So I mentioned that I am evaluating a TRX suspension system, by Fitness Anywhere, via a 12-week fitness program. Today was Day 30.
I spent most of my day driving on travel, and so it felt good to actually be able to get out of the car and hit the TRX. Today was the start of week 5, and, as expected, I saw an increase in the number of sets per exercise and a reduction in the time between each exercise — the number of sets per exercise, for all 11 exercises, jumped to 2 sets and the rest between each set and between each exercise is now 45 seconds. The reduction in time is just enough to grab a quick drink of water, towel the face, and re-configure the straps to get setup for the next exercise.
I found that the increase in the number of sets per exercise was not too bad. However, I was sorry to see the Suspended Crunch (which I really liked) be replaced with the Body Saw (jury is still out on this one).
Also, I was really curious to take a swing (ha ha) at Red, my new 32 KG kettlebell. And I am happy to report that I finished with the same number of body parts I started with.
For my first ever workout with this kettlebell, I did 3 x 2,3,4 ladders of kettlebell cleans, and did 5×10 two-handed swings. Everything felt solid, but I suspect I need to work on my pressing strength to be able to move to clean & presses with this kettlebell.
And all that driving today made me appreciate training with the TRX and with kettlebells. They really are great fitness systems for folks who want to get the maximum benefit from the smallest amount of time spent exercising. And these are very portable systems too! In fact, to parallel the guest post at Charm City Kettlebells on the “10 reasons you should make the kettlebell your workout“, I’d have to say I like the kettlebells and TRX because:
- Kettlebells and the TRX replace an entire gym’s worth of equipment.
- Kettlebells and the TRX are very portable — important to me because I travel so much.
- Kettlebells and the TRX allow for fast, efficient workouts — in the time it takes me to jog 3 miles, which just results in a cardio workout, I can get an entire full body strength and cardio workout with either the kettlebells or TRX AND with a higher calorie/minute burn rate. For people with not a lot of free time, kettlebells and the TRX clearly are the winners.
- Especially with kettlebells, but also with the TRX, you really have to focus your mind on the exercises you are performing — none of this pedaling-an-exercise-bike-while-reading-a-magazine stuff. As I discovered with Red, the 32KG kettlebell, your mind needs to be focused or you will leave the floor with fewer or less intact body parts than you started with. To me, this is refreshing and highly motivating.
