Build Muscle Just As You Would In The Gym

The best thing about the TRX is that it makes it so easy to apply the all-important principle of progressive overload to bodyweight exercises.  Just as you would gradually increase the weight or number of reps you are doing in the gym, you need to gradually increase the difficulty of bodyweight exercises to continue building muscle and burning fat.

Put simply, you will not be able to continually make progress whilst travelling if you do not apply the principle of progressive overload.

With your bodyweight alone it can be difficult to increase the difficulty of certain exercises. A great example of this is the bodyweight squat (or air squat as it sometimes called). It is one of the most effective exercises you can possibly do, but unless you are severely out of shape it quickly becomes easy. Performing countless reps will not build muscle. To build muscle you need to find a way to make the exercise challenging.

Performing a one-legged squat (pistol squat) is the natural progression and makes the exercise twice as difficult. The only problem is that pistol squats are insanely difficult because they require a great deal of balance, and it is the same as doubling the weight in the gym (as opposed to progressing in gradual increments).

The TRX makes it easy to learn how to do a pistol squat. Using the straps as support, you can make it easier to balance and transfer some of the weight from your leg to the anchor point. The video below demonstrates this nicely.

The pistol squat isn’t the only exercise the TRX is good for.

There’s a seemingly never-ending list of exercises, but I think it’s particularly useful for training your back and biceps.

Think about it. The most effective ways of training your back are rows and pull/chin-ups. Those exercises also hit your biceps, as do curls. But you can’t do any of those exercises without equipment. At the very least you need a table to do rows, a bar to do chin/pull-ups, and something substantial to curl (perhaps a suitcase or backpack).

Using the TRX you can do both rows and bicep curls, and make them progressively more difficult by altering the angle at which you stand. To put that into perspective, doing a TRX row with your feet against the wall means that you are rowing the equivalent of your bodyweight. That’s pretty tough.