I think of a badass supreme killing machine and I am glad they are fighting for our country.  Other thoughts that come to mind are their elite level of fitness, superior combat skills, and ability to fight at the highest levels under any and all conditions.

The strength & conditioning of a Navy Seal is second to none and they don’t have a mobile weight room.  Navy Seals find themselves on ships pretty often and, as you can imagine, it is not so easy to do any sort of weight training while your environment is moving back and forth. Because of this, the majority of their strength training is done with bodyweight exercises.  Realizing the difficulty of training on the move, but understanding the need to stay in top physical condition, Randy Hetrick created the TRX® Suspension Training System.

He developed it so he and his teammates could work out on a ship, in the woods and just about anywhere.  Ironically, the name of the Company he created which sells the TRX® is called Fitness Anywhere, Inc.!!!  As stated on the Company Website: “The original TRX® ® was a training harness – a few lengths of parachute webbing hand-stitched together by boat repair tools.”  The current model is an improvement over the original, but the concept remains the same.  While I have used the TRX® numerous times, I wanted to find out everything that this training system had to offer so, I took part in an all day TRX® Suspension Training Course.

There are 3 advantages which I feel the TRX® Suspension Training System provides over most other training implements:

1) It allows you to train in all 3 planes of motion
2) The difficulty level can be increased / decreased quickly and easily
3) It allows you to train almost anywhere

Allow me to elaborate:
1) Ability to train in all 3 planes of motion (sagittal (forwards & backwards), frontal (up and down) and transverse (rotational))

While I am a big advocate of traditional multi-joint barbell exercises to gain strength and size (e.g. bench press, back squat, rowing, shoulder press & deadlift); these movements do not mimic some of the key motions which athletes need to develop.  Traditional barbell exercises are done mostly in the sagittal (e.g. bench press and row) and frontal (e.g. shoulder press) planes.  This will limit the total development of an athlete since neural patterns for actions such as throwing (the body rotates in the transverse plane), swinging (baseball and golf) and side to side movements (e.g. a defender in basketball) are not learned, nor able to be practiced, within the range of motion of traditional barbell movements.  This is where the value of a TRX® is realized since these athletic movements can be targeted.

There are six positions relative to the TRX®:
1. Stand facing towards the anchor point (TRX® Elevated Back Row)
2. Stand facing away from the anchor point (TRX® Chest Press)
3. Stand sideways to the anchor point (TRX® Standing Hip Drop)
4. Prone (TRX® Atomic Push-Up)
5. Supine (TRX® Hip Press)
6. Lying Sideways (TRX® Side Plank)

Images courtesy of Fitness Anywhere Inc.

2) Ability to increase / decrease the level of difficulty quickly and easily
To increase the resistance, move further away from the anchor point.
To decrease the resistance, move closer to the anchor point.

Resistance can be altered by changing the position of your feet:
1) Staggered (one foot slightly in front, the other slightly behind) = MOST STABLE
2) Side to Side
3) Together
4) One Leg = LEAST STABLE

The less stable you are, the more you engage your CORE in order to maintain balance.  Altering your feet really adds a great abdominal component to any exercise.

It is pretty easy to see how the TRX® can be great for people of average ability, yet made challenging enough for Professional Athletes by altering the resistance.

3) Ability to train anywhere
As long as you have something to wrap the TRX® around, you are in business!  Indoors you can get the door attachment and once you close and lock the door the TRX® is ready for use and Outdoors a sturdy tree branch, jungle gym or rack on top of a truck / SUV will do just fine for anchoring.  It is easy to carry around and weighs less than 2 LBS yet it can support users up to 350 LBS.

As I mentioned above, I am a big advocate of traditional multi-joint barbell exercises to gain strength and size though I find tremendous value in the TRX® for achieving total development.  Personally, I find the TRX® useful for metabolic circuits since you can change positions very quickly and you can target the entire body.  With dozens of different exercises for the Upper body, Lower body and CORE, the TRX® is a great total body training tool that can be utilized to mix up your workouts and provide you and your clients with an incredible challenge.

To learn more about the TRX® Suspension Training System: click here

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If you answered “A lot more money than me!”, you are correct, but the answer I am looking for is, “They are all trained by Todd Durkin.”  Not a bad group of guys to have on your resume

Who Dat? 2009 NFL MVP Drew Brees performs a TRX plank with Todd Durkin

What is Todd Durkin’s “secret”?
A:  It goes beyond knowledge and has everything to do with I.M.P.A.C.T.  IMPACT is the combination of a philosophy on life and training.

IMPACT is an acronym that Todd created; the following is an explanation:
I = Live INSPIRED –
Talk from your heart and soul
Stay inspired by writing down goals and planning ways to achieve them
Inspire others by giving more and acknowledging those around you

M = MASTER YOUR CRAFT –
Become great at what you do and the money will come
Hone in on your niche
Continue to invest in yourself

P = PLAY at World Class Levels –
Be persistent and mentally tough
Always have faith and believe in yourself
Surround yourself by the best and it will make you better

A = ACTION -
Every day have a “To Do List” and DO IT!
Have a daily, weekly and long-term list of 5 things you are going to do

C = CONDITIONING –
The way you train is the way you live
Your 2 most precious resources are 1) Your physical energy and 2) Your mental focus

T = Be TENACIOUS

I can tell you firsthand that Todd practices what he preaches.  When you talk to him, you feel like you are the only person in the room and Todd is the kind of guy that could motivate you to be excited about raking a pile of leaves!  The ability to listen and motivate are KEY elements of success in coaching and Todd has both.

I experienced the “C” in IMPACT when I went through Todd’s “Impact Challenge” Metabolic Circuit and it is BEASTLY!!!

IMPACT CHALLENGE – as many reps as possible for 60 seconds then rest 60 seconds
1) Jam Ball Slams
2) Bosu Release Pushups
3) Rows with the TRX Suspension Trainer
4) Jump Rope with a Heavy Rope (pretty sure it was a 10 LB rope)
5) Heavy Rope Slams

The Impact Challenge Metabolic Circuit utilizes the same philosophy as High Intensity Interval Training to increase metabolic stress through incomplete recovery.  Bouts of high intensity exercise (i.e. above lactate threshold) results in an increase in growth hormone secretion⁽¹⁾.  Growth hormone is lipolytic (i.e. burns fat) hence, high intensity exercise helps burn fat⁽²⁾.

To learn more about Todd Durkin: click here
Check out Todd’s book, “The IMPACT! Body Plan”:
The IMPACT! Body Plan: Build New Muscle, Flatten Your Belly & Get Your Mind Right!

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References:

(1) Nancy E. Felsing, Jo Anne Brasel, and Dan M. Cooper, Effect of Low and High Intensity Exercise on Circulating Growth Hormone in Men, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 1992; Vol. 75, No. 1: pg. 160.
(2) Malin Ottosson, Peter Lonnroth, Per Bjorntorp, and Staffan Eden, Effects of Cortisol and Growth Hormone on Lipolysis in Human Adipose Tissue, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2000; Vol. 85, No. 2: pgs. 801-802.