Serious Muscle Building with this Hardcore Suspension Training Workout
Muscle Beach Workout
Do you want a fun, hardcore workout anywhere?
One of the joys of life is movement and the freedom to express movement anywhere you go. Just imagine the last time you had an injury that hobbled your ankle for a day or two, or put you on your back for longer.
Maybe it's my personality, but because I have so much gratitude for my freedom of movement, I like to stay out of enclosed areas..like a gym. Even my garage can be stifling at times, so I frequently go outside to throw around rocks; or I just bring the dumbbells or the suspension trainer with me outside. You get the idea. I get some of my best workouts outdoors, or anywhere outside of the gym.
When I say best workouts, I mean those which challenge my muscle strength and cardiovascular endurance. One example of a workout I like is to do Farmer's walks with dumbbells or whatever I have, drop them and sprint back to the finish. I'll do this for several rounds and be exhausted after about 15 minutes.
My other favorite is to hang the TRX in the garage or at the monkey bars at the park, and do suspended mountain climbers for 30 seconds at top speed, followed by suspended push-ups. The choices are limitless really. One of the most surprising attributes of doing suspended exercises has been the challenge to do some of the harder exercises; Inverted bodyweight rows, dips, flat flyes, and so on.
These are tough! Even if you have trained extensively with weights, you are going to shock your body into new growth with suspension training. Of course, gymnasts have known this training is effective for decades! So to honor this simple training tool, here is a tough workout for building mass and strength in your pecs, shoulders, triceps, biceps, lats, and upper back muscles. Add the Sprinter's start, which you can see demonstrated at www.flexandmove.com, and it is a workout for developing leg endurance and power as well.
After a thorough warm-up, do the following supersets. Aim for 3-5 sets depending on your fitness level, trying for 6-8 reps. Stop when your form begins to fail.
-Dips (until the last rep is difficult,) * *If these are too difficult at first, lower your legs enough to touch the ground and give a gentle assist.
followed by:
-Push-ups (feet on ground, hands on TRX) ** Your body should be straight as a board. It may be necessary to consciously tighten the abdomen and glutes to make sure this happens.
Rest 2-3 minutes before next superset.
Then:
-Suspended flyes
followed by:
-Push-ups (feet elevated if possible.)
Then, after rest, do 3-5 sets of 6-8 reps:
-Horizontal body rows (*With each successive set, raise your feet higher and higher. Avoid going to high with your feet, as this takes the emphasis off of the working back muscles.and encourages poor form.
followed by:
-Steep Angle High Pull: This will blast the upper back and rear deltoid muscles, but maintain rigid form in your body.
Finish with:
-Sprinters Start: Do 3 rounds with 20 seconds rest between, 20 reps each leg. Ouch.
As with any form of exercise, poor form encourages injury, and with the TRX it is no exception. The conscious focus on maintaining a straight, planked body throughout all of these exercises will not only prevent injury, but will focus your mind and give your entire core a workout.
(*With dips this means straight up and down without jerking, leaning, or yawing; with Sprinter's Start, this means maintaining a straight angle from the stabilizing foot, through the hips and sholders, and up to the head.)
Find somewhere you love to be to do this workout, and have fun! As with any workout, warm up thoroughly and move into the exercises slowly.
The Sprinter's Start
Suspended Flyes-Simple and Effective
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