TRX Benefits: 7 Pros and 4 Honest Cons (Is It Worth It?)

I quit the gym and used just a TRX suspension trainer to build lean muscle and strength for the past 10 years…

And helped over 8,000 men and women do the same, most of them over 40.

So if you’ve got one gathering dust, or you’re wondering whether TRX suspension training is worth it…

Here are the 7 real physical and mental benefits I’ve discovered…

And the 4 honest downsides too, because there are some…

Starting with the one that surprised me most, because it fixed something years of physio couldn’t…

Don’t have time to read the post in full? Then watch the video below to learn the 7 benefits of TRX suspension training…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2eim2Dk0jQ

7 Benefits of TRX Suspension Training

1. It Strengthens Your Joints Without Even Trying

My shoulder no longer clicks and grinds every time I rotate my left arm.

It used to twinge just reaching for a mug on a high shelf.

I tore my rotator cuff 15 years ago, benching way too heavy to show off…

I saw numerous physios and did their exercises, but nothing ever fixed it.

So I learned to lift through the discomfort and assumed I’d live with it for life.

But now, it’s rock solid and pain-free.

Here’s why…

On a bench or a machine, the equipment holds you steady.

On a TRX, you have to do that yourself….

So the small muscles around your shoulders, lower back and hips work on every single rep…

Just to keep you stable, even though you’re not specifically targeting them.

Those small activations compound, and your joint stabilisers gradually get stronger…

That’s what fixed my shoulder.

A TRX bulletproofs your joints without you even trying. But protecting your joints is only half of it….

This next one is why I look more athletic now than I ever did lifting heavy in my twenties…

2. It Forces Better Technique for an Athletic Shape

In the gym, progress meant one thing: more weight.

I just threw weight at it, with little regard for form, which is why I was imbalanced and injured so often…

Take the weight away, and you can’t do that. You can’t just add a plate.

Instead, you’re forced to think about your form and how to make your bodyweight harder:

• your angle
• your foot position
• your movement path.

I learned to slow every rep right down and actually feel the muscle working…

That focus on slow form over ego built an athletic, defined shape, rather than just gym bulk.

I call it muscle-centric suspension trainer technique, and I’ll come back to exactly how it works in the downsides, because it’s the most important thing you’ll take from this post.

But here’s the thing…

That technique shift leads to the benefit I now value most of all. And it’s got nothing to do with muscle…

If you want to start building that athletic shape yourself, my free 4-week strength plan below shows you the exact angles and tempo for every main exercise.

3. Your Workouts Become Moving Meditation

In the gym, I was constantly distracted by comparisons:

“He’s lifting heavier than me.”

“He looks way better.”

“My physique is nowhere near that.”

Instead of feeling energised, I’d leave the gym deflated and frustrated.

My ego and external focus were my downfall.

But at home with a TRX, it’s just you. No one to compare yourself to, no one watching, no distractions…

So your focus turns inward, to your body and the muscle you’re actually targeting.

Meditation is simply focusing on one thing for an extended period.

So when your entire attention is on the muscle you’re working and nothing else, your workout becomes a form of moving meditation...

I now finish every workout calmer and more grounded, as stresses and anxieties melt away.

That positive mental wellbeing is now my biggest motivation to train.

The muscle and strength are just added bonuses.

Now, this next benefit actually contradicts the last one…

4. You Can Train With Your Family

Because sometimes, one or both of my little training partners get involved…

Which means your workout isn’t time away from your family, like a trip to the gym. It can become time with them.

Now this next one matters most if your joints aren’t what they used to be…

5. It Works With Your Body for a Fuller Range of Motion

For most of my gym days, I unknowingly did partial ranges of motion.

The barbell locked my hands in one position, and the machines locked my body into one path.

My joints had to fit the equipment, whether they liked it or not, and that led to incomplete muscle development and imbalances I didn’t even know I had.

But the straps work with the shape of your body and your mobility…

Your hands and arms rotate naturally as you move, so you can take your muscles through their full range of motion.

And going from a full stretch to a full squeeze is how complete, functional muscle grows.

So you get better mobility and more muscle, without a separate stretching session…

My free 4-week strength plan is built around these same principles, so you can feel the benefits for yourself. Grab it below…

Next is the one that keeps working even on days you’re not training it…

6. It Builds Deep Core Strength

I had abs in the gym, but my deep core strength for real life, like twisting and bracing, was non-existent.

Typical gym moves never really tested it. I only trained my surface-level abs.

But take a chest press with a TRX…

You’re at an angle, so your front core has to engage to keep your body straight.

Or take a row…

Your back is at an angle, so your lower back and glutes have to engage to hold you straight.

The front and back of your core work in almost every TRX exercise.

Those small activations compound over the weeks…

Building a core that protects your lower back when you’re lifting the kids or carrying the shopping, without you even trying.

