A TRX is Useless for Building Muscle. Here’s What 10 Years Of It Did To Me (& My Clients!)

https://youtu.be/BH6vz9NSbWw

Pess play. Or if you’d prefer to read…

So I got this comment the other day. It said,

“BS.How the f do you progressively overload this It’s purely functional or for grannies no use in bodybuilding.”

In other words, no use in building muscle.

And honestly, they’re not wrong.

Because the way most people use a TRX suspension trainer, the way I used to use it when I first started suspension training…

Yeah, it is just glorified cardio.

Back in my twenties, I would have backed this guy.

But now…

I know that they’re completely wrong 

Join me for a quick TRX workout session while I explain…

I used to believe a gym was the only way to build muscle.

For myself, and my clients…

And I developed an unhealthy psychological reliance on them because of that. 

I literally couldn’t travel anywhere unless there was a gym nearby,

And I couldn’t be away from one for more than a day without this anxiety creeping in that I wasn’t myself.

I was obsessed,

But the thing that made it crazy was that I actually hated the gym,

and I was a PT. 

I was constantly comparing myself to others. 

I was always trying to lift heavier than I should for my ego.

I was always getting injured.

Jumping from one diet fad to another.

I was binging, restricting, chasing muscle, then trying to cut fat.

I’d just end up burning out until my willpower came back, and then I’d go at it even harder again,

thinking I just need to do more.

You know that whole meathead gym bro culture?

I was a part of and I hated myself for it. 

I’d even wear those deep V t-shirts to try and show off my little chest.

But the worst thing, I also noticed how much clients would feel intimidated by this environment.

They’d struggle to make sessions, and they’d see the gym as a chore rather than enjoyment.

And eventually, after years of this, I was like, I’m done.

This can’t be what health and fitness is about….

So in 2016, I quit the gym world…

I grabbed my backpack, a suspension trainer, and I left to travel South America.

And I had this ego determination to prove that you could build muscle without a gym.

And looking back, I had no idea what I doing. But I thought,

“know what? Screw it. Let’s see what happens.”

And so I used the suspension everywhere.

I was suspension training on beaches, building sites, boats, rooftops, literally any space. 

Wherever I was, I’d get it out and I’d just go after it.

And I had this chip on my shoulder about getting in the best shape, so I was using it all the time.

But it actually backfired

Because early on, still had that ego gym mentality that more is always better.

And without weights to add, I thought, well, the only way forward was more. 

More reps, more sets, faster movements, longer workouts.

I’d see these flashy videos of people jumping around doing fancy moves with the suspension trainer.

So I just copy them.

But after weeks of training like an absolute lunatic trying to prove a point, I actually looked smaller.

Which is the last thing I wanted.

I already had chicken legs, so I didn’t wanna make them worse.

And that was when I stopped and I just took a step back.

You see, coming from the gym world,

I thought I knew it all. I’d done my PT course, I’d lifted weights for years, I’d watched every fitness for YouTube video,

But the truth is, I was driven by ego. 

I was chasing heavy weights all the time to try and look strong.

But without weights to add on, I was just throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what would stick.

And eventually, it forced me and eventually it forced me to admit that I didn’t actually have all the answers.

So I dropped my pride and I became a student again.

And I turned to world class bodybuilder named Ben Pawlowski.

He’s the founder of Muscle Intelligence. His podcast is incredible. You should check it out.

And I bought all his courses and I spent weeks studying how he executed each exercise.

And eventually… wiped out my savings for a mentorship with him because I admired his wisdom so much.

And that’s when I learned the single most powerful lesson in my entire fitness journey.

It sounds obvious when I say it now, but at the time, it was a revelation.

It was the difference between movement centric technique and muscle centric technique.

Movement-centric is what I’d been doing and what 99% of people do.

You’re just mindlessly moving your body weight from point a to point b.

You’re not thinking about the muscle you’re actually targeting.

But the body’s clever. It wants to use as many muscles as possible to create that movement because a shared load is easier. Right?

But the problem with a shared load is that no single muscle takes enough of that load to create an effective muscle growth stimulus.

Like doing an aerobics class. It feels like work, but it builds almost no muscle.

But muscle centric technique is different.

You isolate the exact muscle you wanna target using slow controlled movements, specific angles, and time under tension.

One muscle handling the majority of your bodyweight load creates a powerful muscle growth stimulus.

So I started applying this technique but instead of weights which is what Ben taught with, I used the suspension trainer. 

