News

TRX®, the global leader in functional training products and world-class training content, has extended its partnership with leading health and fitness industry training provider, Premier Global NASM. With over 50 years combined experience developing leading health and fitness professionals, the education provided by Premier Global NASM helps set students up for success in the industry with a scientific and evidence-based training system.  Many go on to work in the best gyms and become renowned private personal trainers, nutrition and fitness coaches - forging successful careers and enterprises throughout the health and wellness industry. Fraser Quelch, TRX Founding Partner, commented: "I am so excited about our new alignment with Premier Global NASM for 2022! I can’t imagine a more powerful way to change lives and move the world than by bringing two of the most respected brands in training and education together in a partnership unlike any other. This is going to be amazing!” The new “TRX Master Trainer” bundle being sold by Premier Global NASM includes: TRX Pro4 Suspension Trainer TRX Suspension Training Course TRX Sports Medicine Suspension Training Course TRX for Yoga Foundations TRX Virtual Training Course Dan Rees, Managing Director at Premier Global NASM, says: “Suspension Training offers an almost limitless catalogue of full body training options that can be coached anywhere, inside or out, making its inclusion the perfect addition to any personal trainer’s knowledge and skill arsenal. Most gyms and training spaces now offer TRX, so understanding how to optimise the training system will provide personal trainers with a professional advantage, making them a valuable addition to any fitness operation. “We have worked with TRX for many years on various projects, so it is fantastic to now be able to add this official training bundle to our education portfolio.” For more information, visit: www.premierglobal.co.uk/fitness-cpd-courses/trx-master-trainer-bundle

