Complete Guide to TRX Suspension Training

For strength, stability, core power, flexibility, and balance, Suspension Training® delivers results. Used by the best of the best, from professional trainers to the elite athletes they work with, Suspension Training is a respected and essential component of conditioning programs worldwide. Now, the ultimate Suspension Training expert shares the ultimate in Suspension Training exercises and programs.

Complete Guide to TRX® Suspension Training®, from renowned strength and conditioning expert Dr. Jay Dawes, is the authoritative guide to Suspension Training. This resource is so thorough that it has earned the endorsement of TRX®. Look inside at the instruction, advice, and insights, and you’ll see why. This is a one-of-a-kind resource designed to take workouts to unprecedented levels.

Complete Guide to TRX® Suspension Training® includes instructions for more than 115 exercises. Complete with photo sequences, variations, and safety recommendations, you’ll learn how to develop and integrate strength, power, core stability, flexibility, and balance with the use of a Suspension Trainer ™. In the gym, at home, or on the road, this guide is the ultimate training companion. With over thirty ready-to-use programs, you have options for any situation and every desire. It’s all here.

If you want the best in exercise, training, and workouts, then look no further than Complete Guide to TRX® Suspension Training®. Discover why millions of athletes make Suspension Training the core of their program.

Part I: Science of Suspension Training

Chapter 1: Foundation of Suspension Training

Chapter 2: Benefits of Suspension Training

Chapter 3: Setup, Safety, and Success

Chapter 4: Physical Assessment

Part II: Suspension Training Exercises

Chapter 5: Upper-Body Exercises

Chapter 6: Lower-Body Exercises

Chapter 7: Core Exercises

Part III: Suspension Training Programs

Chapter 8: Foundations of Program Design

Chapter 9: Prehabilitation

Chapter 10: Strength and Power

Chapter 11: Speed and Agility

Chapter 12: Balance, Stability, and Flexibility

Chapter 13: Total-Body Conditioning

Jay Dawes PhD, CSCS,*D, NSCA-CPT,*D, FNSCA, ACSM-HFS ASCA-L2, is an assistant professor of strength and conditioning, coordinator for athletic performance, and the head strength coach for women’s soccer at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs. He has worked as a strength and performance coach, educator, and post-rehabilitation specialist since 1997, and continues to act as a performance consultant for a wide variety of athletes, law enforcement officers, and those in physically demanding occupations.

Dawes is certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and as a certified personal trainer (NSCA-CPT); by the American College of Sports Medicine as a Health Fitness Specialist (ACSM-HFS); and by the Australian Strength and Conditioning Association as a Level 2 strength and conditioning coach. He was also recognized as a Fellow of the NSCA (FNSCA) in 2009.

Dawes is the co-editor for the NSCA’s Developing Agility and Quickness (Human Kinetics, 2012), co–author of Maximum Interval Training (Human Kinetics, 2015), and has written numerous book chapters and articles on improving sports and tactical performance. His primary research interests are improving performance for both sports and tactical performance among law enforcement officers.

He lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

This section presents basic testing exercises for gauging fitness progress. Although any of the exercises in this book can be used as a test, these provide a good general assessment of current fitness level. If you experience pain during any of these exercises, obtain medical clearance prior to beginning a training program.


ELBOW PLANK
Lie facedown with forearms facing away from the anchor point. Place one foot in each stirrup. From the facedown position, lift the hips and torso until the elbows are directly under the shoulders and the upper arms are perpendicular to the ground using one continuous movement (see figure). Measure this test by tracking the time spent holding the plank position with perfect form and technique. As soon as technique breaks, the test should be terminated. This should be the first test performed in the series. If unable to perform this exercise, substitute the standing plank (see pg. 139).