Targeting different areas of your legs with TRX Squats, such as the quads, hamstrings, and glutes, can seem tricky at first…
But once you feel it and ‘get it’ it is awesome!
Table Of Contents
TRX Exercise Technique For Legs
It’s essential to maintain a constant squeeze and mindfully connect to your leg muscles throughout. Anyone can just drop down and squat back up. That’s easy. We want to make the exercise harder by using ‘muscle-centric’ technique….
This will help to isolate the leg muscles and place all of your body weight load onto them. When a muscle is isolated it is much weaker on its own. That’s why you can get a good muscle and strength stimulus from just your body weight load using a TRX.
Don’t have time to read the post in full? Then watch the video guide below to learn how to do the 4 best TRX exercises for your legs…
So, let’s get into the 4 best TRX exercises for your legs. First up, the different variations of TRX squats…
1. TRX Narrow Squats (Quad/Front Squats)
With TRX Narrow Squats, the goal is to develop the outer quad muscle. The leg muscle that gives shape and width. To do this you need to constantly push your feet outwards against the floor on both the positive and negative phases (up and down).
Why? To isolate the outer quad and place all the load (bodyweight) onto it. Training without this mindful intent means we are just moving up and down. Just moving up and down uses multiple muscles.
The body is efficient. It will place load across multiple muscles to make it easier to move. That would mean 170 pounds of my body weight spread across 10 muscles: Glutes (3 muscles), Quads (4), hams (3).
Weak Muscle Growth
But this means the muscle growth stimulus is shared across all your leg muscles. So you get a weak muscle-building response across them all. The problem with efficiency is that it’s easy. Building quality, lean muscle doesn’t come from ease.
So, you intentionally make each rep hard by isolating the specific muscle you want to target. That is muscle-centric technique.
When you isolate the outer quad, and place all the load onto it. You get a greater muscle building response, and your leg muscle grows noticeably.
This may look easy to watch, but in practice, it’s a burner. At 8 reps I struggle a lot.
Technique Points
- Push feet outwards against the floor while squatting up and down
- A super hard squeeze of the quads at the top, again by pushing feet outwards
- Pause at the bottom and stay there before rising back up by pushing feet outwards. It will feel uncomfortable. That’s good.
2. TRX Wide Squats
Performing a set of TRX Hamstring Squats with perfect muscle-centric form. By doing slow, controlled movement and isolating the muscles. Constantly squeezing the hamstring muscles throughout the entire range of motion. Especially at the top and bottom for maximum contraction.
You only see the outside, but on the inside in my mind, it’s a different story. I close my eyes and place my mind inside the hamstring muscle. Visualising the muscles contracting and lengthening.
I know this may look easy, like it’s doing nothing. If we use ‘movement centric’ technique where the load is shared, that would be correct.
When we use muscle-centric TRX technique and isolate the muscle, it is 10x weaker on its own. So we can get a greater stimulus off lighter loads, like body weight.
Technique Points
- Imagine there is a stability ball between your bum and your heels and you are trying to squeeze it powerfully. With this in mind, don’t drop down, squeeze your hamstrings and glutes to pull your body down.
- Don’t straighten your legs at the top. This will take tension away from your hamstring muscles because the quads come into play.
- To squat up, re-focus your mind to continue squeezing the glutes and hamstrings hard to rise. Take it slow and controlled.
Get Your FREE Copy Of My ‘7 Skills To Build Muscle With A Suspension Trainer Handbook!’
Apply these 7 powerful skills in your workouts now to build lean muscle quicker and easier. Just tell me where to send it…
3. TRX Front Lunges
It’s easy to lean forward and place load onto quad with these TRX Front Lunges. But, I believe it is more beneficial to target the hamstring muscles and leave the quads for the Reverse lunges below.
With that in mind, we want to slightly reduce the range of motion. If you straighten your leg at the top, you’ll bring in the quad muscle. Which will then take tension away from the hamstrings.
Technique Points.
- To lower yourself down, squeeze your hamstrings and glutes to pull your body down. Don’t drop. Pull.
- Pause at the bottom then squeeze your hamstrings again super hard to rise back up.
- Stop just before your leg straightens out, and go back down by squeezing your hamstrings and glutes.
4. TRX Reverse Lunges
The TRX step reverse lunge can be done with a slight step for greater variation. Or without. I believe they are best used to target your outer quad muscle. Your inner and middle quad will get a lot of development from front lunges and squats.
Technique Points
- Don’t lock out and squeeze at the top. This will take tension away from the outer quad because the inner quad muscle joins in to straighten the leg.
- Twist your foot inwards very slightly. I personally find this helps emphasise the load onto the outer quad.
- Lean slightly forward throughout to keep the load on quad muscles.
- Knee to the floor. Gently tap it, don’t rest it. Then rise.
Do You Want To Transform Your Body With a TRX?
I have a huge passion for being able to exercise and achieve my own fitness goals anywhere. But a bigger passion for helping others like you do the same. So you never need to rely on a gym, ‘diet fads,’ or anyone else’s schedule ever again.
I call it Fitness Freedom.
If you know you need to make a change for your health and confidence and you want to build lean muscle and transform your body, AND you’ve got a suspension trainer lying around, then I can help you…
If you’re just starting out with your fitness journey, checkout my Beginner Level 8-week Total Body Transformation Program.
If you’ve got some experience but want to take your results to the next level, checkout the Intermediate Level Programs…
- The 8-week Beach Body Program for a lean and sculpt goal.
- Or the 8-week Muscle Builder Program for a muscle and size goal.
If you’re experienced, with a good fitness level but feel like you’ve plateaued, checkout the Advanced Level Programs…
- The 12-16 week Ultimate Physique Sculptor Program for a lean and sculpt goal.
- Or the 12-16 week Full Body Athlete Program for a muscle and size goal.
If you’re unsure, I created a ‘Which Program Quiz’ to help you discover the right Program for you.
You’ll have immediate access to 7 step-by-step videos teaching you how to tweak your nutrition…
to build and maintain a lean, energised, and healthy body called ‘Lean Lifestyle Nutrition Blueprint’, as your free gift.
It teaches you how to improve your insulin sensitivity for optimal health, longevity, and performance…
a proven method used by thousands of people in the Fitness Freedom Athletes Community for long-term results.
View all the TRX Suspension Training Body Transformation Programs here.
Building Strong Legs From Home,
Coach Adam
Body Transformation Coach
0 Comments