Mary: From frozen shoulder to fit & fierce   After nearly 3 years of surgeries and setbacks, TRX Training Club® member Mary returns to form with a ferociously funny wit and talks to us about injuries, adversity, and strength. At first glance, it appears that Mary is either on the precipice of revealing a deeply guarded secret, or withholding a perfectly timed joke. Both are true. She’s sitting in the crook of a deep sofa, swishing the champagne in her glass back and forth. The walls of the grand, ornate room we’re in are full of colour and art and beautiful clutter, but Mary looks only at me, a smile animating her entire face. Her hair is curly and short, and it waves with every laugh, which is often. Her glass of champagne rests atop her thigh, her eyes momentarily looking down at it, studying its bubbles as she collects her thoughts. There’s a flurry of activity to our right—a woman in bright red tights has rushed in. A set of TRX Suspension Trainer™ straps dangle from her purse. Mary immediately stands, shrugs apologetically toward me, and runs to greet her friend, their bodies colliding in a mad, ecstatic rush. A few minutes later, she sits back down. “I’m so nervous,” she says at the start of our conversation. “I haven’t really spoken about this. Oh geez, where do I start?” She laughs, a joke that only she knows reverberating in her head, and takes another sip of her drink. I know what she’s thinking—it’s a miracle she’s where she is now, working out multiple times a week and thriving. But, we both know it’s not a miracle.  In 2018, Mary was diagnosed with breast cancer. She started chemotherapy within two weeks of finding out, but this was only the start of her treatment—within 3 months she’d have a double mastectomy, then go on to radiation treatment, and multiple other reconstructive surgeries. In total, she would have 6 surgeries in the span of a couple years. When she first began chemo, one of her first questions was about physical activity. “I asked my oncologist, ‘So what should I be doing with chemo, should I do hot yoga? He told me, ‘Maybe take a break from sweaty people sweating germs.’”  Mary would be the first to tell you that exercise is not her thing. An enjoyer of tennis, with some cross country sprinkled in during high school (“It wrecked my knees”), by the time college rolled around, Mary didn’t pursue anything athletic. “I got great at beer pong,” she joked, “my hand eye coordination skills were GREAT.” Eventually, she discovered yoga and reformer pilates, which she felt were more her speed. The targeted, deep muscular work and focus on breathing helped alleviate some pains she experienced during both of her pregnancies, particularly her back and hips. Her dedication to yoga was so great, it was the first time she felt sad to give up an activity during her treatment phases, and it was the first activity she pursued when she finally received clearance for fitness in February 2020.  Then, the pandemic hit. In her immunocompromised state, everything was off the table except for home workouts, but yoga on her own wasn’t feeling as good as before—Mary had been struggling with two frozen shoulders for quite awhile that severely limited her mobility. 6-8 months of physical therapy didn’t fully alleviate the situation. This coupled with her multiple surgeries left her feeling weak, unsure how to move forward, or move at all. “I had lost sooo much muscle tone. I felt really, really fragile. My husband would say to our kids, ‘We have to be careful with mommy.’ I didn’t have anyone to guide me.” An expression of sorrow briefly washes across Mary’s porcelain face before the witty twinkle returns. Mary likes to keep it light. She told me that a fortuitous opportunity presented itself when an old friend invited her to try a new workout—TRX Training Club®. Mary was against it at first and balked at her friend. “I don’t think you understand,” she joked. “I’m coming off 18 months of doing nothing, two frozen shoulders… the worst one? That’ll be me. I’m literally starting from ground zero.” All joking aside, Mary had some valid concerns. She finally relented, figuring she had nothing to lose. As it turned out, she had everything to gain. And it was life-changing. Within 3 months Mary was taking LIVE classes 3 days a week. Within 6 months, she performed her first pushup with a targeted On Demand workout. Within a year, she attempted, and succeeded at her first complete handstand—an incredible feat for anyone, let alone someone who had endured what she had. Before using her Suspension Training® straps and being guided by expert trainer Niko Algieri through the app, Mary couldn’t perform a single pushup. Mary shook her head ruefully at the memory.  “I had been doing physical therapy for my shoulder for 8 months—I even had a cortisone shot—but I wanted to supplement that work with more traditional strength moves. I was so afraid of pushups, that movement was so scary for me. With the TRX, I realised I could adjust weight on the fly. The straps let you slowly adjust the weight. It was a literal support system for me. And I could CONTROL that support.”  The increased strength and mobility was a boon for Mary’s confidence, but what also impressed her was the ability to perform and regain her yoga skills on the Suspension Trainer™—something she had missed greatly since her pre-pandemic, pre-cancer days. “I couldn’t do a lot of yoga because I didn’t have mobility anymore and I was afraid of falling, but with the straps, I could support my weight in Camel Pose. It’s a very, very vulnerable pose if you don’t have the strength to lean on your shoulders. But with the straps I slowly built up my ability and range of motion until I could do it fully. It was like having a safety net.” Throughout the conversation, Mary’s expression oscillates from seriousness to sassiness in a flash, a lightness that belies the many challenges she overcame. A stranger might think she diminishes her own experience, someone who doesn’t give her struggles the gravitas they “deserve.” Mary doesn’t believe in this. “What they don’t tell you about survivorship is that you focus so much on what you can do… that it becomes your world. There’s not a lot you can control, but I can control my strength, my focus, my mental health. I choose to be constructive in a really destructive time.” Mary travels a lot for her line of work as a high-powered executive, which makes her all the more thankful for her Suspension Trainer™ straps—they pack easily in a bag and all she has to do is hang them over a hotel room door and flip on the app. Her favourite move? Pistol Squats. She can barely believe it, either. Excited, she motions me a little closer. “I got a towel hickey from doing a plank on the hotel floor with the straps.” She bites her lip, clamping shut what’s bound to be a loud laugh. Mary loves to tell a good story. “I’m definitely the funny, self-deprecating jokester of my friends,” she says.  But what about tracking? I ask. TRX Training Club® is highly functional but utilitarian—it specialises in workouts that truly work, and amazing, one-of-a-kind trainers who guide you, both of which it does exceptionally well. “A lot of people are really into smart tech,” I say. Mary tells me she prefers to track meaningful progress, like doing 10 pushups when before she could do none. When I ask her about fitness trackers and activity monitors, Mary snorts, waves a hand lazily in the air, bringing us back full circle with a sidelong gaze, humour twinkling in her eye.  “Those people aren’t fun at parties,” she quips. 

TRX Live Trainer Tom Cuff-Burnett learned how to gut and fillet a mackerel on a beach in Cornwall, thanks to his mum. Trainer Rae Clarke says her mother taught her how to be kind to herself and others. Trainer Amber Pierson appreciates her mum driving her cross-country for dance shows as a kid, and continuing to make her tea in bed every morning to this day. There are so many reasons to appreciate mothers, so we asked some of our favourite TRX trainers to share what makes their own mothers so special. Great Advice At some point, you’ve probably turned to your mum for advice, whether you needed guidance  navigating a specific issue or just some general encouragement in life. Part of a mama’s magic is passing along words of wisdom and life lessons. For Rae, that advice was “Get rid of the drainers in your life and have more radiators.” Tom says his mum told him, “Never apologise for having high standards.” Amber’s mom reminded her, “Why be average, when you can be legendary?” Motherly advice can be inspiring, but it can also be an expression of love. Trainer Michael Keeney says his mother told him, “There is nothing you can do that would make me not love you. You could murder someone—and I’d expect you to go to jail—but I wouldn't stop loving you. Be who you are.” Leading By Example Mothers help shape their children into who they will become by setting an early example—both in critical moments when they know their kids are watching and in day-to-day life. For our TRX Live trainers, those ordinary moments were often the most formative. Tom describes his mum as “a true force of nature: inspirational, independent, intelligent, and fierce.” Rae says, “I love my mum because she’s always thinking of others and being kind. No matter how busy her life is, she’s always thinking of me and always there for me.”  Unconditional love. Sage advice. Selfless support.  Our mothers give us the best of themselves—and graciously tolerate our moody teenage years. On Mother’s Day, we shower our mums with flowers and gifts, but a thoughtful message can be just as meaningful. Whether you’ve sent a card or not, there’s still time to thank your mother for all she’s done!

