Kendall Giles

So I mentioned that I am evaluating a TRX suspension system, by Fitness Anywhere, via a 12-week fitness program. Today was Day 1.

The TRX system is nice in that by changing the angle of your body and center of gravity, you have a continuous distribution of resistance difficulties --- you can make the exercise easier or more difficult by just changing your feet. However, that said, I found the first day to be challenging, but mainly because I am evidently lacking in a lot of the stabilizing muscles needed for functional fitness.

The first week of the infamous TRX 12-week program is mainly meant to get you introduced to the different exercises, with cardio and strength components. On the strength component for Day 1, I worked some lunges, pistols, and other leg exercises, along with some upper body and core exercises. However, since this was my first exposure to them, I found I spent some time figuring out the cable adjustments for each exercise --- I am sure this will get easier the second time around.

More amusing was how little balance I seemed to have --- I am not used to doing a one-legged squat with the other leg suspended from a cable! And so by the time I got to the side planks, I was really a leaf blowing in the wind. To make matters worse, the new mat I was using had some sort of coating on it which, when wet with sweat, became very slippery.

Since the first week is just an introduction, I only did one set per exercise. By the end I wasn't quite satisfied, so I finished the workout off with a 5x3 ladder of kettlebell clean and presses with the 24KG bell, and 10 sets of 15:15 snatches with the 24KG bell, with 3 snatches per set. The cardio component was just active recovery.

So, hopefully my next workout will be more stable!