Trx loops: effective exercises

In addition to exercises designed to work with the athlete's own weight or with additional weights, CrossFit often uses exercises that require special trx loops. It is a great way to add variety to your workout, give extra stress to your stabilizing muscles, and relieve your central nervous system from exhausting free weights.

In this article, we will talk about how to correctly use loops in CrossFit, we will figure out who needs it and why, and whether it is possible to make this equipment with our own hands.

What are trx hinges?

The design of this sports equipment is extremely simple: two loops with adjustable length, soft rubberized handles and a carabiner for fastening.

If you want to use TPX hinges at home, then you can fix them anywhere, you just need a little free space. For example, if there is a wall bars in the apartment or in the yard, then it can be an excellent option for attaching TRX hinges. With its help, it will be even easier for you to vary the height of their location.

Loops are becoming more and more popular among athletes. Today in large cities almost every decent gym is equipped with them. And this is not surprising, because the scope of this inventory is very wide:

1. Loops are perfect for training beginner athletes who have not yet learned how to control muscle contraction and stretching during movement.
2. For people with serious back problems, trx loops are the safest construction for working out the muscles of the back, as they do not create an axial load on the spine.
3. The TPX loops allow for a moderate tensile load on the thoracic spine, which corrects kyphosis and improves posture.
4. Working with your own weight allows you to work out stabilizing muscles that do not receive a strong dynamic load during classic basic exercises.

TRX Loop Exercises

Training with trx loops allows you to do a wide variety of exercises of different difficulty levels. With the help of them, you can work out all the muscle groups of our body. We recommend that you try the exercises below and see for yourself how effective they are.

Pull-ups on the loops

Biomechanically, pull-ups on the loops are a cross between pull-ups on the horizontal bar and the pull of the horizontal block to the stomach. Often this exercise is given to beginners who do not yet know how to pull up on the bar to strengthen their back muscles.

The main working muscle groups in this case are the latissimus dorsi, the posterior bundles of the deltoid muscles and the biceps.

The technique for performing pull-ups using loops is as follows:

1. Grasp the rubberized grips and take the starting position: put your feet forward so that the body is tilted at approximately 45 degrees. Keep the arms parallel to each other shoulder-width apart. The back is straight, the gaze is directed straight ahead. Take a deep breath.
2. While exhaling, begin to perform a traction movement, trying to press your elbows as close to the body as possible and bring the shoulder blades together - this way the load is more distributed on the back muscles. Perform the movement in full amplitude, at the top point, the elbows should be located slightly behind the back. Lock in this position for a second and try to statically contract the upper back muscles additionally.
3. Smoothly lower yourself down, straightening your arms and returning to the starting position.

Arm curls

This is an isolated exercise aimed at working out the peak of the biceps. Its biomechanics are similar to Scottish bench curls from dumbbells, but here it is much easier for us to concentrate on maximizing biceps contraction.

The exercise is performed as follows:

1. The starting position is similar to hinged pull-ups, but the arms should be positioned narrower and turned towards you. If your biceps are already strong enough, it is better to use an open grip (place your thumb on the top of the handle) and bend your hand slightly away from you - this will emphasize the load on the lower part of the biceps.
2. Begin to lift the body up with the effort of the biceps, gradually raising the elbows up. This is the only biceps exercise in which we need to bring the elbows forward and up to contract the biceps more, the angle of the body will not allow us to overload the elbow ligaments.
3. Continue upward, at the end point, the hands should be positioned above the head, at about the level of the back of the head. For less experienced athletes, it is enough to reach forehead level.
4. Pause for a second at the top point to further contract the lower bicep, then return to the starting position.

Push-ups with loops

By doing push-ups on TRX loops or low-hanging rings, you prepare your muscles and ligamentous apparatus for more difficult exercises, such as push-ups on rings or strength exits on rings. In addition, you perfectly work out the pectoral muscles, triceps and front deltas, and spreading your arms a little wider at the bottom point makes the exercise even more complex, since you additionally stretch the outer parts of the pectoral muscles, as when doing a dumbbell set.

The exercise is performed as follows:

1. Take a starting position: grab the rubberized handles slightly wider than shoulder level and lower yourself down. The more parallel your body is in relation to the floor level, the more load will fall on the pectoral muscles. If the angle of inclination of the body is approximately 45 degrees, the lion's share of the load will go to the anterior bundles of the deltoid muscles.
2. Smoothly lower yourself down, inhaling and slightly spreading the handles to the sides. The more you spread the handles, the more the pectoral muscles will stretch at the lowest point. When spreading the arms, try not to bend your elbows too much so as not to overload the triceps. Vary the degree of extension of the handles from set to set in order to comprehensively work out the entire array of pectoral muscles.
3. Hold for a second at the bottom point. It is recommended not to return completely to the starting position, but to leave 5-7 cm of amplitude and lock in this position for a second or two in order to tighten the inner part of the pectoral muscles more.

