THE BEST SUSPENSIONTRAINER WORKOUT

A suspension trainer, such as the TRX or Jungle Gym XT, can mean the difference between sticking with your training while on the road and returning from your travels feeling slobbish. So long as your suspension trainer is fully adjustable and offers foot cradles you’ll have a total-body gym that you can unpack from your suitcase whenever, wherever.  

HOW IT WORKS

The kind of instability a suspension trainer provides is ideal for core strengthening. To increase the instability , we’ve designed this workout using unilateral exercises, meaning that you’ll be training each side of your body indiv idually . If you need to reduce the intensity of an exercise, simply increase the angle of your body to the floor (shorten the length of the handles/straps). The workout at right lets you customize your training, giving you a specific period of time in which to do your reps, rather than a concrete number of reps to hit every set.  

DIRECTIONS

Perform the exercises as a circuit, completing one set of each in sequence. Do as many reps as you can in 30 seconds, resting only as long as it takes to set up the next exercise. Perform two to four circuits.  

1 SINGLE-LEG ROW

REPS: AS MANY AS POSSIBLE IN 30 SEC. (EACH SIDE) REST: 0 SEC.

Attach a suspension trainer to a doorframe or other sturdy object and stand on your left leg. Hold the handles and get into a lunge position with your rear knee bent—but keep your foot raised above the floor. Row your body to the handles while driving your right knee up in front of you.  

2 SINGLE-LEG WOBBLE LUNGE

REPS: AS MANY AS POSSIBLE IN 30 SEC. (EACH SIDE) REST: 0 SEC.

Set the foot cradle of the suspension trainer to about a foot and a half above the floor and turn around. Raise your right foot and rest it inside the cradle. Bend your left knee so you descend into a lunge position.  

3 UNI-BRIDGE PRESS

REPS: AS MANY AS POSSIBLE IN 30 SEC. (EACH SIDE) REST: 0 SEC.

Face the suspension trainer’s attachment point and hold one handle in your left hand. Pick up a water bottle (or some other source of light resistance) in your right hand as if you were going to press. Lean back so your body is in a straight line at an angle, suspended by the handle. Row your body up until the handle touches your ribs while pressing the right hand over your chest.  

4 TAP OUT

REPS: AS MANY AS POSSIBLE IN 30 SEC. (EACH SIDE) REST: 0 SEC.

Set your feet in the cradles of the trainer and get into pushup position. Keeping your body straight, reach up with your right hand and tap the inside of your left elbow. Put your hand back down and repeat with the left hand. Continue for 30 seconds.  

5 PUSHUP ROCKET

REPS: AS MANY AS POSSIBLE IN 30 SEC. REST: 0 SEC.

Get into pushup position with your feet in the cradles of the trainer and perform explosive pushups so that your hands leave the floor and you can clap in midair.