Suspending disbelief: this taxing upper-body blast comes courtesy of one of the most portable home gyms imaginable

Muscle & Fitness, July, 2009 by Joe Wuebben

YOUR SETUP: You need a break from free weights and machines--albeit a very temporary one--and want to throw your own bodyweight around. Enter the TRX Suspension Trainer, an ultra-portable piece of equipment with long, adjustable straps with handles on the ends that can be anchored to any solid structure (such as a support beam, a power rack, even a sturdy door). You can do countless exercises using your own bodyweight as resistance for a functional, whole-body workout. (For more on the TRX, visit fitnessanywhere.com; $149.95.)

YOUR SOLUTION: Our 45-minute upper-body workout is as grueling as the TRX is practical. Designed by Jim Ryno, CPT, owner of LIFT, a private personal-training facility in Ramsey, New Jersey (insidelift.com), the routine is divided into two circuits. One hits the back, chest, shoulders and abs while the other targets the bi's, tri's and obliques. Sets are defined by time, not rep count; each lasts 60 seconds, making for a high-rep workout that'll shock your body into new muscle growth and endurance.

Central to the TRX is the ability to increase or decrease resistance mid-set with a simple change of body position. "You choose the degree of resistance by changing your body angle in relation to the TRX," Ryno says. "Going steeper, for example, makes the exercise more difficult. The key is to position yourself so the last few reps of each move are very challenging."

TRX exercises might look easy, but don't be fooled. There's a reason many pro athletes--from MMA fighters Brandon Vera and Georges St-Pierre to MLB's Pittsburgh Pirates--swear by it to develop strength that translates into submissions and extra-base hits. Says Vera of the TRX: "It'll work muscles you didn't know you had."

THE TRX WORKOUT

* Perform this routine as two separate circuits. Within each, complete
one set of each exercise in sequence, resting 20 seconds between
exercises. Go through Circuit 1 four times and Circuit 2 three times,
resting one minute between each round.

* Instead of counting reps, rep out for 60 seconds on each set.
* For detailed instructions on how to perform each exercise, visit
fitnessanywhere.com.

EXERCISE              SETS   TIME
Circuit 1

Back Row                4   60 sec.

Chest Press             4   60 sec.

Y Deltoid Raise         4   60 sec.

Suspended Crunch        4   60 sec.

Circuit 2

Standing Biceps Curl    3   60 sec.

Triceps Press           3   60 sec.

Oblique Leg Raise       3   60 sec.

EDITED BY JOE WUEBBEN