF you do it exactly as laid out in the book. This book will get anyone with a lot to lose off on the right foot. As the pounds went away, it became more and more motivating and has allowed me to continue focusing on getting in better and better shape. It is the first book of two that I would recommend that people interest in fat loss pick up. You can pick up the book here – Lyle McDonald’s Rapid Fat Loss.
The second book is Brad Pilon’s Eat Stop Eat. Eat Stop Eat is an intermittent fasting method where two times per week you do a 24 hour fast. Essentially, you have your last meal of the day around 6:00 pm and then don’t eat again until 6:00 pm the next day. It sounds hard at first, but as you do it it gets easier and easier. This taught me how to control hunger and made me realize more than anything that I didn’t need to eat as much as I thought I did. It was also an easy way to control calories, which at the end of the day is most important. It is the second book that someone interested in fat loss should pick up. You can get Brad’s ebook here – Brad Pilon’s Eat Stop Eat.
Outsource BOTH Fitness and Nutrition
Fitness
However, I got to a point where I lost the bulk of that easy to lose fat and it started to become harder and harder to do so. As I mentioned earlier, I was not seeing the results I wanted to see as I continued on with my current protocols (fitness and nutrition). I am getting a little older so the results are not as easy to come by. Fat does not “melt” off as quick as I want and it seems that the little details are becoming more important. As such, with the eye-opening results from the BodPod going the wrong way, I realized I needed some extra help. I sought outside help and am know listening to my fitness coaches and nutrition coach.
I have been working out at a place in Calgary, Alberta called 2110 Fitness. This facility has been great as it has opened my eyes to a fun and dynamic way to train using both metabolic conditioning and lifting. On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday’s I train with Christopher Campbell (owner and trainer) and Curtis McGorman (trainer) who run sue through circuits that are different every day but include things like tire flips, TRX movements, push presses, skipping, airdyne sprints, etc. I do this with a pretty regular group of people and we all push each other through it.
On Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday I used to do things like the 5/3/1 program or Max-OT. However it was clear these programs were not working for me so Chris was good enough to put a program together for me focused on hypotrophy but that worked with the metcon work I have also been doing. The program is great and I look forward to the results.
Nutrition
As discussed earlier, I did fine on the nutrition front as I went from the really fat to in better shape with less fat. However I was still holding fat and the results were not coming as quick as they did at first with programs such as Rapid Fat Loss and Eat Stop Eat. I have tried all sorts of other programs such as other Intermittent Fasting protocols, Paleo, and the most recent Anabolic Diet.
The trouble was not the programs. Given the time and the discipline I know these programs would work as there are many others who have seen success with them. The trouble was me and discipline. It has become clear that I need structure and someone basically telling me how to exercise and what to eat. This takes the guess work out it for me and the feeling there maybe something better for me that I should try.
As a result of all of this, I am now relying on the gym and trainers at that gym to guide all my exercise selections (all included in my monthly membership). I no longer need to think about what program is best and will leave it in the hands of the experts. I am also relying on my nutrition coach (more on that later) to devise my eating program, including the meals and calories I consume. This allows me to focus on my job and family, while my coach works and plans my meals that are focused on good performance in the gym and body recomposition.
Summary
It is clear to me now that too much information is a problem for me. I am very analytical person who given the choice, will constantly analyze things and feel that there may always be something better. With my coaches and trainers I now that they will guide me in the right direction. Yes it costs extra, but I am confident that I will be able to report good results from my next BodPod test coming up in December.
The Anabolic Diet – My Experience So Far
This week I have started a new (for me) diet protocol – The Anabolic Diet. The diet was created by Dr. Mauro Di Pasquale and can be seen over at Metabolicdiet.com. In this post I am going to run through how the diet works and provide my perspective so far.The Diet Protocol
The diet is what Mauro calls a phase-shift diet. That is a fancy way of saying that you cycle your eating with two distinct periods of eating – one very low-carb and one high carb. Basically, as your start the diet you go with 12 days straight of eating no more than 30 grams of carbohydrates per day – this is called the Start-Up Phase. Your primary foods during this time include lots of meats and fats. Think steak, chicken, turkey, buffalo, any fish, shellfish, olive oils, butter, bacon, avocado, and full-fat cheeses. Your ratio of macros are generally 40%-60% fat, 40%-50% protein, 4%-10% carbs or 30 grams of carbs max.
After those 12 days you then do a 12-48 hour carb-up where you still eat the protein and fats, but reduce the proteins slightly and focus more on carbohydrates. Your macros on these carb-up days will be somewhere around 20-40% fats, 15%-30% proteins, and 35%-60% carbs.
Once you are done the 12-days you then start a 5 day low carb phase (Monday to Friday) and then on the weekend you start your carb up for 12 – 48 hours. The length of time you do the carb up is very dependent on you – as soon as you start to feel bloated you stop. Easier said then done, but over time you get the hang of it. During this phase of the diet, Mauro says you can really eat whatever it is you want. Pizza, donuts, sugar cereals – anything that is high carb. However, this does not mean it is a license to gorge yourself on sugar laden crap. Too much sugar is still a bad thing. Really, your should focus your food choices on things like bagels, breads, sweet potatoes, and pasta. That way you will fill your muscles with the glycogen you need to grow muscles and recover.
My Experience So Far
The Anabolic Diet works by manipulating your muscle building hormones. The key is eating the right combination of foods at the right time. I have found that this is working well. I am still gaining strength on my 5/3/1/ Program and I don’t feel tired or weak. The weekend carbs-ups are enjoyable, however I need to be sure not to let them get away from me. Once I have some sweet stuff I can open a whole floodgate of food desires so I really need to watch that.
The toughest period was the 12 days to start the program. Going low-carb for that long can be tough, but if you focus on doing what Mauro says – not reducing your calories during this period – then it is definitely manageable. Eating lettuce and other vegetables helped as well as they provided me with some good satiation.
As I progress on the program I will keep you updated on my experiences. Stay tuned for more…