And I spent months practising and refining how to target each body part with this technique.

A muscle centric suspension training technique.

And I finally started to feel muscle soreness after workouts, which is which was which was an indication it was working. 

Plus wasn’t wrecked all the time from trying to do these frantic hit style workouts.

And After months of training this way, my physique really started to change.

I built great muscle definition, and in my opinion, I got in the best shape of my life.

And I know that sounds quite cliche, but it’s honestly true.

It’s actually how i became known online as the TRX traveller because i documented everything

Until I got too much traction TRX the actual brand came after me for having TRX in my name, but that’s a story for another vid.

Even my nagging shoulder pain from years of poor gym form disappeared.

But something else happened, which to this day is still the biggest benefit.

You see, when I used to train at a gym, I was constantly distracted by external comparisons.

Like, he’s lifting heavy than me. He looks way better. My physique is nowhere near

And I’d always leave the gym deflated and frustrated.

But now, training alone with just a suspension trainer, there were no distractions.

just me and the movements.

I remember reading about this mind muscle connection thing.

Arnold, Frank Zayer, and these legends talk about mentally connecting with the muscle you’re training.

So I started doing it too.

I’d close my eyes and I’d try and place my mind directly inside the muscle I was targeting.

Try and visualize it stretching, contracting, squeezing as hard as I could with every rep.

And I know this sounds like hippie b s,

But my workouts turned into this weird meditative thing.

And it made sense because meditation is one focus for an extended period. Right?

The one focus was the single muscle being targeted for each exercise.

And so I’d finish workouts feeling like I’d been transported to another planet.

Stress and anxiety, it just melted away.

And I became addicted to that feeling and I craved workouts because of how I felt afterwards.

The physical changes just became a secondary byproduct of actually feeling mentally bettering myself.

So after almost a year of travelling and training like this across 12 countries,

I came back to London, and I thought, you know what?

Maybe I was being too harsh. Maybe I just needed a break from the gym. Maybe I’m over exaggerating.

And with this new knowledge and less of an ego, maybe I could do better.

So on my fourth day back, I decided to give the gym another go.

And I walked in, and I remember it vividly.

I felt sick.

The noise, the whole atmosphere, it made me feel trapped all over again.

And I lasted maybe about ten minutes before I walked out, and I remember standing outside on the pavement thinking, 

“That’s it. I will never step foot in a gym again.:

And I haven’t, and that was 2017.

And then over the next six years, I trained using nothing but a suspension trainer with these techniques.

Four years with my small London flat, and another two years traveling, Central And South America with my my now wife. 

just me and the suspension trailer in whatever space I could find.

Fast forward to now and I’m a dad, I’ve got business, life’s mental,

but I train from home in my office studio with my suspension trainer hanging from the door, 

usually when my son’s napping.

And I’m in better shape now at almost 40 physically and mentally than I ever was grinding away in a London gym.

I’m not exhausted at the end of the day. I’ve got energy for the family. I’m present. I’m calm.

this one tool has allowed me to create that because it’s sustainable and accessible.

and what’s been really cool is seeing the same thing happen for other people from all walks of life.

They come for the muscle, that’s why they usually find me.

But in a few months, they mention it almost like as a side note...

They’re sleeping better, mentally less irritable, more patient with the kids, feeling sharper at work,

and I honestly believe it’s a bonus of training in your own space with no distractions.

This meditative style of training.

People say walking is life, but I believe muscle is life.

Because we are 33% muscle mass and muscle cells control a huge amount of functions within your body for health and longevity.

And when you transform your body by building muscle in a way that’s sustainable, you literally transform your life. 

Again it sounds cliche, but it’s true.

And that’s honestly why I do this.

So back to that comment.

Suspension training is for grannies. No use in bodybuilding.

If you’re using it the way I was when i first started— yeah. Fair play. They’ve got a point.

Just going through the motions. Multiple muscles sharing the load.

That probably is glorified cardio.

But that’s not what this is.

Use it with slow, controlled muscle-centric technique, engaging your Mind-muscle connection..

And it leads to a Strong body. Clear head. And Energy for the people that matter.

That’s what I found 10 years ago.

And it’s why I’m still here.

So checkout this post next and I’ll show you the only 9 TRX exercises you need to build muscle across your three movement patterns, pushes and pulls, hinges and squats…

And how to do them with muscle-centric suspension training technique so you can build strong, lean muscle quickly and effectively.

Coach Adam, aka TRX Traveller
Founder, Fitness Freedom Athletes