Blog Archives
The Ultimate Home Gym…To Go!
Each TRX System comes with the following:
- TRX Suspension Trainer
- Instructional DVD
- Fitness Guide
- Travel Pouch
- 30 day, 100% satisfaction guarantee
For additional support, check out their video library for clips on set up and use, upper body exercises, lower body exercises and core exercises. I’ll soon have some videos of my own that I’ll share through this Blog and my website – www.VirtualWorkoutPartner.com so please come back and visit often…and follow my AVP comeback efforts on this Blog too!…see folder titled “The Comeback of 09′”
TRX used on the Biggest Loser TV show
A Trainer-Athlete’s Use for TRX / Suspension Training
If you’re a fitness trainer, the TRX System should be a permanent fixture in your functional training tool-box to use with clients of all ages and abilities. If you’re an athlete, Suspension Training with TRX should be in your arsenal of conditioning and training methods for improving performance and reducing risk of injury. Since I happen to be both a trainer and an athlete, I wanted to share why I get as much use out of my TRX System as I do with my blackberry…however my TRX (the same one I’ve been using for 3 years) won’t be obsolete in 6 months!
When I’m on the road during the week (and some weekends) I simply bring my TRX with me. It weighs less than 2 lbs and folds into the size of a shoe – so it’s incredibly portable. Furthermore, TRX anchors to virtually any sturdy overhead structure (beam, gym equipment, tree, pole, fence, door, etc.) enabling me to bring my “home-gym” on the road where I can train clients at the local health club, their home/office; or outdoors in a local park or sports field. Imagine the flexibility you could have with training clients if you had your own TRX System!
Due to my road-weary lifestyle, I don’t have the luxury of training clients on a long-term basis. Therefore my goal is often times to introduce, train and educate clients on how they can use the TRX System on their own to achieve their fitness goals. While I still think it’s important for people to work with a personal trainer if they have the means, I’ve found that people really like to take control of their own fitness efforts, on their own time and in their own training sanctuary – wherever that might be (home, outside, hotel-room, etc.). I’ll support an individuals efforts by showing them how to safely perfom Suspension Training exercises (i.e. squats, presses, rows, planks and curls) at basic levels and how to progress in difficulty within each exercise profile as their exercise competency (form, balance, coodination) and strength to weight ratio improves over time.
It gives me great satisfaction to see someone get excited about exercise enough to WANT to learn how to take fitness into their own hands. While I’ll always encourage someone to work with a certified trainer, I’d also encourage people to learn more about living a healthy lifestyle and put that knowledge to use by making good choices. Having a fit body will help you live a long and productive life with increased vitality and more freedom from discomfort and disease.
As a competitive athlete, I consistently train with TRX to improve my athleticism, conditioning and sport-specific performance in beach volleyball. My (variable) resistance is my own bodyweight (205 lbs) working against gravity – which is plenty. TRX allows me to make exercises as easy or difficult as I want them to be…and I tend to work just beyond my comfort zone in order to see incrimental and progressive gains through consistant efforts.
In sport, as in life, there are always going to be people out there that are bigger, faster and stonger than we are. Similarly, with TRX, there are always going to be exercise movements that will make us bigger, faster and stonger than before – regardless of how good of shape we’re currently in. What’s the message here? We must always strive to become better versions of ourselves. Afterall, that’s what our competition is doing! The TRX System is a single fitness tool that can accompany any athlete on their path to becoming the best they can be. If you’re a recreational athlete or compete in sports, working out with TRX will:
- Increase strength, balance and coordination through the entire kinetic chain
- Improve athleticism and kinesthetic sense
- Improve posture
- Strengthen muscles of the core for spinal stabilization (a precursor to athletic movement)
- Improve sport-specific performance through performing sport-specific movements
- Reduce risk of injury through closed-kinetic-chain exercises performed in multiple planes of motion
Even if you’re a weekend warrior, using TRX regularly during the week will improve how you feel and your overall performance in your sport of choice. Give it a try and share TRX with your teammates! Once you do, come back to this Blog and leave a comment to share your experience with myself and others.
Thanks for reading and please don’t hesitate to leave a comment with any thoughts or concerns you may have on using the TRX System – either as a trainer or athlete (or both). Also, I’ll be adding video content in the weeks to come so come back soon for exercise guidance that will take your game to the next level!
Resuming Tournament Play
I’ve resumed competition in beach volleyball tournaments and I have to say, my juices are bubbling!
The physical and mental challenge of competition brings out the best in me…from physical exertion and effort to fair play and sportsmanship. I grew up playing a lot of golf and tennis (the gentleman’s game) where I was exposed to mentors who taught me about playing with integrity and courtesy. These values are still at the core of my athletic-spirit and enable me to always hang my head high, regardless of the outcome.
My mental mantra, or mission statement entering any match is to have fun and be the best partner I can be (meaning communicate, hustle and motivate to the best of my ability)…something inspired by words spoken to the partners of the AVP’s recently passed and beloved Mike Whitmarsh (96′ Olympic Silver Medalist) – “We win as a team and lose as a team. Let’s have fun and leave it all on the court.”
