6 Best Suspension Trainers in 2022 - SI Showcase - Sports Illustrated

2022-09-03 08:16:36 By : Mr. Eric Hua

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In a market saturated with suspension trainers, finding the right one for your needs can be confusing and overwhelming. Luckily, we’ve spent hours researching the market.

Come dive in with us as we explore the best suspension trainers available today, as well as how to find the best suspension trainer for your needs, what types are available, how to use them and why they’re so beneficial for your fitness goals.

TRX’s Home2 System includes everything you need to get started on your suspension training journey and is one of the most flexible and versatile options on the market. You get a single TRX Fit Suspension Trainer, a mesh travel bag, a suspension anchor, two door anchors and a TRX Training Club membership with guides for working out using your new suspension training system. It’s like having your own personal trainer at home.

It’s super easy to secure these training straps to your door or a pull-up bar at your local jungle gym. The handles also come with integrated foot straps, helping you perform a wide range of full-body exercises. Plus, with a 350-pound capacity, these straps are sturdy for just about anyone.

When you want to take your TRX All-In-One Suspension Training Fitness System on the go, simply throw it in the lightweight mesh carry bag with your TRX workout guide, and you’re ready to roll!

The RitFit delivers everything you need for a home suspension training workout at a fraction of the price of the TRX Suspension Training System. You can easily latch your RitFit Training straps to your door, ceiling mount, rafter or any other sturdy structure with no screws needed.

The slip-resistant rubber handles are comfortable and safe, and the padded foot cradles keep your feet firmly in place while you perform your favorite ab exercises. We recommend purchasing this resistance trainer kit with rings for the most versatile suspension training experience.

This kit also comes with a detailed workout guide that contains instructions for exercises designed to help you use your bodyweight to build core strength, endurance and flexibility.

Purchase RitFit Bodyweight Resistance Training Kit

If you feel like a pro on the straps, we recommend getting your hands on the highest-quality home training system—the TRX Pro4. You get a few upgrades with the TRX Pro4, including anti-microbial textured rubber handles and a durable tri-anchor system that allows you to set up anywhere your heart desires. TRX also posits that their Pro4 system has been tested and tried by a variety of athletes, so you can feel confident this will suit more advanced lifters.

All in, the TRX Pro4 comes with the suspension trainer, door anchor, suspension anchor, proprietary “Xtender” and mesh carry bag for easy transportation. As with any purchase from TRX, you also get access to the TRX Training Club, which has several guides and exercises to keep you on track with your fitness goals. It’s one of our favorite fitness apps on the market today!

The Lifeline Jungle Gym XT is an ultra-portable suspension training system that can be set up and adjusted in a matter of seconds. Each strap provides three-way adjustability, and the included anchor allows for indoor or outdoor use.

We love how comfortable the ergonomic non-slip handles are, perfect for getting the best grip while performing various movements. Overall, if you find yourself on the go a lot, you won’t find a more portable suspension trainer with a similar mixture of quality and price point.

Purchase Lifeline Jungle Gym XT

Trying to source different pieces of workout equipment for your suspension training kit can be a hassle. Luckily, the team at KBands Training came up with the ingenious solution of providing everything you could possibly need to get the best full-body workout in a single, cost-effective bundle.

You get dual training straps with two handles, two foot cradles, an adjustable anchor strap and a door stopper. Beyond that, KBands provides several KB Powerbands, which are quality resistance bands that range from five to 50 pounds of resistance.

In terms of versatility, this kit delivers better than any other kit we could find on the market.

Purchase KBANDS Training Advanced Training Kit

If you fancy yourself a suspension training expert and want to pursue an alternative form of exercise to build strength in your core while carving out definition throughout your whole body, we recommend picking up a set of Rogue Gymnastic Rings.

Rogue Gymnastic Rings come in all shapes and sizes, though the wood rings are our favorite. They provide a distinctly natural feel that many ring users prefer. Plus, with the porous characteristics of wood, you don’t need to use chalk if you prefer not to.

These rings are durable, comfortable and can be used anywhere that can support your body weight.

Suspension trainers were born out of the NAVY Seals as a way for military members to exercise wherever they could. However, it’s now become a major fitness trend that’s a hit with the biggest celebrities and fitness coaches out there.

Suspension training is a functional and versatile form of exercise that allows users to modify calisthenics and bodyweight training into a unique form of resistance training. You simply suspend your body using ropes overhead to target multiple parts of your body.

Suspension trainers offer hundreds of different exercises in several variations. While there are clearly many types of suspension trainers out there, the TRX brand is one of the most popular, featuring handles and adjustable straps.

Suspension trainers can be latched onto a door, hanging system, jungle gym, tree branch, or just about anything else that can support your weight. You can perform several different exercises with these simple pieces of equipment, including inverted rows, push-ups, lunges, squats, planks, pikes and more.

The way in which you use your suspension trainers will depend on which muscles you are trying to target. For example, to perform a push-up, you would place your hands on the suspension trainer handles, lean your body forward with your feet on the floor and push forward and back.

