Guest Blogger: Paola Di Lanzo, TRX in Barre and Pilates

Tell us a little bit about yourself, your background and how you got into fitness.

I started out in the fitness industry whilst studying at university in 1989. My passion for fitness began at a very young age, engaging in every type of sport you can think of. I have been involved in fitness and personal training for 30 years and I still love every minute of it.

How did you start your journey with TRX?

I bought my first TRX in 2010 and have been addicted ever since. It's one of the best fitness kits on the market. It's light and portable so it goes every where with me! Wonderful for body weight work but also a fabulous tool to help stabilise you when working in single leg which we do a lot of in the PBB routines. I also love the load it gives you when you are in a prone position, with your feet in the straps, as you can emulate a lot of movements we do on the reformer but with way more instability, giving you that extra challenge. In fact Pilates and TRX mix very well- and I have experimented with the fusion over the years-it works a treat!

How do you incorporate TRX into your PBB method?

When we do single leg work the TRX can really assist stability. We do "PBB Floor Barre" where movements are challenging so the extra support without gripping on for "dear life" allows our deeper stabilisers to strengthen and condition with a bit of support.

What unique benefits do you see when incorporating TRX into your workout routines compared to using other or no equipment?

The load added in prone allows you to "dig deep" meaning we are forced to recruit all those delicate deeper muscles, without just solely focusing on our bigger peripheral muscles. You can work from the inside out. Not to mention the load added with the weight of your body!

Visit Paola's website for more info and class details here.