Tell us a little bit about yourself, your background and how you got into fitness. My name is Artur Zolkiewicz and I’m a Performance Coach and General Manager at the Workshop Gymnasium located at the Bulgari Hotel in London. My passion for fitness began when I started karate training as a child. I naturally progressed into being a karate trainer from being an athlete. I started teaching karate back in 2005 when I first moved to Austria to study. A little later, through my passion for movement I discovered weight training. When I started modelling I realised that a good looking physique would bring me more photoshoots, hence why I started training more towards aesthetics. Karate wasn’t the only martial art I practiced. I started training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in 2010 and it didn’t take long or me to get into boxing and muay thai as well which I continue to this day. I started working in the fitness industry in 2011, in a female only studio in Vienna. I worked more as a fitness coach back then rather than a personal trainer. Our members were ladies between 16-80 years old! I truly enjoyed coaching people and that was one of the main reasons why I decided that I want to get into the job. I properly got into personal training in 2015. How did you start your journey with TRX? I remember my very first training with TRX. I think it was when TRX just got released and my friend brought it back from the States. He’s been telling me about this new amazing training method which has been used by the Navy Seals. I remember being very excited about the product and it did not disappoint me. I then started using it in gyms around the world when I was traveling as a model. How do you incorporate TRX into your training? I like using TRX especially when I travel. I just got back from a trip to Indonesia where I’d start every day with a TRX workout on the beach with the suspension trainer attached to a palm tree. Such a dreamy way to start your day! Having said that, I also incorporate TRX into my gym-based training programmes back in London. It’s such a versatile piece of equipment which can be used for any kind of training. Whether it’s corrective work, teaching movement patterns, higher intensity training, bilateral and unilateral work, TRX can be utilised to train all of it. I utilise TRX a lot with my clients and I don’t think I have one client who doesn’t use the suspension trainer in their training. What unique benefits do you see when incorporating TRX into your workout routines compared to using other or no equipment? I like the fact that TRX allows you to challenge yourself by essentially using your own body weight only and it gives you different training options with no equipment. It can be used on its own, but also as a supplement in workouts in which you train with or without equipment. As I already mentioned, I always travel with the TRX Home version. It’s light, easy to pack and you can always find somewhere to attach it to. Not having a gym when you travel is no longer an issue if you always have your TRX with you! I also like using TRX with my clients to teach them movement patterns. You can easily progress and regress exercises for people and literally everyone can use the suspension trainer to work out with. It was great to have you involved in our #made2move campaign - thank you!  The idea behind this, is to celebrate our brand’s and community’s passion for movement and our mission to empower every body, regardless of age, weight, fitness level, etc. to move better. We see so many brands in the fitness space getting caught up in image-based fitness, so this is our response as a leader in the market, to step out and make a clear declaration that fitness is for everyone, that humans are inherently made to move in different ways and that our focus should be about quality of movement, longevity and personal fulfilment, not just being a thinner or more jacked version of yourself. This gives our community the opportunity to tell their stories, gives us the opportunity to hear those stories, and everyone the opportunity to celebrate movement together!    What does movement mean to you?  Such a great question! Where do I start? Movement is such an essential part of my life that I’m not sure what I would do if I couldn’t move. The thought alone scares the hell out of me! I think every human being was made to move. We are all born with this unique ability to express ourselves through movement. Movement makes people happy, causes the body to release endorphins. If that’s not enough of a reason to move, then what is? There are so many forms of movement, I believe that everybody can find a way to move which they will enjoy. We move differently at various stages of our lives. Each of them is very unique in its own way. Movement is a very important part of who I am and what I do. I always used to enjoy it and I will always try and move as much as I can. I associate movement with freedom and health. It’s like a natural medicine that has been made available to us the day we were born. It would be a shame not to make use of this amazing gift!

Using the TRX Rocker and other self-myofascial release tools could be an effective method for optimising training efforts.

In the final part in this series we're hitting the local tennis courts for some classic multi-planar exercises. Not only are multi-planar exercises a great way to improve your backhand, but they offer a unique approach that include every muscle groups around the major joints to increase overall function and reduce the chance of injury.

As a company, TRX champions the idea of "fitness anywhere." Luiza Silva, an athlete-turned-fitness-instructor, puts that mantra into practice.

Learn how easy it is to move, sweat, train (and track it all) on the go with your TRX Suspension Trainer.

With a TRX Suspension Trainer, working out on the road is easy. Check out some of the picturesque locations where TRX fans have brought their straps.