On the other hand, you might choose to do a plank with your suspension trainer, where you would place your feet in the straps and keep your elbows on the floor, forcing you to engage your core to maintain balance.

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As a beginner, it’s important that you are comfortable with basic movements before attempting to use a suspension trainer, as suspension trainers add instability to exercises that require more energy from your core, better endurance and foundational strength.

So, if you’re unable to do a regular pushup or lunge, we recommend acclimating to those exercises first before moving on, as using suspension training without that physical foundation could increase your risk for injury.

There are hundreds of workouts you can perform with suspension trainers as a beginner. We recommend starting with simple moves that you can build upon in order to improve your fitness and get more comfortable with suspension trainers.

Here are some of the most popular suspension training exercises to build muscle fast:

The inverted row is our favorite suspension training exercise for developing a strong back.

For a standard, inverted row, grab hold of each strap and walk your feet forward until you are leaned back almost parallel with the floor. The closer your back is to the ground, the more difficult this exercise will be.

While squeezing your glutes and core, pull yourself up so that your chest goes between the handles. Then, slowly lower yourself back to your starting position.

The push-up is one of the most foundational upper-body workouts around. To perform a push-up with your suspension trainer, place your hands in the straps and plan forward so that your body is at an incline with your chest pointing toward the floor.

The closer to the ground you get, the more challenging this exercise will be.

With your body in a straight position and your arms straight out in front of you, lower your chest until your body is in line with the straps, then push back up. Make sure to retain a tight core while performing this move and keep your hands directly outside of your chest, moving them no further than shoulder width.

When you don’t have weights around, the balance lunge is a wonderful exercise for challenging your legs and your core.

To perform the balance lunge, place one of your feet into the suspension trainer strap, which should be hanging down at about knee height.

Slowly sink back down toward the ground, dropping your back knee behind your body. Your front knee should not move past your toes.

You’ll know you’re performing the exercise correctly if you feel a good stretch in the front of the back leg as you lower toward the ground. Make sure to maintain a tight core as you perform this exercise.

Looking to dive into some cardio with your suspension training system? Check out the best training shoes on the market to optimize your workout!

Suspension trainers and resistance bands are unique pieces of equipment that offer different benefits.

Suspension trainers are great for bodyweight training and core conditioning. They are portable, easy to use and incredibly versatile. However, we wouldn’t recommend them for absolute beginners, as they require minimum foundational strength.

Resistance bands, on the other hand, are very versatile, can be used anywhere and are great for progressive overload with levels of resistance that often go from about 10 pounds to 200 pounds. They are much better for beginners too, as they don’t require any foundational strength or fitness experience.

Overall, both suspension trainers and resistance bands are great for home workout strength training, especially for those who don’t have room in their homes for standard gym equipment.

A quality suspension trainer can provide you with peace of mind in knowing that you are safe each time you use it. It’s important to buy from a reputable brand with a solid track record. We recommend looking for brands that use reinforced stitching, relatively high load-bearing capacities and industrial-grade materials.

Though you should always push yourself outside your comfort zone to get the best workout, that doesn’t mean your equipment should be painful to use right off the bat.

For example, rubber grip handles can provide comfort and stability instead of cheap plastic handles, which can irritate the hands and give you blisters over time.

Go with a set that supports your fitness routine and will last over time. Beyond looking for straps that are strong and thick, look for handles that are made of high-end foam and rubber. Make sure the mounting hardware is sturdy too.

Think about where you might want to train.

For example, if you want to train outdoors in a cold or humid climate, look for weatherproof materials. If you want to work out on the beach, consider looking for straps that use something other than Velcro that sand can get stuck in.

The carabiner and buckles should use high-grade, waterproof materials, especially if you’re planning on working out outdoors.

When purchasing a suspension trainer for your home gym, the first thing you’ll want to inspect is the suspension straps. We recommend looking for straps with adjustable buckles, as these will allow for easy adjustments as you move through various exercises.

You’ll also want to look at the length of your straps. If you have high ceilings and plan on connecting your suspension straps to the ceiling, you may need to purchase an extension strap if your straps aren’t long enough already.

Next, consider the weight capacity of the straps. They should use high-quality, tightly-webbed materials that can support at least 300 to 350 pounds.

Most suspension training systems come with door anchors, which you can use as long as your door is sturdy enough to handle the pressure. While some training systems come with a single anchor point, others come with multiple, allowing for more flexibility.

If you are concerned about your door, we recommend buying a separate bracket to latch it to a stud or beam in your wall or ceiling. Just make sure you’re using a bracket heavy-duty enough to support your weight.

Using a suspension trainer system is a great way to develop functional strength, as each move you make when using these straps is a compound exercise, working multiple muscle groups at once.

We hope our guide to the best suspension trainers on the market was helpful in narrowing down your choices. Time to break a sweat!

Prices are accurate and items in stock as of publish time.

Tyler Connaghan has been writing professionally for more than ten years in numerous facets, including sports, finance, tech, news, business, music and more.