I Built Muscle Using a TRX for 10yrs and Learned THIS

I’ve spent 10 years figuring out how to build lean muscle using just a TRX suspension trainer and made every mistake possible.

But once I cracked the code, I built more lean muscle in 3 years with suspension training, than a decade at the gym.

And then helped over 8,000 people do the same.

So in this post, I’m going to tell you the 20 lessons that turned suspension training from frustrating guesswork…

Into a lean muscle-building system you can actually use to transform your body anywhere.

Lesson 1: Muscle-centric

I hammered TRX chest presses for months at first, but saw zero chest gains. Then a mentor asked, ‘Are you FEELING your chest work, or are you just moving through space?’ He had me slow down and squeeze ONLY my chest through every inch of movement. Within 4 weeks, I finally saw real chest definition.

So lesson number one is Master muscle-centric technique, because…

Most people use movement-centric technique where multiple muscles share the load—meaning no single muscle gets enough stimulus for growth. But when you isolate ONE target muscle by slowing down, squeezing hard, and not letting anything else help, that muscle does ALL the work. That’s what creates real growth.

Don’t have time to read the post in full? Then watch the video below to learn the 20 lessons that will turn your suspension trainer into the ultimate muscle and strength building tool…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zK1cvQTWdo

Lesson 2: Mind-Muscle

All I used to think about during workouts was work emails or life admin, but when I started closing my eyes and visualising each muscle stretching and contracting, not only did my muscle activation increase, which improved my muscle building results, but my workouts also turned into a form of moving meditation for better mental well-being.

So lesson number two is use your mind-muscle connection, because…

It’s been proven to triple your muscle activation for strength gains and turn workouts into meditation so you finish calm and grounded. As Andreas a father of two messaged me:

Lesson 3: Time Under Tension

When I first started suspension training, I thought “well, there’s no weight so I have to do more reps to make up for it” I did fast reps and just focused on hitting high rep numbers, and all i got was a sweat and sore joints, but when I slowed every rep right down focusing on quality movement, I finally built the lean muscle I’d been chasing.

So lesson number three is slow down, because…

Time under tension builds muscle, not rep count. 20 fast curls with poor form creates less growth stimulus than 8 perfectly executed curls with maximum tension. Aim for a minimum of 6 seconds per rep.

Lesson 4: Posture

I had terrible muscle imbalances and rounded shoulders from years of heavy ego lifting in a gym. When I switched, I couldn’t perform bodyweight exercises effectively with full ranges of motion, but when I spent 4 weeks fixing my posture before focusing on muscle building, suddenly every exercise clicked, and my performance increased.

So lesson number four is fix your posture first, because…

All human movement stacks on top of the starting position of your spine, pelvis, and scapula on your upper back. These seem unrelated to muscle building, but if your posture is bad, you can’t move properly. Fix your posture and you unlock your muscle-building potential.

Lesson 5: Momentum

My TRX bicep curls used to involve my whole body swinging using momentum because it meant I could hit a high rep number, and my arms never changed after months of effort, but when I focused on only squeezing my biceps to cause the movement, they finally started growing.

So lesson number five is lock your body in stone, because…

If you eliminate all swinging and momentum, your target muscle has to start and maintain the movement, which means it does the maximum work and receives the maximum muscle growth stimulus.

Lesson 6: Range of Motion

When I first started using a TRX, I still carried my gym ego. I’d create the hardest angle possible to feel strong, but it meant I only did partial ranges of motion with poor form because it was too hard, but I dropped my ego and reduced the angle to focus on full ranges of motion, my muscle gain dramatically increased.

So lesson number six is use a full range of motion for every exercise, because…

Doing half reps leaves parts of your muscles undeveloped, which causes imbalances, injuries, and limits progress. Take every muscle from a fully stretched position to a fully contracted position for complete muscle development.

Lesson 7 – Negative Phase

I used to think results came from the positive phase of an exercise, like when you pull yourself up on a TRX row, so I’d just drop down with gravity on the lowering phases, not giving them much thought, but when I started lowering myself slowly with control and resisting gravity, I built strength a lot quicker.

So lesson number seven is control your negative, because…

If you’re not engaging the muscle by lowering yourself slowly, you’re leaving 33% of strength gains on the table. Go against gravit,y lower with contro,l and squeeze the muscle the whole way down

Lesson 8: Uncomfortable

The burning sensation in my muscles used to make me quit immediately, thinking ‘that’s my limit, time to stop.’ But when I learned to breathe through the burn for just 10 more seconds… I broke through every plateau I’d been stuck at.

So lesson number eight is get uncomfortable and know it isn’t a sign to stop, because…

Your mind gives up long before your muscle actually fails. Think of it like the empty petrol warning light on a car, you still have 50 more miles when it flashes.

Lesson 9: Breathing

I was breathing through my mouth during all workouts, but when I learned that nasal breathing is more effective for oxygen exchange and energy production, I forced myself to breathe only through my nose for as long as possible. I can’t point to dramatic results, but my internal focus improved, and the science convinced me to stick with it

So lesson number nine is breathe through your nose as much as you can during workouts, because…

Nasal breathing improves circulation, increases fat burning, and reduces stress hormones, which is an added bonus if you’re already stressed from back-to-back meetings

Lesson 10: Instability

I used to think suspension training wasn’t for me because I’d shake like a leaf and feel embarrassed. But when I embraced the instability instead of fighting it, over time I built deep stabiliser muscles, the shaking went, and I actually felt functionally strong for real life, rather than ‘gym strong’

So lesson number ten is embrace the instability when you start, because…

Your body will automatically reduce muscular contractions when it senses instability, which is why you feel like you’re not getting much out of the suspension trainer. But stick with it and over time you’ll build deep stabilising strength which will increase your performance and in turn muscle gain. As roy messaged me after 4 weeks

Lesson 11: Poor Mobility

I always had tight hamstrings and hips regardless of how much I stretched them, but when I finally started focusing on my technique by isolating individual muscles with proper form and built balanced leg muscles, my mobility and flexibility issues disappeared without a single stretch.