(For exercises that target every core layer, see my 7 TRX core exercises.)

But next is the benefit that makes all of this actually stick…

7. You Can Train Anywhere, So You Actually Stay Consistent

For three years, I trained in 19 different countries while backpacking with just a TRX…

It’s how I became known as the TRX Traveller…

Now, as a busy family man running a business, it’s two steps from my desk, hanging on the door.

Now think about a gym trip.

• You drive there
• Wait for equipment
• Deal with the egos and influencers
• And get home late.

By the time you’re back, it’s eaten an hour and a half out of your day.

And that’s the thing…

Most people don’t quit their workouts because they’re too hard.

They quit because getting to them is.

No commute and no gym environment means you train more often.

And after 40, consistency beats intensity every time.

So that’s the good stuff.

But I promised you the honest downsides, and the first is the reason most people give up on their TRX…

4 Cons of TRX (and How to Fix Them)

1. It’s Easy to Use Wrong

Most people grab a TRX and just mindlessly move.

They push, pull, hang and jump around, with little thought for the muscle they’re targeting.

That’s movement-centric technique.

The problem is that your bodyweight load gets shared across multiple muscles at once, so no single muscle works hard enough to get a growth stimulus…

You get a sweaty cardio session instead of muscle.

And that’s the reason most people throw their TRX in the cupboard and give up on it.

The fix: muscle-centric technique.

Isolate the muscle, slow down, and squeeze it through its full range of motion.

One muscle handling the majority of your bodyweight creates the big stimulus needed for muscle growth.

And because you’re loading the muscle rather than the joint, it’s far kinder on your knees, shoulders and back than heavy weights ever were.

Here’s the exact method I use to build muscle with a TRX.

Or grab my free strength plan below.

It shows you how to apply muscle-centric technique to the 8 essential TRX exercises, so you feel the difference in your very first workout.

2. It’s Harder to Add Load and Track Progress

You can’t just progress by picking up a heavier dumbbell, so there’s more to think about.

The fix: you progress by changing your angle, adding reps and sets, slowing your tempo, or training one limb at a time.

Write down your foot position for each exercise, so you can see your progress week to week.

3. Legs Are the Hardest to Progress

Your bodyweight runs out quicker for your leg muscles, because they’re the biggest and strongest in your body…

The fix: rely more on single-leg exercises, slower tempos and pauses at the bottom, or add a weighted vest.

You’ll find all the progressions in my 15 most effective TRX leg exercises.

4. It Won’t Build a Bodybuilder’s Physique

If a bodybuilding stage is your goal, heavy weights will get you there much faster.

But: for most of us over 40, the goal isn’t a stage…

It’s real, lean muscle and strength we can maintain consistently, and a body that moves without pain…

And for that, a TRX is more than enough…

So, Is TRX Worth It?

If you want to build lean muscle, protect your joints and actually stay consistent after 40, then yes…

As long as you use the right technique.

If your goal is a bodybuilding stage, heavy weights will get you there faster.

But for strength that lasts, a body that moves well and workouts you’ll actually stick to, I haven’t found anything better in 10 years.

Try it for yourself with my free 4-week strength plan:

TRX Benefits FAQ

Is TRX good for weight loss?
TRX helps, because it builds muscle and burns calories, and more muscle means you burn more at rest. But your diet is what drives fat loss. You can’t out-train a poor diet, so pair your TRX workouts with the right nutrition. Here’s exactly how I eat to get lean.

Is TRX good for building muscle?
Yes, but only with the right technique. Your muscles don’t know what you’re holding. They only know the tension you place on them. Isolate the muscle, slow down and squeeze hard, and your bodyweight becomes a serious load. Here’s the exact method I use to build muscle with a TRX.

Is TRX a good workout for beginners?
It’s one of the best places to start. You can make every exercise easier or harder just by stepping forward or back, so it grows with you. Start with a small angle, focus on slow, controlled technique, and build up from there.

Can TRX replace the gym?
For most people’s goals (lean muscle, strength, fat loss and moving well), yes. I haven’t set foot in a gym for 10 years, and I’m in better shape than I ever was lifting heavy. If you want maximum size or strength for competition, weights still have the edge.

Are TRX bands worth the money?
If you’ll actually use them, yes. A suspension trainer costs less than a few months of gym membership, lasts for years and goes anywhere with you. The key is learning the right technique, because the straps only work as well as the way you use them.

Start Training

Knowing the benefits is one thing, but none of it matters if you’re doing the wrong exercises. And most people are.

• Ready to start? Follow my TRX full body workout, with a free 4-week plan.
• See all the moves in my 16 best TRX exercises guide.
• Over 60? Start with my TRX exercises for seniors.

Here’s to your Fitness Freedom!

Coach Adam, aka TRX Traveller