How to Build Muscular Shoulders with a TRX

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Author: Coach Adam | Founder of Fitness Freedom Athletes

How to Build Muscular Shoulders with a TRX

Here’s how I completely rebuilt my shoulders in my 30s without ever stepping foot in a gym again.

Years of heavy ego-lifting in my 20s gave me nothing but pain, until I switched to slow, controlled movements—using just a TRX suspension trainer at home to build strong and bold shoulders.

So in this post, I’m going to show you how you can build stronger, injury-resistant shoulders with suspension training.

To start, let me show you how to get Complete 4D Shoulder Muscle Activation…

4D Shoulder Muscle Activation

Like most guys in their 20s, I thought bigger weights meant bigger shoulders.

I chased ego-lifting heavy barbells until shoulder impingement left me wincing just putting on a t-shirt. 

The problem wasn’t the weights themselves; it was that I was only training about 30% of my shoulder’s full range of motion.

Heavy ego lifting

When I swapped heavy lifts for minimalist suspension training focused on muscle tension rather than weight:

  • My shoulder pain vanished
  • My posture dramatically improved
  • I felt genuinely strong for family life and longevity, not just gym strong for ego.

Sounds too good to be true, right?

Well, let me show you exactly how I did it.

Here are the 3 suspension exercises and the specific muscle-centric technique that bulletproofed my shoulders.

Don’t have time to read the post in full? Then watch the video below to learn how to build shoulders with a TRX…

TRX Shoulder Exercise 1 – Y Shape

First up is the “Y” raise, targeting your middle shoulder muscle.

One of the most powerful TRX shoulder exercises

This exercise builds a strong, functional foundation, but go too far back, and your upper back muscles take over, stealing tension from your shoulders.

Lean too far forward, and you’ll hang loosely through the joint, losing all shoulder tension.

Lose tension, lose growth. The key is constant, controlled tension directly on your middle shoulder muscle.

Here’s exactly how you do it:

  1. Start by raising your arms into a “Y” shape, elbows slightly bent.
  2. Take a small step backwards—nothing dramatic, form beats ego here.
  3. Slowly lower yourself for 2 seconds, stopping just before your shoulders lose tension at the bottom.
  4. Drive your arms up slowly by squeezing your shoulder muscles, taking another 2 seconds,
  5. At the top, pause and squeeze your shoulders as hard as you can for 2 full seconds, pulling against the anchor for extra tension.

Each rep should take 6 seconds.

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TRX Shoulder Exercise 2 – T Shape

You can use this exact same technique for the “T” raise, targeting your rear shoulder muscles primarily and middle shoulders secondarily.

The only difference is arm position: arms parallel to the floor, elbows slightly bent. Again, avoid leaning too far forward or back.

Combining these TRX shoulder exercises into a superset is especially effective for building the burn.

Now, let’s tackle the front shoulder muscles with the suspension shoulder press.

TRX Shoulder Exercise 3 – Shoulder Press

This exercise requires a different technique, but before we get to that, you might be thinking…

TRX shoulder press

“There’s no weight here, this won’t do anything!”

But let me show you the critical focus that makes ALL the difference between a useless press and one that builds muscle

Here’s something I wish someone had told me years ago: Your muscles don’t understand weight—they only recognize tension.

When I stopped obsessing about lifting heavier and started focusing on building a strong mind-muscle connection, my shoulders grew faster than ever.

But how exactly do you build this “mind-muscle connection”?

It comes down to internal focus—really feeling the muscle you’re trying to work.

Let me show you.

Mind-Muscle Connection

Let’s revisit that suspension trainer shoulder press. 

To get the most out of this, you need to let go of your old beliefs.

We’re not challenging the shoulders with weight, we’re challenging them with intentional tension.

Muscles don't know weight they only recognise tension

Start by getting into an athletic stance, leaning slightly forward

Here’s the critical part—this is where your mind-muscle connection transforms a simple movement into powerful muscle activation.

Anyone can mindlessly press their arms up and down—that’s easy because your focus is only on the movement itself, not the muscle doing the work.

Instead, before you even move, squeeze your shoulders and arms as hard as you can. 

Your arms should feel so tense they’re almost shaking:

  1. Now, keeping this intense squeeze, slowly press your arms up and slightly outward. 
  2. Take a full two seconds for this upward movement. 
  3. Stop just before your elbows lock out—locking out would release the tension, and we want to keep those shoulders working hard.
  4. Pause at the top and squeeze even harder for another two seconds.
  5. Then, slowly pull your arms back down, as if you’re dragging something heavy down with you.
  6. Resist gravity, and maintain that constant tension on your shoulders for another two seconds.

Now you’ve got the foundations for shoulder muscle development, let’s move on to how you can take this even further with strong shoulder stability.

Building Strong Shoulder Stability

Years of shoulder pain taught me one crucial lesson: stability is your insurance policy. 

Think of your rotator cuff as the glue holding your shoulder firmly in place—it’s not flashy, but it’s essential.

But how do you build that stability?

Let me show you.

Your first stop: extended-arm plank holds using a suspension trainer. 

Plank hold for shoulder stability

This simple exercise teaches your shoulders how to stay locked and stable under tension. 

From there, you can level up to single-arm plank holds, challenging each shoulder individually.

I get it—these aren’t glamorous, social-media exercises.

But trust me, this is the difference between strong, pain-free shoulders and years of nagging discomfort.

If you want to spice things up, you can add leg movements to engage your core and increase instability, or even flow in and out of pike presses.

But honestly, that’s just getting fancy for fancy’s sake.