So lesson number eleven is a lack of mobility signals muscle weakness not tightness, because…

If you’re tight, it’s usually muscular imbalance. So focus on fully lengthening and contracting muscles with proper form, and those imbalances causing mobility issues will disappear without endless stretching

Lesson 12: Rest

I was training 6 days a week with one rest day, proud of my hustle-culture dedication. But my strength plateaued, my sleep quality tanked, and I was always sore. When I finally added consistent rest days, I came back stronger every session, and my muscle growth accelerated.

So lesson number twelve is don’t underestimate rest for growth, because…

If your body never gets time to fully recover, you’ll always be training in a state of muscle breakdown, which adds additional stress to your body.

Lesson 13: Recover Faster

I avoided all cardio thinking it would kill my muscle gains, but I was constantly flagging between sets and my overall recovery was slow, so I tried adding light jogging twice a week, and after a month my recovery between sets and after workouts became much quicker 

So lesson number thirteen is increase your aerobic fitness for faster recovery, because…

The better your cardiovascular fitness, the faster you recover, which means you can train hard even when work drains you. Add some light cardio with nasal breathing 2 times per week.

These next few aren’t even about training,  but they’ll double your results

Lesson 14: Poser

I had chicken legs for years and no matter how hard i trained them I couldn’t get them to grow, but when I started practicing posing in front of the mirror I realsied i could barely squeeze or contract my leg muscles at all, so i practiced posing after every workout and overtime my mind-muscle connection became stronger, and my legs finally started to grow..

So lesson number fourteen is to become a master poser, because…

If you can’t squeeze your muscles correctly without weight, you won’t be able to do it with weight. Practising posing improved neurological pathways (mind-muscle!) so you can squeeze your muscles powerfully in workouts

Lesson number 15: Fidgeter

Outside of workouts, I used to sit a lot, (this was before I had kids), sometimes 8 hours a day and I struggled to shift belly fat, but when I became obsessed about moving as much as possible each day, consistent fat loss and maintaining a lean body became normal life.

So lesson number fifteen is become a master fidgeter, because…

When you sit for prolonged periods, your body goes into fat-storing hibernation mode, your metabolism slows, and recovery drops. Your body loves constant movement and thrives when it does so look for every excuse to move

Lesson 16: Gut

I used to wake up and grab a coffee first thing, and by mid-afternoon, I had terrible gas, low moods, and energy, but when I started my mornings with a pint of lemon water, Himalayan salt, and a probiotic instead, my gas vanished, my mood stabilised, and I stopped reaching for that 3pm coffee to survive afternoons..

So lesson number sixteen is prioritise your gut health first thing on a morning, because…

Your gut has 100 million neurons. These neurons are the same as are found within the brain. The gut is your second brain and affects how you feel, along with your energy levels.

Lesson 17: Food Combinations

I thought my “healthy” meals of pasta with a splash of olive oil and avocado were helping me with the energy to train hard to get lean, but I always struggled to shift the stubborn fat, until I separated my fats and carbs into different meals, and finally started losing the stubborn fat a lot easier

So lesson number seventeen is don’t combine high fat and high carbs, because…

Carbs cause insulin to be released in the body; insulin is a fat-storing hormone. The body will look to store fat immediately when insulin is spiked. Eat either a high fat, low carb meals. Or a high-carb, low-fat meal. This is one of the first nutrition frameworks I teach everyone in the fitness freedom athletes community and it leads to these results…

Lesson 18: Timing

I was eating carbs randomly throughout the day, and my muscle growth was average, but when I shifted the majority of my carb intake to right after my workouts, I started building muscle more consistently than I ever had before.

So lesson number eighteen is time your carbs around workouts, because…

During and after a workout blood flow to your muscles increases by 80% and insulin sensitivity peaks too, so take advantage of that flow and feed your muscles what they need to repair and grow

Lesson 19: Fat Free

I went on a low-fat diet thinking I’d lose weight faster, but my energy crashed, my sex drive disappeared, and I actually started gaining fat, so I added healthy fats back in and everything normalised within weeks.

So lesson number nineteen is don’t follow fat-free diets, because…

Healthy fats increase good cholesterol, which is essential for hormone production. Low-fat diets reduce hormone production, causing low testosterone and fluctuating estrogen

Lesson 20: Energy

I used to chug coffee and energy drinks to fight daily fatigue, spending a fortune and feeling jittery, but when I learned about how critical potassium was for energy production and started eating more greens and added a greens supplement, my natural energy came back, and I dropped the caffeine dependency.

So lesson number twenty is for more energy eat more potassium, because…

If you’re waking up sluggish, caffeine is just a short-term fi,x and the root cause is likely due to low potassium.

Now here’s the thing…

knowing these TRX training lessons is one thing.

Actually applying them in a structured program is another.

So checkout this post next where I’ll show you the 8 essential TRX moves every man must master and exactly how to do them to build strength, mobility, and confidence quickly.

Here’s to your Fitness Freedom!

Coach Adam, aka TRX Traveller