TRX workout makes body weight work for you

Waleska Maxwell tried every kind of workout she could find.

She trudged the treadmill. She exercised the elliptical. She sweated through aerobics.

But the TRX was something altogether different.

It consists of two straps with handles dangling from the ceiling - that's it.

But its simplicity is deceptive. It's flexible enough to work almost any body part. And for the first time after all those different workouts, the TRX gave Maxwell muscles.

"I never had these before!" she said, flexing her biceps during a recent workout.

Maxwell is among a small but growing number of TRX converts.

The TRX helped sculpt J-Lo's butt, and helped San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson set a record for touchdowns. The U.S. military, Chicago Cubs, White Sox and Blackhawks train on it.

Men's Health gave it an award for best total body tool, Outside Magazine called it "about the most effective portable gym," and publications from Golf magazine to TapOut, for ultimate fighters, have praised it.

A 47-year-old from Addison, Maxwell is one of a group of suburban parents, workers and retirees who use TRX suspension training at Goality Fitness Club in Wood Dale.

Their mentor is Eric Su, Goality's owner and trainer, who's trained to teach use of the TRX. Though he also uses other exercises and equipment, he likes that it's very encompassing - it works the entire body.

While individuals can buy the TRX online with instructional videos for personal use for $150 and up, it's a little tricky to learn, and Su offers three free trial classes to anyone interested. The first class is almost guaranteed to remind you of body parts you forgot you had, because it works muscles that no machine can reach.

'That's terrible!'

The TRX continues a trend toward functional fitness, which gets away from restricted weightlifting that isolates one area in favor of exercises that involve different body parts in actions that are more likely part of daily life.

The system was developed by Navy SEAL Randy Hetrick, who was looking for portable exercise equipment he could use anywhere. He hand-stitched together some parachute webbing that could be hooked to any stable point on a ship, in a submarine, on a Humvee in the desert, or to the top of a bedroom door.

Instead of weights or rubber bands, the TRX uses body weight for resistance. By varying the angle of the body, beginners can take it easy while athletes can make it hard.

For instance, when doing a push-up on the TRX in a near-standing position, the exercise is easy, but the further the user steps back and leans forward, the harder it gets.

Among a group of middle-aged users, one exercise prompted gasps of "Oh my god!" and "Oh that's terrible!" while another led a woman to complain, "I can't do this," until Su showed her an easier way.

The exercises simultaneously work on strength, flexibility and balance.

To work the shoulders, lift the TRX handles overhead, extend the arms, and push down.

To work the triceps, face palms backward, arms bent, and extend the arms straight.

For a lower body workout, put one leg in a handle, and do squat thrusts or lunges with the other leg, developing balance and explosive power simultaneously, ideal for a sprinter or any athlete who needs to run or jump suddenly.

Putting both feet in the stirrups with hands on the floor in a push-up position, one can pump legs or crawl like a crab to concentrate on the lower body. All the exercises work the core to varying degrees, because users have to hold their body tight in the air rather than sitting or lying on a bench.

Addicting

"You're exercising every part of your body, and I love that," Goality client Barb Masciola of Bloomingdale said. "It's addicting."

The variety also appeals to TRX users like Debbie Cryer of Hoffman Estates.

"It's always varied," she said. "Eric mixes it up so you don't get bored. I've lost quite a few pounds and inches using it. I've tried all kinds of things - walking two miles a day, aerobics - and never got results like this."

Therapists also use the TRX. Barone Spinal Care in Schaumburg has just started classes for its clients using the TRX for both rehabilitation and general health and posture improvement.

People with balance problems can hold onto the TRX for stability while doing leg exercises, and patients with back or shoulder pain can use it to strengthen problem areas, staff trainer Drew Whitehead said.

He evens trains a professional motocross driver on the TRX to hold tight on the bike while bouncing over jumps.

"The thing I like about it," he said, "is it recruits muscles the body doesn't always use."