Stick to the basics—plank holds are your simplest, safest, and most effective route to rock-solid shoulder stability.

Bodyweight training often gets labeled as the “easy” option—but the truth is, it’s actually tougher.

It demands precise body control, sharp awareness, and most importantly, what I call “muscle-centric technique.”

In my TRX suspension Trainer Programs, I’ll show you exactly how I ditched the gym, combined this muscle-centric approach with a suspension trainer, and leveraged my mind-muscle connection…

to finally pack on lean muscle and completely transform my body.

Here’s to your Fitness Freedom

Coach Adam

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About The Author

About The Author

Coach Adam, Body Transformation Coach

Founder of Fitness Freedom Athletes

Hello, my friend… I help busy professionals build lean muscle & transform their bodies using just a suspension trainer & simple nutrition optimisation…

I call it Fitness Freedom!

I spent 8+ years as a personal trainer hating the ego-driven gym culture. Every day I saw busy professionals struggle to make sessions, feel intimidated by the environment, and regard the gym as a chore NOT enjoyment. Because of this, their results were limited. But they believed there was no other way.

So in 2016, I setup Fitness Freedom Athletes. To date, Fitness Freedom Athletes has helped over 8000+ busy professionals transform their bodies (and lives!).

Start here to transform yours too!

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Coach Adam aka TRX Traveller with fitness freedom athletes

About Coach Adam

Hello, my friend... I help busy professionals build lean muscle & transform their bodies using just a suspension trainer & simple nutrition optimisation...

I call it Fitness Freedom!

I spent 8+ years as a personal trainer hating the ego-driven gym culture. Every day I saw busy professionals struggle to make sessions, feel intimidated by the environment, and regard the gym as a chore NOT enjoyment. Because of this, their results were limited. But they believed there was no other way.

So in 2016, I setup Fitness Freedom Athletes. To date, Fitness Freedom Athletes has helped over 8000+ busy professionals transform their bodies (and lives!).

Start here to transform yours too!

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I'm new to Suspension Training, where shall I start?

First up, welcome! Out of all the millions of websites out there thank you for visiting this one. Secondly, your interest and motivation will change your life. It did for me and thousands of fitness freedom athletes in our community of all ages. If you have a suspension trainer (like a TRX)...

The best place to start would be with the Beginner Suspension Trainer Total Body Transformation Program. It’s the most popular Program and will teach you the effective muscle-centric technique to transform your body and begin your life-changing journey.

If you’re seeking a resistance band Program, get stuck into the Band Muscle Pump Program which is for beginners/intermediates to learn the band muscle-centric technique and transform their body with just one resistance band.

What makes this different from other suspension training Programs?

Maybe you’ve tried suspension training before and it didn’t work, so you wonder how is this different?

Here’s the truth: You didn’t fail. The technique failed you.

Richard is 50 years old. He’d tried everything for his knee mobility problems. When he started my program, he told me: “I was skeptical because I’d tried suspension trainers before with no results.”

But here’s what changed everything… Richard learned Muscle-Centric Technique instead of the mindless “movement-centric” stuff he’d been doing from YouTube videos.

The difference – Instead of multiple muscles sharing the load (which creates zero growth stimulus), he learned to isolate individual muscles.

The result? In his own words: “I have dropped 12 lbs and gained 90% of my mobility back. The strength I have gained has helped significantly.”

Yes, you may have tried suspension training before. But you’ve never tried my suspension training technique. The one that actually builds lean muscle and transforms bodies.

  • What you tried before: Movement-centric technique (multiple muscles sharing load)
  •  What these Programs teach: Muscle-centric technique (isolated muscle overload)
  • Why it matters: Only isolated muscles get the stimulus needed for real growth

The reframe: Your previous “failure” actually proves you need the RIGHT technique, not the RIGHT equipment.

Do you have any training courses or Workout Programs?

Yes absolutely, I have The Fitness Freedom Suspension Trainer & Resistance Band Programs for all levels and fitness goals. They will teach you the effective 'Muscle-Centric Technique' that will transform your body! And cover everything from nutrition to mindset and performance execution.

PLUS, once you become a Fitness Freedom Athlete, you'll get access to a tun of member only resources and bonuses within the Fitness Freedom Athletes platform.

I got you covered for every challenge and every goal.

What if I'm too out of shape?

Plot twist: Being out of shape is your biggest advantage.

Joe said it perfectly: “Outstanding program. It is perfectly paced for true beginners who are looking for a way to start getting fit with a program that pushes you, but doesn’t ask too much too soon.”

The Programs have two phases specifically designed for this:

Phase 1 (4 weeks): Technique mastery and building your foundation Phase 2 (4 weeks): Transformation and strength building

Matt started overweight and out of shape. Result? “Lost 40+Lbs, getting lean, and showing great definition!”

Ben, another beginner, said: “I’ve been delighted with the Program…. thoughtful and well-rounded!”

  • Beginner advantage #1: No bad habits to unlearn
  • Beginner advantage #2: Fastest initial gains
  • Beginner advantage #3: Most dramatic visible changes

The reframe: Starting “out of shape” means you’ll see the most dramatic transformation.

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I guess at first, you shouldn’t. Trust is built and earned over time. Check out my reviews and success stories so you can get a better understanding of what I am about and who I help.

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I am mainly based in London, UK. But I love travelling, specifically backpacking our beautiful world and experiencing other cultures... So most likely I may be based on the side of a mountain or little beach hut. Perhaps I’ll even meet you in person at some point… That would be just awesome!

Adam Atkinson TRX Traveller Fitness Freedom AthletesAdam Atkinson TRX Traveller Fitness Freedom Athletes

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