Pistol squat

In CrossFit on hinges, it is very convenient to learn such a basic element as a pistol. The hinges serve as an additional fulcrum and prevent us from falling forward or backward. The exercise works great for the quadriceps and gluteal muscles, and also improves coordination and balance during regular squats with a bar.

The exercise is performed as follows:

1. Grasp the handles about shoulder-width apart and take a few steps back to tighten the loops. Lean back slightly and keep your back straight.
2. Taking a breath and without changing the position of the body, gently lower yourself down. It is advisable to perform this exercise in the maximum possible amplitude so that at the lowest point the hamstrings touches the calf muscle. Grasp the handles firmly so you don't lose your balance.
3. As you exhale, rise from the lowest point and fully straighten your knee.

TRX Loop Lunges

TRX loops are great for working out the glutes with the popular exercise called lunges. The advantage of this variation of the exercise is that we do not need to monitor the position of the back leg and we can fully concentrate on the work of the muscles we need.

The exercise is performed as follows:

1. Take a starting position: fix one leg in the handle, and put the other slightly forward. We keep our back straight, look forward, it is better to cross our arms over the chest to make it easier to balance.
2. Begin to bend your front leg while pulling your back leg as far as possible - this will maximize the load on the buttocks. The movement should be smooth and controlled, you should feel the stretch of the working muscles.
3. After you have made a full lunge, return to the starting position by exhaling, extending the knee and returning the hind leg to its original level.

Breeding hands to the rear deltas

Many athletes are faced with the following problem: the back bundles of the deltoid muscles respond poorly to the load. Try to "punch" them with this exercise, it allows you to concentrate properly on the isolated contraction of the rear deltas and helps to achieve good blood circulation.

The exercise is performed as follows:

1. Take the starting position, as with the pull-up or curl of the arms in the TRX-loops.
2. Begin to make an upward movement, spreading straight arms to the sides and changing their position relative to the body.
3. Bring your arms to the same line with the body and pause for a second in this position to reduce the back deltas as much as possible, then return to the starting position. It is recommended to work with a large repetition range - 15 and above.

You can additionally see how the described, as well as other exercises with TPX loops are performed in the video we have selected.

Using rubber loops

In parallel with the study of exercises on TRX-loops, we recommend trying out an equally interesting training tool - rubber loops. They are made of latex and allow us to create additional resistance when lifting the projectile. For example, the degree of resistance of some models can reach 90 kg. The rubber loops can be used in the gym while doing CrossFit or Fitness, or at home while taking a break from hard workouts.

With their help, you can imitate movements performed with weights in the form of a barbell or dumbbells, for example: lifting for biceps, breeding with dumbbells while standing, pulling a horizontal block to the chest, breeding to the rear deltas, extensions with a rope handle and many others. The main thing is to securely fix the loop and repeat the movement down to the smallest detail in the same way as you would perform it on the simulator or when working with a barbell.

There is another way of using rubber loops, which is especially popular in powerlifting. The method is as follows: the loop is attached to the barbell, the other part is attached to the inventory (bench press, squat rack, etc.). In addition to rubber loops, the athlete hangs up a small weight (about 50% of his one-time maximum) and thus performs a bench press, squat or deadlift. The rubber loop tightens as the bar is lifted up and creates additional resistance that grows with every centimeter of amplitude. Thus, the athlete learns to overcome the "blind spots" in basic movements.

DIY trx hinges

The design of the simulator is simple, and if you do not have the opportunity to purchase a branded product, you can try to make trx loops with your own hands. The main thing is the availability of high-quality materials, the symmetry of both loops and the observance of the correct dimensions. Here are some tips to help you build your own simulator if needed:

1. The recommended width of the loops is 40 mm, length 250 - 300 cm. On one side of each tape you need to make a small strap, inside which you attach a small plastic hook so that the tape can be attached to the carabiner. At the other end, it is necessary to form two more straps: one wider, 25-30 cm in diameter, so that you can stick your legs into it, the other narrower - you need to insert a soft rubberized or neoprene handle into it.
2. When you make the straps, insert the hooks, handles and securely sew with heavy-duty nylon or nylon threads, otherwise this structure will not last long.
3. Another tip is to take care of adjusting the buttonhole length. To do this, you need to buy a metal or plastic buckle, place it in the center at a symmetrical distance and thread a loop through it. This little trick will help make the loop shorter or longer.
4. The simplest thing remains: insert both hooks into the carabiner and attach to any suitable object. If you do not have a wall bar or other reliable support at home, the easiest way is to buy an anchor with a hook and secure it to the wall or ceiling.

Crossfit training complexes

So, you already realized that if you use trx loops for training, exercises from even the lightest discharge will give additional load. We suggest that you try several crossfit complexes containing such exercises in your training process.

Watch the video: TRX POWER HIIT WORKOUT (November 2024).