In this video, we've enlisted the help of Kirsten Gerding, a certified Pilates Instructor and TRX Trainer, to show us the following three Pilates-based moves you can perform on your TRX.
TRX Stroking the Globe
Benefits: Activates abdominals and core stabilizer muscles, improves shoulder joint mobility
- Adjust your TRX to the fully shortened position, stand facing away from the anchor point, your body centered with the anchor point, arms extended across from your chest, feet externally rotated, core engaged.
- To perform the movement, roll your body forward, keeping your arms straight, creating full extension from your toes to finger tips, planking your entire body. As you start to roll yourself back to the start position, open your arms wide in a clockwise circular motion, keeping your arms straight and then bring your arms back together to the start position.
- Repeat the exercise for six reps, and then reverse the arm movement to counter clockwise for another six reps.
TRX Hundreds
Benefits: Strengthens core muscles, improves breathing and coordination
- Adjust your TRX to the fully lengthened position, lie on the ground face up, with your hips directly under the anchor point, hands in the foot cradles, extend yours arms straight towards your feet. Bring your legs into a table top position, with knees over hips, bent at a 90 degree angle, ensuring your back is flat against the ground.
- Inhale, nod your head forward, pressing down into the handles, bringing yourself into an upper ab curl. Inhale as you press your hands down and out for a count of three, and exhale back in for a count of three to the start position, maintaining the upper ab curl the entire time.
- To regress the exercise, place both feet on the ground; to progress, extend legs straight up. Perform the exercise for 10 reps.
TRX Swan Series
Benefits: Strengthens abdominals, back, glute and hamstring muscles
- With your TRX still fully lengthened, lie on the ground facing away from the anchor point, arms extended out from the shoulders and reaching overhead. Keep your shoulders down and back.
- With feet turned out, hips anchored to the ground, press down into the handles, lifting your chest off the ground by using your lower back muscles. Repeat the extension 10 times, keeping the core tight and hips down.
- Continue the series by adding arm circle or "butterflies," by pressing your chest off the ground, driving the arms out and around. Repeat 10 times and then reverse the direction of your arm circles.
- Complete the series by adding small flutter kicks or "swimmers," keeping your hips down and chest lifted as you engage your glutes throughout the movement.
- To finish, lower your legs and chest down and release the TRX, pressing yourself back into Child's Pose.
In Pilates, it's important to focus on your breathing, so as you watch the video again, be sure to listen to Kirsten's cues for breathing technique as it will help you to further maximize the benefit of these exercises.
Need to limber up? Look no further than our TRX Essentials: Flexibility DVD, for desk jockeys and extreme sportsmen alike.
