Training
Marisa HeinzeSeptember 12, 2018
The TRX workout you need for a better posture and strong back
In this Workout of the Month (WOM), you'll test your strength and improve your posture with a mix of body-weight exercises. Plus, TRX in a functional workout included here will upgrade the challenge ahead. All, of course, the EVO way.
Benefits of functional training
In a general sense functional training exercises, performed either with body-weight alone or with the support of equipment, can work on the body's ability to find stabilisation, a capacity that should be seen as one of the primary body functions. The need to control stability and balance, the transfer of load, the need for coordination and of going beyond mere production of strength are examples that show precisely the need to exercise these skills.
We can promote the harmony between upper-body and lower-body by exercising it in a functional-training way, exploring the pillars of natural human movement. Locomotion is one of those pillars, and it refers to the linear displacement of the body's centre of mass, which demands effort from the leg muscles (quadriceps, thigh posteriors and glutes). This effort happens as the body strives to take in the impact of the forces that occur in reaction to the ground, and at the same time, it creates the need to activate the muscles that stabilise the pelvis and the core muscles, to prevent falling and finding balance.
Conjugating the strength of the back muscles with the scapular waist and torso stabilisation, we train the body in a functional training perspective exploring the movement pillar of pushing and pulling. This same pillar is explored as we demand effort from arms and chest muscles, and we try to maintain scapular stabilisation.
Two other pillars form the tetralogy of the base pillars of movement: level changes and rotation. The level changes pillar is stimulated as we promote motions that imply a variation of the centre of mass in a vertical line, as examples of these we have squatting or climbing/ elevating. The rotation pillar allows the acceleration and deceleration of the movement and is responsible for the transition of forces from the upper to the lower body and vice-versa.
Program name
Functional workout / Body-weight/ bar and strips/ TRX / 15 reps, 4 sets, 30 seconds rest
4 exercises
15 reps each set, 4 sets, 30 seconds rest
Equipment: Bar and strips, TRX
Strength 7/10
Power 7/10
Endurance 8/10
Speed 5/10
Agility 6/10
Coordination 7/10
Balance 8/10
Flexibility 5/10
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LATERAL JUMPS
15 reps, 4 sets, 30 seconds rest
- In the suspended bar placed at the lowest level - closest to the ground - position your body sideways in relation to the bar
- Flex the knee and hop to put a foot on the other side of the bar - shift the weight to that foot
- Repeat coming from the opposite side
HAMSTRING CURL
15 reps, 4 sets, 30 seconds rest
- In the suspended bar placed at the second lowest level - close to the ground - lay on the ground having the bar slightly under your knees
- Place both feet on top of the bar and keep them apart, waist wide. The bar placed in mid-foot, plantar area
- The hip must be lifted, placing all body weight supported on shoulder blades
- Glutes and abdominals must be activated to maintain pelvic stability, and arms stretched alongside the body to assure balance.
- Push the legs forward, stretching the knees
- Push downwards to keep the feet firmly against the bar and bring it towards your core.
PUSH UP WITH ROTATION
15 reps, 4 sets, 30 seconds rest
- With arms stretched and the body partially planking, parallel to the floor, bring the torso closer to the ground by bending the elbows
- Elbows should be 'facing' outwards in relation to the medial line.
- The trunk should be brought down as close to the ground as possible without contact or extreme shoulder discomfort.
- Shoulder blades should remain stable, and armpits and chest should also distribute strength
- Push the palms firmly against the floor to push back upwards and straighten the arms (keeping shoulder blades Steady)
- At the end of the motion perform a torsion of the trunk, from the pelvis up, raising one arm towards the ceiling and finalising the movement in a stable T position
- Rotate back to the original plank with both hands on the floor, arms stretched
TRX LOW PULL
15 reps, 4 sets, 30 seconds rest
- Firmly grab the TRX handles with both hands and lean back until the straps are tense and the body is in an oblique angle to the ground
- Arms should be stretched, and the body should be planking with the knees slightly bent.
- Palms facing inwards and begin pulling, allowing the body to move up, towards the handles, chest reaching the hands
- In a controlled descent, reduce the muscle tension of the arms and stretch them once again until you find the original Position.
- Strive to maintain the core as stable as possible, using shoulder blades and spine for this effect
Check out more TRX exercises such as the TRX plank or TRX chest press for your next Workout at the club!