My goal however in any tournament is to place 3rd or better…to be in contention to win!
Last weekend I played in the California Beach Volleyball Association (CBVA) sanctioned event, Marine Street Open-level tournament in Manhattan Beach, CA. An Open-level tournament means that anyone can enter, and they draw the best players. While I used to carry a “AAA” rating on the CBVA, the highest rating an amateur can achieve, it’s been years since I’ve competed in their tournaments so I’m currently an unrated player. Since you can play in tournaments at or above your ranking I’m elligible to play in any tournament of choice – from unrated to AAA/Open-level tournaments.
I played with my friend Arqum Iqbal, a solid player with a great attitude who can quietly kill you on the court with his game. It had been two weeks since the last time I played volleyball – something I can’t help because of the “on the road” lifestyle my wife and I lead. Fortunately, the beach game favors players seasoned with experience and even though I’d like to have more sand-time in my training regimen, I’m still able to play well from being in shape and from playing the game for 20 years.
This was a double-elimination tournament. We won our first match, then lost our next two (including a loss to the eventual winners) to place 9th in the tournament. I fell short of my 3rd place or better goal but have several positive take-aways from our play:
- We stayed positive at all times, even while down. While a positive attitude is not a guarantee you will win, a negative attitude almost always results in a loss!
- My fundamentals were solid – including passing, setting, blocking and ability to sideout consistently
- I was physically fit, recovering well after each point and in shape enough to play all day at a high-level
- I was able to mentaly channel energy effectively and “gear-up” for each and every point
- Despite being a primarily left-side player, I played on the right-side and performed just as well – so now I’m confident that I would be able to play either side which opens my partner options for the future
Some things I’ll look to improve upon include:
- Utilizing the Jump Serve more often to place pressure on our opponents
- Serving and Blocking, especially when I’m having success against a player(s)
- Covering my hitter…getting low after setting my partner to pick up any deflected/blocked balls
Beach Volleyball is a physically gruelling sport and players are constantly striving to improve their game, in all aspects – conditioning, fundamentals, ball control, defense, shot accuracy, strategy, dealing with the elements, etc. This sport just never gets boring…and it constantly offers new challenges for players/coaches to confront and overcome. Fortunately for beach volleyball fans and casual spectators alike, they can see how spectacular and sophisticated this sport has become by watching it first-hand on the AVP Tour. Make sure to check it out if and when it comes to your part of town!
My physical training leading up to the tournament included yoga, abdominal work, cardio sessions on the elliptical trainer (at 9,000 ft. elevation in Mammoth Lakes) and workouts with TRX, a bodyweight-based fitness tool that I travel with. If bodyweight-based training doesn’t sound like it can be as tough as a gym-based workout you’re sorely mistaken! The TRX allows me to train in a single-station environment at low or high levels of resistance or intensity…and I tend to push myself pretty hard in order to gain and maintain strength, balance and coordination – all good things for improving athleticism, something beach volleyball is all about!
Come back next week to see how I did in the forthcoming CBVA A-level tournament at Ocean Park, Santa Monica…and wish me luck!
As always, please feel free to comment on this Blog or share something about your own personal comeback – whether it’s sports related or not. Thanks!
Travel Light, Travel Fit!
For the last year my wife and I have been traveling back and forth from Los Angeles to Mammoth Lakes every week. Toss in additional trips every other weekend on top of that and we’re talking about a lot of time on the road. Fortunately I’ve become conditioned to traveling light as a result of doing it so much in recent days and when I used to compete across the country on the AVP Tour.
Ever since the mid-90’s when I originally became certified as a fitness trainer, I’ve been interested in how I could maintain a fitness program based in regular exercise despite the high travel demands with my lifestyle. Since most hotel fitness centers tend to be inadequate for getting in a great whole-body workout, I was pleased to discover the TRX Suspension Trainer from Fitness Anywhere.
The TRX is a lightweight and highly portabe fitness tool that’s bodyweight-based and used by everyone from elite athletes like Drew Brees and LaDanian Tomlinson to competitors on the Biggest Loser. At less than 2 pounds, TRX folds into the size of a shoe and easily stores in an overnight bag or suitcase of any size. TRX was also just touted as the best new Total-Body Fitness Tool by Men’s Health Magazine.
Don’t worry that Suspension Training might be new to you, every TRX comes with an exercise guide and instructional DVD. Give it a try and then give it as a gift!…make sure you get the door anchor accessory so you can TRX at home or in your hotel room, wherever you are!
The View From the Bay: Nice piece on TRX
San Fransisco is a city where the cost for space is at a premium. Working out at a well-equiped fitness facility might come at a premium cost as well…and it might be inconvenient to keep up with your on-the-go lifestyle. The San Fransisco-based company Fitness Anywhere came up with a solution for anyone looking to achieve a full-body workouts in tight quarters. Heck, the product was even created by a former Navy SEAL looking for a way he and his SEAL buddies could stay in shape regardless of their environment – enter the TRX.
Check out this TV clip that just aired on The View From the Bay to get an idea of what Suspension Training is all about. If you decide this is worth a try you can click HERE for more information or to buy TRX.
Virtual Workout Partner 