All the Unusual Places to Use Suspension Trainers to Get a Great Workout
When I travel, strength training is my second priority (having a good internet first), but I can’t always count on finding a gym. So I began to rely on my suspension machines and MacGyver-like sensitivity for my bodyweight strength training wherever I was. You can do the same.
Shoes with the suspension – a pair of straps that you can hang in different places to help you perform a variety of exercises with its own weight ( with good results ). I take them with me wherever I travel because they are extremely portable – just roll them up and stuff in your travel bag – but they’re still versatile enough for you to install in your home or parks as part of your standard. mode. The trick here is learning to recognize how and what to hang these suspension sneakers on.
First, learn how to properly secure the suspension trainers.
Attaching the harness trainer is easy once you get the hang of it. While the video above is about the TRX brand sneakers ( $ 150 on Amazon ), it does offer a good overview of how to use and customize them. The idea here is to attach one end of the strap, usually a hook or carabiner, to a high, sturdy attachment point. A door, a tree branch, or a staircase are all great. Ideally, the attachment point should be high enough for the straps to hang at least six inches from the ground, for example:
Other than that, here are some general tuning tips to help you get the most out of your belts and workouts:
- Safety first. If you think your harness machines are set up correctly, always test them by giving them some powerful jerks and running through a couple of exercises . It must be able to support your body weight. When in doubt about a pivot point, act intuitively; this is probably correct, so skip it.
- Give yourself enough space. Some bodyweight exercises require more maneuvering space than others. Cramped, cramped spaces may still work for certain exercises, such asatomic push-ups or overhead squat pistol squats.
- Check your belts. Check your belts periodically to make sure the stitching is not unbuckled or the belts themselves are not frayed from repeated use.
- Change your exercises according to your preferences. If your suspension trainer isn’t as perfect as it could be, you don’t need to scratch your workout. You can probably still do simpler exercises like curls or mountain climbing. Adjust the exercises as needed based on how much space you have and how much strength you think you can apply.
It’s important to remember that some suspension machines can potentially damage more fragile attachment points, such as the door in your home. Once you get a feel for how secure they should be, you can learn how to attach them to a wide variety of places.
Door frames
The doors are the easiest and most intuitive place to use your machines. With most harness trainers, you can simply wrap one end of the strap over the doorframe , or use a separate fixture called a door anchor to help hold the harness trainers in place. Door anchors should come with your suspension trainer, but if you don’t have a door anchor,Daniel Gil’s videobelow suggests a workaround.
However, there are a few caveats when using the door. Before you start exercising full strength, make sure the door actually opens for you . I’m sure you can guess why. That way, if the strap isn’t entirely secure, you won’t fall on your butt, break anything, or seriously harm anyone when the door accidentally swings open. Close the door if you can and pull on the straps to check. Then you are ready to go.
Also, make sure the door and its hinges are strong enough to withstand a small amount of force. Doors in some countries are simply not designed to withstand the small amount of suspension impact on the treadmill. Finally, a suspension trainer can potentially break and damage your door, so make sure you are okay.
Pull-ups on the bar
Rows for chin-ups in playgrounds or in the park are my favorite places to attach suspension sneakers. An indoor chin bar also works when properly secured. I even used tree branches that looked thick and sturdy enough to support my weight. However, this is the key – whatever you use must be strong enough to support your weight.
This video by Ross Eatorn shows you an easy way to attach straps to a bar or any horizontal anchor point. The Winston Knot helps keep the straps in place and prevents them from sliding down the bar for more challenging movements.
Stairs
Certain types of stairwells, where there is enough room underneath to move around, are ideal for attaching belts. Something similar to the picture above might work. You just need to climb high enough so that, once set up, you can access the suspension trainers at ground level; attach the sneakers to the railing at the top; and let the straps fall. I recommend wrapping the machine a couple of times to make sure it holds. Again, pull the straps several times to check.
Lamp posts, tall trees, or other tall posts
If I can’t find any of the previous objects, I’ll look for streetlights, lampposts, poles, trees, or any other tall object instead. But there is a downside: thanks to the design of my suspension sneakers, I have fewer bodyweight exercise arsenals to work with. The reason is that I find it difficult to lift them high enough, and even when I wrap it twice, it tends to slide down a little.
But they are still effective for the vast number of exercises, includingthrust , thrust onthe hour , flexing biceps, and virtually any exercises that you can perform at an angle of 45 degrees.
And it’s not just these objects. You can hang the shoe on just about anything as long as it is tall enough and looks sturdy enough to support your weight. For example, I installed it fairly securely on a lattice gate on the banks of the Seine in Paris.
Or this iron ring attached to the wall might work:
I even got a decent arm workout by attaching it to this ladder.
The point is to get creative and find secure attachment points wherever you go. You can turn pretty much anything into your gym, but be smart. Obviously, do not invade other people’s property and do not inconvenience others. I approach setting up suspension machines like in a game when I ask myself, how do I turn this into something I can use for fitness?
In my opinion, figuring out how and where to install them is part of the fun of using a harness trainer. As I said earlier: “The world is your oyster gym.” Hack this.